Dracula - Collide Theatrical at the Ritz Theater

(Originally posted on Minnesota Theater Love)

Yeah - another new theater company to keep your eye on!! I had heard of Collide Theatrical Dance Company for a few years, had been on their email list and have been wanting to see one of their shows for a while. I finally had my chance. Collide is a performing arts company that is focused on creating original full-length dance musical. The dancing and choreography is not based solely in ballet, but instead are rooted and influenced by the musical theater jazz dance tradition and inspired by Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse.

Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp

The current show (opened tonight and plays through March 20th) is a retelling of the Dracula story. It is performed by ten dancers, two vocalists and a live band. The story is set in the modern world - present-day New York to be specific. However the story isn't changed....much. The characters are all still there - Dracula, Jonathan Harker, Mina, Lucy, Renfield, and Van Helsing. While it has been cut down to a very nice 90 minute (with intermission) length, the essence of Dracula wanting Mina, taking Lucy, having Renfield do some of his dirty work, etc is all there...the basic plot remains but there are some great tweaks to it. When Lucy (Jami Snively) and Arthur (Kevin Iverson) get married, it is Mina (Renee Guittar) who marries them. Renfield (Regina Peluso - also the choreographer and Artistic Director) is a woman.

Being that the story is told primarily in dance, there has to be music. The music is played by a live band, on stage, with vocalist Katie Gearty. For this production, they choose to have Dracula (Michael Hanna) also sing. Michael Hanna has a fantastic voice that is perfectly suited to the songs that he sings - from "Come As You Are" to "Every Breath You Take" to even "I Want You to Want Me." The voice is perfection, and it mixes so well with Katie's incredible voice. The story is told through dance, but it is also told through the lyrics of the songs. The emotion of the story, the characters are evident in the lyrics. There are also times where it is just the band playing, and the dancers dancing - like the wedding celebration to "Poker Face." Sure, there were a few times where the song was a bit too obvious (Dracula singing "I Want You To Want Me" to Mina) but it worked. I think the biggest reason it worked is that most of the songs were twisted a bit into a minor key, and a slower rhythm.

All of these elements came together to with such amazing dancing (Alannah Renstrom, Rebecca Abroe, Riley Thomas Weber, and Rush Benson are the other dancers - all incredible) that it worked for me. It seemed to work for the majority of the audience as well.  Would it have been great to have a more diverse cast? Yes, it would have. Could the story have been tweaked a bit more to give the female characters more strength and more choices? Probably. But when a story is so well known, it can be tough to make those changes and keep the audience with you. Either way, I had a great time and I look forward to seeing more of this wonderful unique company.

Quick side note: There is dancing in the aisles including the main aisle between the front and back section of seats. I had a great evening but if I saw the piece again, I would sit in the back section of seats.