VPA cast, special effects frightfully good

DRACULA: Wasilla production is faithful to the classic story.
By RINDI WHITE
Anchorage Daily News
Published: October 31, 2006
Last Modified: October 31, 2006 at 05:15 AM

WASILLA -- "I want your fear."
Fear is currency in Valley Performing Arts' production of the classic horror tale "Dracula," which opened over the weekend. Be prepared for a spine-tingling performance filled with tormented spirits and a few surprises in this battle between the living and the undead.

Fear is only part of this legendary vampire tale, however. The Steven Dietz play closely follows Bram Stoker's timeless thriller, in which themes of romance, the seductiveness of evil and conflict between folklore and emerging science are also highlighted.

Set in 19th-century London and Transylvania, "Dracula" is a timely tale and an excellent first foray by VPA into the horror genre. But what puts this production over the top is director Tim Gillard's masterful casting.

Logun Keller, an emerging face at VPA, plays the role of Dracula as though it were written for him. Proud, commanding and yet seductively sinister, Keller rules this dark stage. He conjures himself out of smoke and hums with a compelling magnetism that causes characters to become entranced, enslaved.
A balance to Keller's ominous character, VPA veteran Aurora Pease carries the light of goodness and purity to the gothic drama. Pease plays Mina Murray, a modern Victorian woman preparing to be married to Jonathan Harker, an ever-rational real estate lawyer played by VPA newcomer Richard Harrop.
Pease's character is the glue that holds this play together, and her portrayal shines brightest when she carries the burden of making a scene believable. In a dramatic episode in which the characters stand before a closed curtain and describe in words and expression alone a harrowing pursuit of Dracula, Pease's earnestness carries the audience along on the journey. The faith she engenders in that spare scene pays off during the plot twist that closes the play.

Jennifer Rausa plays the fair Lucy Westenra, whose death at Dracula's hands raises the banner of vengeance that drives the play. Rausa's playful and teasing tone is right for her youthful and optimistic character and makes it easy to understand why a war against evil is launched on her behalf.
Although the women are the strength of this play, Rod Mehrtens gives a standout performance as the doctor Abraham Van Helsing, brought in to solve the riddle of the illness that struck Lucy. Despite a couple of opening-night foibles, Mehrtens hits his mark as the confident, curious and committed leader of the group. Typically found behind the scenes, Mehrtens doesn't disappoint when he ventures onstage.
The lawyer Harker and Dr. John Seward, an asylum psychiatrist seeking Lucy's hand in marriage, assist Van Helsing in his hunt for Dracula. Rausa's real-life husband, Cory Rausa, plays Seward. He and Harrop portray rational men who struggle to keep the facts at center in this battle between science and folklore.

To a strong cast and a well-written play, Gillard added an ambitious set design that divides the stage into two and sometimes three centers of action. Although some scenes definitely made the split set pay off, the design was at times distracting in VPA's small space and even became a mood-killer during noisy scene changes.

The special effects almost make up for the added noise. Creepy fog precedes Dracula throughout the play. The howls of wolves permeate the performance, and the constant noise of a wintry wind seemed to drop the temperature in the theater a degree or two. A more appropriate atmosphere for this chilly thriller would be tough to find.

This horrific tale is geared toward mature audiences. May it be the first of many fall thrillers to come!

Daily News reporter Rindi White can be reached at 352-6709 or rwhite@adn.com.