Dracula Musical - The Facts
A few points of fact:
1: The concept album was just that. A concept album of the proposed musical. Already, rewrites and edits are being undertaken, and new material written, for the recording of the complete work.
2: The character of “Dracula” in this musical is our interpretation of that very same cold and calculating character from Stoker’s original novel.
3: Given the disciplines and restrictions of musical stage presentations, in terms of time and holding attention, the musical plot is the main plot of Stoker’s original novel.
4: There is NOT any romantic involvement between Dracula and either of the leading female characters in this musical. The relationships remain just as they are in the original Stoker novel.
5: Again, Dracula remains the character from the book. Possessive, cunning, dangerous, wicked, passionate only to possess and corrupt by any means at his disposal.
6: The main characters of the novel are included in this musical. Their characters remain as they are in the novel.
7: Additions to plot and character:
It was important for us to show the connection between the fictional and historic Dracula. This serves as the prologue to the musical, when the audience discover the reason for Dracula becoming a vampire. No. This has nothing to do with a “lost love” and is based upon the character, and imagined reaction, of the historic Vlad.
There is a distinct personal motive that drives Van Helsing in the musical plot.
Dracula’s reason for his cold blooded actions are revealed in the musical plot, which was not on the concept album but is in the musical.
As in the novel, Renfield plays a very important role in the musical plot. Also, his original association with Dracula is revealed. This has been gleaned from some points Harker makes at Castle Dracula in the novel and from Stoker’s notes.
8: For the sake of brevity, some minor circumstances have been changed in the musical plot. Even Bram Stoker did this for the sake of his work.
According the Stoker’s original notes, there are several characters that never made it to the final edit of the novel. For instance, Van Helsing was originally to be three or four separate characters. Mina was to have a friend, called Kate, and Morris was to be secretly working for Dracula. Shock horror!
9: Yes. There are some intentionally humorous scenes in the musical
10: As far as we are concerned, and have so far discovered, ours in the only musical of Bram Stoker’s original novel in existence.
