ATC's 'Dracula' is all fangs, no bite in hilarious send-up

He's turned him into a sex symbol — a buffed and wickedly handsome heartthrob who makes grown women swoon and publicly emit groans of ecstasy that are best left to the privacy of one's boudoir.

Heck, even the men are writhing in ecstasy at the sight of Dracula in skintight jeans, slicked-back hair and tear-away crotched vest that accentuates those biceps.  

Greenberg's reimagined "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors," which Arizona Theatre Company opened Thursday night before a full house at the Temple of Music and Art, still focuses on that whole sucking the blood/eternal life thing. But his approach is far different.

His pansexual Dracula (the exquisitely funny, buffed and handsome Christopher James Stevens) is looking for love, and he's not exactly picky.

He really wants to suck the blood and go off into eternity with the lovely Lucy (the very funny Susana Cordón). But in a pinch, Lucy's not so lovely sister Mina (the sublimely hilarious Paul Vogt, who also played Jean Van Helsing) might do, or in a nod to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," he'd happily settle for Lucy's fiancé Jonathan (a terrifically funny and weak-kneed James Romney).

Greenberg cowrote the campy gender-bending play with Steve Rosen and directs the ATC production that continues through May 16. The cast is the same one Greenberg had for the show's recent run in Orlando, Florida, which could explain the impeccable timing. Jokes and snarky asides, rich with pop culture references, almost felt improvised, which added to the humor. 

Even Stevens, the lone newcomer felt like a spoke in the well-oiled wheel. Stevens played the role with the comic nuance of Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" and the vulnerability of Shakespeare's Richard III, minus all that chopping off the heads of his perceived enemies.

The key to the success of Greenberg's "Dracula" lies in its simplicity. There are no hi-tech hijinks and AI-generated backdrops. When Dr. Westfield leads the hunt for Count Dracula, he does so on stick ponies. A carriage ride through the London countryside plays out like a game of charades down to opening invisible doors. Five actors divvy up a dozen-plus roles, with men playing women, women playing men and sometimes in the same scene like when the dizzyingly funny Kelly Bashar switches from Dr. Westfeldt to Renfield sometimes at the literal flip of the wig. 

Greenberg's "Dracula" created the perfect escape into a world that reminded us of the genius of Monty Python wrapped in a decidedly American wit.

Performances continue at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. For tickets and showtimes, visit atc.org.