GLASGOW — Richard Sanders has been a science fiction fan since he was a young boy.
“When I was 10, I carried around a vial of fake blood just to play with,” he said.
His fascination with science fiction and horror made him the perfect person to play the role of VanHelsing in the Far Off Broadway Players’ production of “Dracula.”
The play, by Hamilton Dean and John L. Balderston, opens Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre, with additional performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
The play is derived from Bram Stoker’s famous novel – “Dracula” – which was first presented in London in the late 1920s. It later became a hit in the United States, playing for a year on Broadway, according to Bob Cetera, director for the local production.
“It toured with Bela Lugosi in the leading role for three years and it kind of became a standard,” Cetera said.
Eventually Lugosi starred in the movie version, setting the standard for all “Dracula” films to come, he said.
The movie is more true to the play than it is to the book.
“The book has a bazillion locations,” Cetera said. “It has a million characters.”
The playwrights eliminated and combined some characters in the book. One, Mina Harker, is talked about in the play but never appears on stage, he said.
“It turns out that part is done by Lucy Seward. She is the daughter of Dr. Seward, who has tried to treat Mina ... unsuccessfully,” Cetera said. “Now his daughter is having similar symptoms. He calls in the Dutch expert, VanHelsing (who) starts to figure it out. In the meantime, Dracula has bought the ruins near this asylum and is becoming a regular visitor.”
Elizabeth McDougal of Browns-ville plays the role of Lucy Seward.
“Dracula” is her Far Off Broadway debut.
She describes her character as sweet and timid in the beginning, but her personality changes near the end of the play when she falls under Dracula’s spell.
“She kind of turns evil for awhile. So she’s really a great character. She’s been lots of fun to play,” McDougal said.
Starring as Dracula is John Hitchcock of Glasgow who has appeared in several Far Off Broadway Player productions.
Playing Dracula, he said, has been a lot of fun.
“It’s been quite a treat. One never imagines what it would be like to play Dracula until you actually do and particularly as I have a multitude of wives in this play all ready to obey,” he joked.
Acting runs in Hitchcock’s family.
“This play was written in 1927 and my father played the role of Dracula in the 1930s in Laramie, Wyo. So it’s sort of a legacy role for me,” he said.
The set was designed by Plaza Theatre director Steve Jones, who did a lot of research to develop a set that would take audiences back to the Gothic period.
The set is actually a sanitarium, he said, but it has a castle feel to it.
It took two months to build the set, which is made of wood, Styrofoam, plastic, PVC pipe and Christmas ornaments here and there.
“You name it,, we turned it into scenery,” he said.
Cetera described the set as “absolutely gorgeous.”
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the box office, online at www.plaza.org or by phone at (270) 361-2101
Entertainment
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GINA KINSLOW
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‘Dracula’ opens Thursday
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