From the minds behind Drunk Shakespeare, Drunk Dracula is bringing a thrilling twist to the beloved story.
Co-created by David Hudson, Lori Wolter Hudson, Lisa Klages Calhoun and Scott Griffin, Drunk Dracula is based on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” with some contemporary twists.
“One of the things that kept coming up for [Drunk Shakespeare] over the last couple of years was that it seemed like there was a desire or appetite for more themed shows or holiday-specific shows, Halloween in particular,” said David Hudson. “We started thinking about Halloween concepts and Dracula seemed like the perfect fit.”
The show stars Preston Mulligan as Dracula, Sarah Goldstein as Van Yuengling, Aubrey Lace Taylor as Mina and Lucy, Chris Trindade as Harker and Seward, and Nate Betancourt as The Narrator. Christian Roberts and Ben Salus are swings.
“I’ve been one of the cast members with Drunk Shakespeare since 2017. I was approached by David, they were working on a horror piece and he said we wanted to do Dracula. I couldn’t turn it down,” said Mulligan.
Drunk Dracula takes the traditional story of the titular vampire and brings it to the Big Apple. After spending centuries in Transylvania, Dracula makes his way to New York City for some fresh blood to maintain his youth.
The show also blends in some modern vampire story retellings, such as “Twilight” and “The Vampire Diaries,” to bring the performance into the 21st century for a booze-infused experience.
“It’s based a lot on taking that story that people know, or think they know, and then really adding to it and saying, why should I see Dracula in 2024? Well, maybe if we add some booze and some comedy to it, it makes it even more enjoyable,” said Hudson. “I think the story is also spooky, scary and creepy and in the Halloween season, adding some fun and levity to balance out that spookiness is really exciting and we’re excited about that. I also think that Halloween, in general, is just right for comedy and parody.”
“With the text of Dracula, which I don’t think actually a lot of people know, it really feels like a good opportunity for us to be able to digest and tell the story of Dracula. We’re utilizing our comedy and influences to make it digestible but also heighten the text to live within the melodrama that is all versions of Dracula,” said Mulligan.
The show is 90 minutes long with no intermission, following a similar format to Drunk Shakespeare. The show promises to be a hilarious time paired with a spooky story that will have you on the edge of your seat.
“We hope that the audience can participate in some genuine fears as well as a lot of homages to horror classics and callbacks to not just Dracula, but to werewolves and some people in horror films,” said Mulligan. “But this sort of serves to be a nostalgic trick for a lot of our guests that are big fans of the horror genre.”
“Your sides will hurt from laughing, your face will hurt from laughing the entire time,” said Hudson.
Drunk Dracula will run from Oct. 9 through Nov. 3, with shows taking place Wednesdays through Sundays at the Ruby Theater (35 W 39th St.). Tickets start at $55 and are available at drunkdracula.com.
