Dracula (1924 play)
| Dracula | |
|---|---|
1920s Grosset & Dunlap stage play edition
of Bram Stoker's Dracula |
|
| Written by |
|
| Characters |
Count Dracula Jonathan Harker Abraham Van Helsing |
| Date premiered |
|
| Place premiered | Grand Theatre, Derby, England |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | Purley, England, in the 1920s |
Dracula is a 1924 stage play by Hamilton Deane, substantially revised in 1927 by John L. Balderston. It was the first authorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, and has influenced many subsequent adaptations.
The 1927 Broadway production starred Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role, which he reprised in the 1931 film adaptation of the play. A 1977 Broadway revival designed by Edward Gorey, starring Frank Langella, won the Tony Award for Best Revival.
Hamilton Deane's Dracula premiered August 5, 1924, at the Grand Theatre in Derby, England. Deane had originally intended to play the title himself, but opted for the role of Van Helsing. This production toured England for three years before settling in London, where it opened at the Little Theatre on February 14, 1927.
In 1927 the play was brought to Broadway by producer Horace Liveright, who hired John L. Balderston to revise the script for American audiences. In addition to radically compressing the plot, Balderston reduced the number of significant characters. Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray were combined into a single character, making John Seward Lucy's father and disposing of Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. In Dean's original version Quincey was changed to a female to provide work in the play for more actresses.
Directed by Ira Hards with scenic design by Joseph A. Physioc, Dracula opened October 5, 1927, at the Fulton Theatre in New York City. It ran for 265 performances, followed by a national tour. The Broadway production starred Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role, with Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing; both actors reprised their roles in the 1931 film version, which drew on the Deane-Balderston play.
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