AN AGE-OLD STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL:
Steven Dietz's critically acclaimed Dracula gets two big thumbs up
By Michael Keefe
Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: Campus Life
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Steven Dietz's Dracula is an adaptation of a novel by Bram Stoker written over 100 years ago. While managing the Lyceum Theater in London in 1890, Bram Stoker began working on a novel entitled "The Undead," a book roughly based on the legend of Vlad The Impaler. Although Dracula propelled the legend of Vlad the Impaler to incredible heights, the infamous Vlad the Impaler has deep-seeded historical roots in Western European culture; mercilessly terrorizing the Transylvanian countryside until his execution after the Crusades in 1291. As far as American culture goes, much the legend of Dracula stems from the famed performance of Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film entitled "Dracula." Although American pop culture has seemingly run away with the legend and likeness of Dracula, Dietz's adaptation of the classic horror novel follows the story of Dracula without sacrificing any of the story or moral. With brilliant acting, interesting dialogue, and dazzling special effects; Steven Dietz's Dracula is sure to please any fan of theater or horror.
"People Love to be surprised, to be scared," said Steven Dietz in an interview with Tom Shafer of The Indian University Department of Theater and Drama. "Somebody jokingly told me that if you work as a playwright long enough, it's a rule that you have to write a version of A Christmas Carol or Dracula," Dietz stated jokingly. While Dracula has been preformed countless times in various theaters, Dietz's adaptation of the classic horror novel encompasses excitement, fear, and comedy; breathing new life into the one hundred year old story of heartbreak and deception. Dracula was played by famed television star Lorenzo Lamas, who played the part of the mysterious Count flawlessly.
Steven Dietz's plays have received over 100 productions in regional theatres in the United States, and Kean University is proud to have taken part in his New Jersey premiere of Dracula. Dietz's plays have been seen in England, Australia, Japan, Germany, France, Slovenia, Argentina, Peru, Singapore, and South Africa. Dietz's critically acclaimed adaptation of Dracula is an exhilarating masterpiece bringing the audience into a frightening world where there is no escape from the "undead"
