[NEohioPAL]Review of Dracula at the Kent Stage

Tue Oct 28 13:52:26 PST 2003

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In a message dated 10/28/2003 7:14:38 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
mkosinski at recordpub.com writes:
By Marly Kosinski
Record-Courier staff writer
Count Dracula lives in Kent.
Or so one would think after Jack Herman?s portrayal of 
Bram Stoker?s character in the Kent Stage production of 
the classic horror novel last weekend. 
Herman, who has been working on his own version of 
?Dracula? since 1980, directed and starred in the 
production, which continues this weekend.
His performance as the blood-sucking, charismatic Count 
Dracula was as close to perfection as I have ever seen. 
Even Bram Stoker would have been impressed.
Herman?s interest and insight into the character was 
evident in his performance. He had the look. He had the 
talk. He had the walk. And Dracula?s aura eminated from 
the stage with every line.
But Herman can?t take all the credit for a tremendous 
show. A fantastic supporting cast and great sound effects 
also contributed to a truly enjoyable evening.
The show begins with Dr. Jack Seward (Todd Kotler) 
transcribing notes about Lucy Westerna (Erin LaFontaine), 
who came down with a mysterious illness later determined 
to be a bite from a vampire. His work is interrupted by 
Mina Murray-Harker (Darlene Fonzi) , Lucy?s best friend, 
who comes to talk to Seward about her husband, Jonathan 
Harker (Jeremy Karns), who suffered a ?brain fever? while 
on a business trip in Transylvania. 
The play then takes the audience back in time, when 
Jonathan first arrives at Count Dracula?s castle. Here, 
the audience meets the mysterious stranger for the first 
time and Herman definitely leaves an impression.
The play?s action then goes back in time in London so the 
audience can get a glimpse of what has been happening with 
Mina while Jonathan has been away. Lucy tells Mina of the 
three suitors who have been courting her and confides to 
her best friend that she likely will agree to marry Sir 
Arthur Holmwood (played by Alex Nine, Herman?s partner in 
the Kent Actors Theatre.) 
The first suitor is Dr. Seward and Lucy gently tells him 
that although she adores him, she does not love him. The 
second suitor is Quincy Morris (Charles Leonard), a Texas 
oil tycoon. Finally, Holmwood arrives and the other men 
step aside when they see how much Lucy loves him.
The play continues with action going back and forth 
between London and Transylvania. Lucy falls ill and Dr. 
Seward calls Professor Van Helsing (Dan Camburn) because 
he is a specialist in disease diagnosis.
When it is discovered that Lucy has been bitten by a 
vampire and the group realizes Jonathan?s mysterious 
solicitor is the likely cause, the play kicks into high 
gear as the men and Mina set out to kill the creature.
I won?t give away any more of the plot but I must give 
kudos to William Morgan, who reprised his role as Seward?s 
mental patient, R.M. Renfield. His performance last year 
was excellent and his performance this year was nothing 
short of remarkable. 
Herman re-wrote several of Renfield?s scenes and expanded 
the character, giving Morgan more dimensions to play with 
and more of an opportunity to show off his talent. His 
lines elicited chuckles from the audience on several 
occasions and his mannerisms were amusing just to watch.
LaFontaine turned in a stellar performance as Lucy. In 
last year?s production of ?Dracula,? she played Mina but 
her acting was much better suited to the more boisterous 
Lucy than the reserved Mina.
Fonzi was excellent as well, giving an equally strong 
performance as the worried wife and as the independent 
woman trying to overcome Dracula?s spell. 
Kotler was better suited to the role of Dr. Seward than he 
was as Van Helsing last year. He delivered nearly every 
line flawlessly and kept a sharp London accent throughout 
the performance. 
Nine?s portryal of Holmwood was strong and supporting 
roles by Leonard and Camburn added extra quality to a 
tremendous cast. Even the vampire vixens, who were on 
stage no more than 10 minutes, gave great performances. 
But it is Herman?s vision and talent that were key to the 
show?s success. The setting, costuming and sound all 
brought his version of Bram Stoker?s tale to life. Many of 
the scenes were underscored with music provided by 
Midnight Syndicate. 
If you see one play all year, make sure it is this one. 
?Dracula? continues at 8 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday 
at the Kent Stage, 175 E. Main St. in downtown Kent. 
Tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults but advance 
tickets are only $5 and can be purchased at Mr. Fun?s 
Costumes, 160 Cherry St. in Kent. 
Because of sexual content, violence and adult themes, the 
show is not recommended for children under 10.
Audience members are encouraged to dress up for the 
Halloween night performance. 
?
E-mail: mkosinski at recordpub.net
Phone: (330) 296-9657

