This fall, New Yorkers have another reason to break out their turtlenecks.
DRACULA
A COMEDY OF TERRORS
Performances Begin Off-Broadway September 4 at New World Stages
(NEW YORK) – Drew & Dane Productions presents Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen in a limited 18-week engagement, September 4 – January 7, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Opening night is September 18. Directed by Gordon Greenberg (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Geffen), Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors features a company of fearless actors including Jordan Boatman (Medea at BAM, The Niceties), Arnie Burton (The 39 Steps, Peter and The Starcatcher), James Daly (Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Hulu’s “Letterkenny”), Ellen Harvey (How To Succeed, Present Laughter) and Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Disney’s Newsies, Tuck Everlasting).
Bram Stoker’s horror classic gets a riotous makeover in this lightning-fast comedic reimagining that celebrates goth, camp, sexuality, and the magic of live theatre. This 90-minute, gender-bending, quick-change romp features a pansexual GenZ Count Dracula in the midst of an existential crisis. When he sets his sights on the brilliant young earth scientist Lucy Westfeldt, he meets his match for the first time – as well as a slew of other colorful characters including vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing, insect connoisseur Percy Renfield and behavioral psychiatrist Wallace Westfeldt, whose British country estate doubles as a free-range mental asylum. With a cast of brilliant quick take comedians, this Dracula will make you scream... with laughter.
“In re-reading Dracula, we were surprised and intrigued by the boldness with which Stoker, a closeted gay man in Victorian England, plays with sexuality and gender norms,” says director/co-writer Gordon Greenberg. Co-writer Steve Rosen adds “we wanted to celebrate him and, at the same time, send up his moody, broody melodrama in the spirit of some of our comedic heroes like Charles Ludlam, Monty Python and Mel Brooks.” In regards to the New World Stages production, Greenberg continues, “We are so fortunate to have assembled an extraordinary company of top-notch comedic actors whose fearlessness and hilarity make the whole experience feel like a party. We hope our Dracula gives audiences of all ages the chance to forget about their troubles and just laugh their heads off for a while.”
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors features scenic design by Tijana Bjelajac, costume design by Tristan Raines, lighting design by Rob Denton, sound design by Victoria Deiorio, and wig and hair design by Ashley Rae Callahan. General Management is by Live Wire Theatrical. Production management is by Intuitive Production Management, and production stage management is by Morgan Holbrook. Casting is by JZ Casting. Dori Berinstein (The Prom) is Executive Producer.
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors was commissioned and originally produced by Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive) in 2019. In 2020, it was adapted as a radio play for The Broadway Podcast Network with an all-star cast including Annaleigh Ashford, Laura Benanti, Alex Brightman, James Monroe Iglehart, Richard Kind, Rob McClure, Ashley Park, Christopher Sieber, and John Stamos. Productions followed at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany and Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal. A hit with critics and audiences alike, Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors has been praised by the Albany Times Union as “a raucous comedy, done with impeccable adroitness …stuffed with sight gags, wordplay and lightning-fast costume changes,” and described as “a delicious comedic romp” by Berkshire Edge. McGill Daily calls the play “a sexy retelling of the classic 1897 novel that leans into contemporary gender roles with an unprecedented comedic angle. … not to be missed.” BroadwayWorld calls it a “lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud comedy.”
About the Cast & Creative Team
JORDAN BOATMAN originated the role of Zoe in Eleanor Burgess’s The Niceties (Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center, Geffen Playhouse, Huntington Theatre Company) for which she won an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress. Other theatre: Simon Stone’s Medea (The Brooklyn Academy of Music), Murder on the Orient Express (The Cape Playhouse). Upcoming & recent Film/TV: Chiwetel Ejiofor’s “Rob Peace”, “Bull” (CBS), “The Good Fight” (Paramount Plus), “The Path” (Hulu). Boatman is a graduate of UNC School of the Arts.
ARNIE BURTON. Broadway: Peter And The Starcatcher, The 39 Steps, Machinal, A Free Man Of Color, Amadeus. Off Bway includes, Lewiston/Clarkston (Drama Desk nomination featured Actor), The Government Inspector (Calloway Award), The Mystery of Irma Vep (Drama League nomination), The Temperamentals (Drama Desk Award ensemble), The New Yorkers (Encores), Timon Of Athens, The Explorers Club, Tail! Spin!, Fairycakes, Mere Mortals, Lives of The Saints. TV and Film includes, “The Other Two” (season 3 recurring), “Evil,” “WeCrashed,” “Jessica Jones,” “Search Party,” “Elementary, “Murphy Brown,” “Frasier,” The Greatest Showman, The Invention of Lying, Igby Goes Down.
