INTERVIEW: New ‘Dracula’-inspired play scares audiences in NYC
Photo: The Truth About Transylvania featured Patricia Lynn, who also wrote the play, and Mark Weatherup Jr. Photo courtesy of Heather Olmstead / Provided by Alton PR with permission.
The recently closed The Truth About Transylvania, which wrapped up a limited engagement at A.R.T./New York Theatres, modernizes the classic Dracula tale, which was first written in book form by Bram Stoker. This time around, John Harker is a tourist visiting the Transylvania region of Romania. When he has a run-in with the count, Harker returns home, wanting to tell the world about this monster he’s seen. The problem is that his wife, Millie, doubts whether the events he details are actually true.
The Truth About Transylvania, directed by Jacob Titus, was first developed at the 2024 Rogue Theater Festival. Its premiere at A.R.T/New York Theatres coincided with the Halloween season.
Recently playwright Patricia Lynn, who also played Millie in the production, exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox, offering up some clues on how she adapted Stoker’s novel for the stage. She bills herself as a Gothic feminist playwright, and Hollywood Soapbox previously profiled her for a one-act play called Screwed, a loose adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired you to take this trip to Transylvania?
I’ve always had a fascination with the novel Dracula. I especially love how it’s written in an epistolary format (recounted through a series of letters and diary entries), as it allows you to experience the story through multiple points of view. In fact, I plan to write a new Dracula adaptation every five years that features a different character!
So, this play is my love letter to one of my favorite characters, Jonathan Harker — who is such a wonderfully smart and kind man in the book, but I feel his role is usually diminished in the more recent adaptations. Dracula and Van Helsing typically get the spotlight in those depictions of the story, but, in my opinion, the real heroes of the original novel are John and Mina. So, I wanted this specific trip to Transylvania to feature John’s unique strengths, complexities and flaws.
How closely does your play track with the original Bram Stoker novel?
The play is definitely inspired by the original novel and includes a few key moments and some of my favorite lines of text. But it is a departure from the original novel as it takes place in the 21st century, so all the characters are fully aware of the myth of Count Dracula. So, our John Harker is not technically the Jonathan Harker from the novel, but he is definitely teased about having the same name when he first arrives in Transylvania! And throughout the play, John learns that he has more in common with Stoker’s Jonathan Harker than he realizes.
How would you describe the character of Millie?
Millie is inspired by Mina Murray from the original novel, so she possesses many of the same core attributes: gentle courage, wit, tenacity. I also wanted to make sure that I included another element of Mina Murray in Millie’s character, which is how much she wrestles with anxiety. Some of Mina’s journal entries from the novel mention a “devouring anxiety” — a concept that a lot of Victorian women probably didn’t feel they could talk about openly. So, I wanted to make sure Millie had a chance to express her deepest fears as she struggles to survive her trip to Transylvania.
Also, Millie loves cheese and etymology. Like really loves cheese and etymology.
What’s the language of the play like? How did you make it lyrical?
I call the language of the play “fever poetry,” which mirrors John’s emotional state throughout the story. So, it’s not written in a specific form of verse like iambic pentameter, nor does it follow any regimented poetic rules. But it definitely has a fierce emotional flow and rhythm, which makes the language feel heightened and lyrical. I also love to include humor even in my darker and more dramatic pieces, so I worked to include a witty bounce to the language, which helps it feel more elevated as well.
Are you a fan of the Halloween season and all things scary?
Absolutely! October is my favorite month of the year. I love the changing of the leaves, the cooler weather, and, of course, the desire to indulge in all kinds of spooky sinister activities!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Click here for more information on The Truth About Transylvania by Patricia Lynn.
