Dracula: Lucy’s Dream theatre review – Sensual invention
A grotesque nightmare that transforms Dracula into a meditation on bodies, autonomy and control
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Dracula: Lucy’s Dream distils Bram Stoker’s novel into a feverish vision where the gothic becomes sensual and disturbingly alive. Plexus Polaire’s production is a grotesque nightmare, bending worlds and anatomical limbs in ways that don’t seem real through puppetry that is precise and never merely decorative. The lighting slices through darkness, lingering on swathes of billowing blood-red fabric. At the same time, the pulsing score stirs beneath shadows and artful stagecraft to create an atmosphere that is both sensual and sinister.
Central to the disturbing dream is Lucy’s loss of agency, emphasised by the placement of her life-sized puppet against manipulative scientists taking control of the investigation. A puppet, as a device, bears significance here, as it is neither dead nor convincingly alive, occupying a philosophical middle ground and prompting audiences to consider what gives a body autonomy and who has the power to take it away. The meandering storyline also mirrors the irrational rhythm of a nightmare. Lucy receives marriage proposals, sleepwalks and is fed upon, yet the narrative’s fluidity invites interpretation rather than clinging to a traditional retelling. Sparse in dialogue but rich in invention, Dracula: Lucy’s Dream is a dark and beautifully controlled piece of physical theatre. A sordid, corporeal nightmare that is as visually magnificent as it is unsettling.
Dracula: Lucy’s Dream, Pleasance EICC, until 29 August, 5.30pm; picture: Christophe Raynaud de Lage.