JAMES DALY is an award-winning Canadian Actor. Recent theatre credits include; Damn Yankees, Grand Hotel, Oh What A Lovely War (The Shaw Festival), Mythic (The Segal Centre), Cabaret (The Grand Theatre), Master Harold... and the boys (The Shaw Festival/Obsidian Theatre). On camera credits include: Crave's hit comedy series “Letterkenny,” Netflix’s “Workin’ Moms” and CBC’s “Frankie Drake.” He is a proud graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. *instagram: @jamespatrickdaly
ELLEN HARVEY. Broadway: Present Laughter (Miss Erikson w/ Kevin Kline), How To Succeed in Business.... (Miss Jones w/Daniel Radcliffe), Phantom Of The Opera, The Music Man, Thou Shalt Not. Off-Broadway: Little Women, Big Love. Shakespeare In The Park: Into The Woods. National Tours: Mary Poppins (Miss Andrew), Disney’s High School Musical (Ms. Darbus), Mamma Mia!, (Tanya). Regional Favorites: Lend Me A Soprano (Mrs. Wiley, Alley Theatre), Knoxville (Aunt Hannah, Asolo Rep), Company (Joanne, Barrington Stage), Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett, KC Rep). TV: “WeCrashed”, “House of Cards”, “Blacklist”, “Gotham”, “Younger”. @ellenharveynyc
ANDREW KEENAN-BOLGER. Broadway: Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting (Drama League Award nominee), Crutchie in Newsies (Outer Critics Circle nominee), Mary Poppins, Seussical, Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol. 1st Nat'l Tours: Spelling Bee, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Off-Broadway: Seven Deadly Sins. TV: The Undoing, The Blacklist, The Other Two, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Nurse Jackie, Looking. Film: The Rewrite, Marci X, Upcoming: On Swift Horses, V13. Co-creator of the series Submissions Only. Co-author of the book series Jack & Louisa (Penguin Random House). @KeenanBlogger
GORDON GREENBERG (Co-Writer, Director) Selected Work: Picasso starring Antonio Banderas (directing & co-writing with Stephen Schwartz & Caridad Svich for Trafalgar Entertainment), “Most Talkative” (Co-Creator, NBC/Universal TV, Andy Cohen, Blumhouse), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Geffen Playhouse, L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, Best Revival), Guys and Dolls starring Rebel Wilson (Savoy Theatre London; six Olivier Award noms), Barnum (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), Piaf/Dietrich (Mirvish Toronto; Dora Award, Best Production), Holiday Inn (Director/co-writer, Broadway, PBS “Great Performances”), Working (Drama Desk Award), and new works at Ars Nova, Williamstown, Huntington, Paper Mill, Signature, Goodspeed, Chicago Shakes, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Asolo, NY Stage and Film. With Steve Rosen, he has co-written Crime and Punishment, A Comedy for the Old Globe, Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show (Old Globe, Bucks County), The Secret of My Success (Universal Stage Productions), and the podcast “Rolling Calls” (Broadway Podcast Network). Education: Stanford, NYU Film, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
STEVE ROSEN (Co-Writer). Co-writing/composing credits include The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation (co-book, music, and lyrics), The Other Josh Cohen (co-book, music, and lyrics), The Secret of My Success (co-book), Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show and Crime and Punishment, A Comedy. He also co-created the podcast “Rolling Calls” (Broadway Podcast Network) as well as the acclaimed Off-Broadway variety show Don’t Quit Your Night Job. For his work in the theatre, he has been nominated for five Drama Desk Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award and a Joseph Jefferson Award. He is an associate artist with The Civilians and graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is also an actor. @stevierosen.
DREW & DANE PRODUCTIONS (Producer). Drew Desky and Dane Levens, with associate producer Clayton Howe, are award-winning producers for theatre and web series. In 2022, Drew & Dane produced Rain and Zoe Save the World at Jermyn Street Theatre in London. They have produced the award-winning revival of Little Shop of Horrors (Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award and Outer Critics Circle Honor for Outstanding Revival of a Musical), Pageant (Drama Desk nomination), Application Pending (Drama Desk nomination), Who’s Holiday! (Lortel nomination), The Other Josh Cohen (Off Broadway Alliance nomination), Fairycakes, Unexpected Joy, Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, and R.R.R.E.D. Currently supporting the upcoming Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along and Hadestown (including North American Tour), Dear Evan Hansen (North American Tour and West End), Come From Away (Australia/NZ tour), and Moulin Rouge! (Australia Tour). They have produced and supported developmental presentations of several plays and musicals. Drew and Dane have earned the Emmy® Award for Best Digital Drama Series as Executive Producers of “After Forever” in 2018. Drew is the Founding Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Drew and Dane are also members of the Artists Circle of the Bucks County Playhouse, where they have the honor of being the only couple married on that historic stage.
DORI BERINSTEIN (Executive Producer) is a five-time, Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, an Olivier and Emmy Award-winning director, producer and writer of film and television and the co-founder and CEO of the Broadway Podcast Network. Dori’s Broadway productions include: Company (Tony Award), Is This A Room, Dana H, The Prom (Drama Desk), Legally Blonde (Olivier Award), Virginia Woolf (Tony Award), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award), The Crucible, and Fool Moon (Tony Award). As a filmmaker, Dori’s award-winning work includes: As The Curtain Rises, ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway, Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love (Emmy Award) and The Last Blintz. Dori has executive produced and/or supervised over 80 feature, special f/x and/or animated productions, including Isaac Mizrahi’s award-winning documentary Unzipped, Dirty Dancing and Jim Henson’s MuppetVision 3-D. She is also co-founder of The Lights of Broadway Show Cards and a former Walt Disney Imagineer.