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<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 10/28/2003 7:14:38 AM Pacific Standard Time, mkosins=
ki at recordpub.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue=20=
2px solid">By Marly Kosinski Record-Courier staff writ=
er Count Dracula lives in Kent. Or so one would think after Jack Herma=
n?s portrayal of Bram Stoker?s character in the Kent Stage production of=
 the classic horror novel last weekend. Herman, who has been working=
 on his own version of ?Dracula? since 1980, directed and starred in the=
 production, which continues this weekend. His performance as the blo=
od-sucking, charismatic Count Dracula was as close to perfection as I ha=
ve ever seen. Even Bram Stoker would have been impressed. Herman?s in=
terest and insight into the character was evident in his performance. He=
 had the look. He had the talk. He had the walk. And Dracula?s aura emin=
ated from the stage with every line. But Herman can?t take all the cr=
edit for a tremendous show. A fantastic supporting cast and great sound=20=
effects also contributed to a truly enjoyable evening. The show begin=
s with Dr. Jack Seward (Todd Kotler) transcribing notes about Lucy Weste=
rna (Erin LaFontaine), who came down with a mysterious illness later det=
ermined to be a bite from a vampire. His work is interrupted by Mina=
 Murray-Harker (Darlene Fonzi) , Lucy?s best friend, who comes to talk t=
o Seward about her husband, Jonathan Harker (Jeremy Karns), who suffered=
 a ?brain fever? while on a business trip in Transylvania. The play=20=
then takes the audience back in time, when Jonathan first arrives at Cou=
nt Dracula?s castle. Here, the audience meets the mysterious stranger fo=
r the first time and Herman definitely leaves an impression. The play=
?s action then goes back in time in London so the audience can get a gli=
mpse of what has been happening with Mina while Jonathan has been away.=20=
Lucy tells Mina of the three suitors who have been courting her and conf=
ides to her best friend that she likely will agree to marry Sir Arth=
ur Holmwood (played by Alex Nine, Herman?s partner in the Kent Actors Th=
eatre.) The first suitor is Dr. Seward and Lucy gently tells him tha=
t although she adores him, she does not love him. The second suitor is Q=
uincy Morris (Charles Leonard), a Texas oil tycoon. Finally, Holmwood ar=
rives and the other men step aside when they see how much Lucy loves him=
. The play continues with action going back and forth between London=20=
and Transylvania. Lucy falls ill and Dr. Seward calls Professor Van Hels=
ing (Dan Camburn) because he is a specialist in disease diagnosis. Wh=
en it is discovered that Lucy has been bitten by a vampire and the group=
 realizes Jonathan?s mysterious solicitor is the likely cause, the play=20=
kicks into high gear as the men and Mina set out to kill the creature.<B=
R>I won?t give away any more of the plot but I must give kudos to Willia=
m Morgan, who reprised his role as Seward?s mental patient, R.M. Renfiel=
d. His performance last year was excellent and his performance this year=
 was nothing short of remarkable. Herman re-wrote several of Renfiel=
d?s scenes and expanded the character, giving Morgan more dimensions to=20=
play with and more of an opportunity to show off his talent. His lin=
es elicited chuckles from the audience on several occasions and his mann=
erisms were amusing just to watch. LaFontaine turned in a stellar perform=
ance as Lucy. In last year?s production of ?Dracula,? she played Mina bu=
t her acting was much better suited to the more boisterous Lucy than=
 the reserved Mina. Fonzi was excellent as well, giving an equally strong=
 performance as the worried wife and as the independent woman trying=
 to overcome Dracula?s spell. Kotler was better suited to the role of Dr=
. Seward than he was as Van Helsing last year. He delivered nearly every=
 line flawlessly and kept a sharp London accent throughout the perfo=
rmance. Nine?s portryal of Holmwood was strong and supporting roles=20=
by Leonard and Camburn added extra quality to a tremendous cast. Even th=
e vampire vixens, who were on stage no more than 10 minutes, gave great=20=
performances. But it is Herman?s vision and talent that were key to the=20=
 show?s success. The setting, costuming and sound all brought his ver=
sion of Bram Stoker?s tale to life. Many of the scenes were underscored=20=
with music provided by Midnight Syndicate. If you see one play all y=
ear, make sure it is this one. ?Dracula? continues at 8 p.m. tonight, Fr=
iday and Saturday at the Kent Stage, 175 E. Main St. in downtown Kent. <=
BR>Tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults but advance tickets ar=
e only $5 and can be purchased at Mr. Fun?s Costumes, 160 Cherry St. in=20=
Kent. Because of sexual content, violence and adult themes, the show=
 is not recommended for children under 10. Audience members are encourage=
d to dress up for the Halloween night performance. ? E-mail: mkos=
inski at recordpub.net Phone: (330) 296-9657</BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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From: "Marly Kosinski" <mkosinski at recordpub.com>
Subject: Dracula review
To: JHerman312 at aol.com
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Jack:

Here's what I wrote. It's all the truth. I hope you think 
I didn't gush too much!! I was overwhelmed by the level of 
talent displayed in this play. If you don't have any 
action photos, Chris can probably use some of the other 
photos you sent before. Thanks.

