Arizona Theatre Co.'s reimagined 'Dracula' is 'a comedy of terrors'

All that stalking innocents in the dark of night, then swooping down on them, fangs at the ready.

That whole living forever.

That's kind of how Dracula feels in Gordon Greenberg's "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors," which closes Arizona Theatre Company's 2025-26 season. The play, which Greenberg directs, runs through May 16. 

Greenberg's Dracula is not looking for his next victim; he's looking for purpose to his life.

"He's been through everything. He's had every kind of sexual experience. He's had every kind of drug and drink and stuff," explained Paul Vogt, who plays Mina, Jean Van Helsing and one other character in the ATC production. "It's sort of this story about a guy that's had a life of excess. Nothing can kill him. He's been through it all. And then he sees a picture of Lucy."

Could she be his Ms. Right?

Lucy (Susana Cordón) is the fiancée of Jonathan Harker (James Romney), who's trying to sell Dracula five homes in Victorian-era London. When Harker whips out that picture of Lucy, Dracula goes gaga.

"He thinks she's the answer," Vogt said. "She's the reason for him existing. He comes into town with the goal of seducing Lucy and taking her and turning her into a vampire. Now he finally would have some purpose."

Or would he? And would she? And what about poor Jonathan?

Spoiler alert: We're not going to spoil it.

Greenberg's Dracula is a hip and hilarious modern turn at the Bram Stoker classic, which Greenberg wrote with Steve Rosen.

Four of the cast of five — Vogt, Cordón, Romney and Kelly Basher (Dr. Westfielt, Renfield) — were part of a Greenberg production in Orlando; Christopher James Stevens as Dracula was the only one cast in Arizona. 

Every one except Stevens plays multiple characters — there are more than a dozen — in the 90-minute, fast-paced, gender-bending production that includes split-second costume changes and several scenes where an actor will play two characters in the same scene. 

"We're dressed as one person talking to the other," said Vogt, whose credits include "Hairspray," "Chicago," "Mad TV" and "Hannah Montana."

Some of the comedy comes in Greenberg's reimagining the classic Dracula characters as the opposite gender. The vampire hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing becomes Jean Van Helsing, played by Vogt, who also plays Lucy's sister, Mina. Dr. Seward becomes Dr. Westfeldt, played by Bashar ("Fargo," "Parks and Recreation"), who also plays the bug-eating, slightly off-his-rocker Renfield, who becomes Dracula's butler.

"Each one of those characters, they all have these arcs. There's a story behind each one of them. So it's really fun," said Vogt, whose character Mina, for example, has a serious crush on Dracula and can't believe her sister Lucy is turning down his advances.

Vogt said the play reminds him of commedia dell'arte "back in the day," which is a far cry and centuries removed from how the playwright sees it.

"Gordon keeps saying it's a Dracula play with dad jokes," Vogt said.

And a ton of costume changes, he added.

Expect to see Vogt slip in and out of fabulously ornate Victorian dresses and wigs every few minutes or so.

"The costumes are amazing. My Mina dress is stunning, and the costume designer did an amazing job because when you look at it, it looks like it's six layers of a petticoat and a skirt and fringe and frillage," he said. "But the way he built it, I can just pull it all on in two pieces. It's the same thing (with Van Helsing). It's just designed and made so beautiful that you think it's all these layers, but they've manufactured it in a way that I can step into it."

"The great thing about 'Dracula' is that it has a proven track record of just being a wild hoot that audiences are just enjoying from soup to nuts and having a great time at," said ATC Kasser Family Artistic Director Matt August. "I really feel like when we come to the end of our season, particularly when you know a lot of our (winter visitors) are going home, we really need something that is talking to the students that are left behind in each city, both at University of Arizona and ASU, and you know, the families, the younger families that are sticking around in town. Something that they can just come to get into an air conditioned theater and just have a great time."

August said having Greenberg direct the ATC production is a rare bonus, especially from someone as prolific as Greenberg.

"Gordon does this very silly version of Dracula and then he turns around and he does a definitive production of 'The Baker's Wife,' which is heading to Broadway; and a stage adaptation of Irving Berlin's film 'Holiday Inn'," August said. "Gordon has a lot of chops and has imagination and talent pouring out of his ears. And there really isn't anybody around who's doing the kind of work that he does ... at the level that he's doing it. So when we had the opportunity to bring him to ATC, that's an opportunity to seize with both arms and not let go."

Opening night for "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $33-$103 through atc.org. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. weekdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through May 16.