Count Dracula takes on a woman this time
Cynthia Blaise is strong and sure
in role of Professor Van Helsing
Count Dracula.
He has haunted generations and still strikes a nerve
in today's most sophisticated and logical audiences. His
solemn demeanor and captivating dark looks first
seduce and then entangle us, drawing us face-to-face
with the terror of corruption present in the world.
His grip is loosened, however, by the power of
good. Like Dracula s gentle victim Lucy, the audience is
saved by the strong, masculine hands of Professor Van
Helsing.
Better change that to feminine hands. In the Univer
sity Theatre's current production of "Dracula,” Van
Helsing is a woman.
"I wanted the strongest possible actor — male or
female — to play the part,” says Grant McKernie, co
director of 'Dracula.' "With a professional actor (Dennis
Smith) in the role of Dracula, I needed an actor with
spiritual strength as Van Helsing to balance the two
characters."
To insure finding the best person for the part,
— McKernie invited female students 24-years-o!d and older
to read for the part. Cynthia Blaise, a University theatre
student, took the challenge and was cast as the severe,
determined Professor.
McKernie says this role-reversal solved a second
problem inherent in the language of the play.
“I wanted to modify the Victorian sexuality —
chauvinism — of the script without disturbing the fabric
of the play," McKernie said. "As soon as a woman read
for the part, the problem was solved. Now a woman
saves society; a woman is the strongest figure of the
play."
Blaise agreed, adding that most nineteenth-century
plays lacked opportunities for women to play strong, in
■ 'v: ■
Story by Brenda Thornton
Photo by Brian Erb
intelligent characters. However, when first cast in the
part, she wondered if the sexual turnabout would work.
v “I kept thinking 'we ll talk about this,' but we never
^ did," Blaise said. "The other characters just kept respon
ding to Van Helsing as Van Helsing, whether he or she."
The character of Van Helsing proved to be the key to
the successful casting move. According to Blaise, Van
Helsing is just a strong human being in a serious
situation.
'I keep reminding myself that she is a strong in
dividual, not a strong woman in a man's society," Blaise
said. "But she'd make a wonderful modern woman."
Indeed, McKernie calls Van Helsing "a woman of
the future." According to McKernie, Van Helsing per
sonifies our age of relative thought, where absolutes
rarely exist. However, Dr. Seward, Van Helsing's friend
and Lucy's father, represents the logic and deductive
reasoning of the nineteenth century, where explana
tions could only be found in cold, hard facts.
"Van Helsing is a woman of the future; there is room
for mystery and myth in her world," McKernie said. "Dr.
Seward is a man of the past. He is the rationalist, always
believing in the logical explanation."
From the beginning, Van Helsing's world-view
guides her in defeating Dracula. She moves in im
mediately to stop the evil Count, leaving no room for
social pleasantries or feminine wiles.
"She has a softer side, but there's little opportunity
to let that side come through," Blaise said. "We see the
action moving along. There's no time for softies."
According to McKernie, this aspect of the character
adds to the believability of the adaptation.
"Van Helsing is apart from society, not connected
with the social fabric," McKernie said. "There is no
social intercourse to reflect the traditional male
attitudes."
McKernie added that the casting of a female hasn't
affected the play and posed no problems. However,
McKernie said, Dracula's tactics in attempting to defeat
Van Helsing have taken on subtleties.
"A faint hint of seduction can be sensed," McKernie
said. "But it only adds to the fun of the play."
In all, he finds that this switch works.
"You have to be careful flipping sex roles," McKer
nie said. "So many plays deal with relationships, and
once you change a character's sex, you have to change
others, or deal with peculiar emotional situations that
don't have anything to do with fhe play. If you don't
have a reason for the change, don't do it."
"I needed to solve the problem of the Victorian at
titudes present in 'Dracula'," McKernie said. "And this
does it."