By Marly Kosinski
Record-Courier staff writer
Count Dracula lives in Kent.
Or so one would think after Jack Herman?s portrayal of 
Bram Stoker?s character in the Kent Stage production of 
the classic horror novel last weekend. 
Herman, who has been working on his own version of 
?Dracula? since 1980, directed and starred in the 
production, which continues this weekend.
His performance as the blood-sucking, charismatic Count 
Dracula was as close to perfection as I have ever seen. 
Even Bram Stoker would have been impressed.
Herman?s interest and insight into the character was 
evident in his performance. He had the look. He had the 
talk. He had the walk. And Dracula?s aura eminated from 
the stage with every line.
But Herman can?t take all the credit for a tremendous 
show. A fantastic supporting cast and great sound effects 
also contributed to a truly enjoyable evening.
The show begins with Dr. Jack Seward (Todd Kotler) 
transcribing notes about Lucy Westerna (Erin LaFontaine), 
who came down with a mysterious illness later determined 
to be a bite from a vampire. His work is interrupted by 
Mina Murray-Harker (Darlene Fonzi) , Lucy?s best friend, 
who comes to talk to Seward about her husband, Jonathan 
Harker (Jeremy Karns), who suffered a ?brain fever? while 
on a business trip in Transylvania. 
The play then takes the audience back in time, when 
Jonathan first arrives at Count Dracula?s castle. Here, 
the audience meets the mysterious stranger for the first 
time and Herman definitely leaves an impression.
The play?s action then goes back in time in London so the 
audience can get a glimpse of what has been happening with 
Mina while Jonathan has been away. Lucy tells Mina of the 
three suitors who have been courting her and confides to 
her best friend that she likely will agree to marry Sir 
Arthur Holmwood (played by Alex Nine, Herman?s partner in 
the Kent Actors Theatre.) 
The first suitor is Dr. Seward and Lucy gently tells him 
that although she adores him, she does not love him. The 
second suitor is Quincy Morris (Charles Leonard), a Texas 
oil tycoon. Finally, Holmwood arrives and the other men 
step aside when they see how much Lucy loves him.
The play continues with action going back and forth 
between London and Transylvania. Lucy falls ill and Dr. 
Seward calls Professor Van Helsing (Dan Camburn) because 
he is a specialist in disease diagnosis.
When it is discovered that Lucy has been bitten by a 
vampire and the group realizes Jonathan?s mysterious 
solicitor is the likely cause, the play kicks into high 
gear as the men and Mina set out to kill the creature.
I won?t give away any more of the plot but I must give 
kudos to William Morgan, who reprised his role as Seward?s 
mental patient, R.M. Renfield. His performance last year 
was excellent and his performance this year was nothing 
short of remarkable. 
Herman re-wrote several of Renfield?s scenes and expanded 
the character, giving Morgan more dimensions to play with 
and more of an opportunity to show off his talent. His 
lines elicited chuckles from the audience on several 
occasions and his mannerisms were amusing just to watch.
LaFontaine turned in a stellar performance as Lucy. In 
last year?s production of ?Dracula,? she played Mina but 
her acting was much better suited to the more boisterous 
Lucy than the reserved Mina.
Fonzi was excellent as well, giving an equally strong 
performance as the worried wife and as the independent 
woman trying to overcome Dracula?s spell. 
Kotler was better suited to the role of Dr. Seward than he 
was as Van Helsing last year. He delivered nearly every 
line flawlessly and kept a sharp London accent throughout 
the performance. 
Nine?s portryal of Holmwood was strong and supporting 
roles by Leonard and Camburn added extra quality to a 
tremendous cast. Even the vampire vixens, who were on 
stage no more than 10 minutes, gave great performances. 
But it is Herman?s vision and talent that were key to the 
show?s success. The setting, costuming and sound all 
brought his version of Bram Stoker?s tale to life. Many of 
the scenes were underscored with music provided by 
Midnight Syndicate. 
If you see one play all year, make sure it is this one. 
?Dracula? continues at 8 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday 
at the Kent Stage, 175 E. Main St. in downtown Kent. 
Tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults but advance 
tickets are only $5 and can be purchased at Mr. Fun?s 
Costumes, 160 Cherry St. in Kent. 
Because of sexual content, violence and adult themes, the 
show is not recommended for children under 10.
Audience members are encouraged to dress up for the 
 Halloween night performance. 
?
E-mail: mkosinski at recordpub.net
Phone: (330) 296-9657

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