Must Visit: Dracula’s new show, Transfusion. 0

by Aimee • Events, Sights • Tags: ,

Transfusion, the latest production from Dracula’s madhouse cabaret, injects the audience with a hypnotic dose of twenty first century pop-acid vaudeville. The fast-paced variety show is a complete departure from the typical theatre restaurant table slapping cliché, instead it takes the audience on a thrilling journey that combines a perplexing mix of side-alley circus, novelty comedy acts and rock concert wow!

The launch of Transfusion also celebrates Dracula’s re-boot of the popular venues long-standing dinner show format.  This transformation takes the audience on a carefully choreographed menu of entertainments that kicks of with a Spiegeltent style pre-show, introducing aerial acrobatics – with their signature fetish twist – freak show spruiking and jazz club atmosphere. The live music moves through the dial from smoky soul, rave party DJ, and builds to a pile-driving retro rock finale.

Dracula’s is re-branding to incorporate the title “Cabaret Circus”, which seems more appropriate in capturing the twitchy energy and outrageous antics of the waiters and cast. At the same time the attraction has redesigned it’s styling, scrapping the punk zombie look and instead we see corseted waiters in elegant fetish burlesque, while keeping the mo-hawk and tatts. The dining also incorporates a hint of finesse, albeit served by a deceased waiter.

The show appears to have leapt from the constrains of the stage and is now largely performed mid theatre on an elevating catwalk, as well as on four separate podiums that frame the stage and also in mid air as cast fly around the theatre on ceiling mounted tracks. The Technical Director Paul Newman explains.

“We have to constantly compete with the shifting styles of entertainment in society. People spend more time watching 3D TV and movies and obsession over their mobile phones, we had to take our vaudeville show and turn it into a 3D, hi-tech circus and we believe that we’ve achieved just that.”

The Transfusion cast also incorporate a wider range of skills, auditions covered everything from aerial acrobatics to stand-up comedy, puppetry and singing. Audience favourites Richard Macionis and Rudi Testa are reunited on stage, while jazz singer and cheesecake pin-up Charne Louise heads the vocal line up. A new player in the show is the talented aerial artist Megan Barry-Cotter, who has recently performed in Paris at the Moulin Rouge and has also thrilled crowds at the Berlin Spiegeltent. Musicians Chris Zoo Keipert and Dave Kume provide the insane tunes, both are currently being trained to play instruments while suspended in mid air. This gig comes without a rulebook or any sense of restraint.

Regular customers will enjoy the return of “the most requested acts”, while virgins to the swanky vampire lair will be gob smacked by the scale and professionalism of this theatrical human zoo. The shows Director Haydie Newman sums it up,

“Times are tougher and audience expectations are higher. This show is a slap in the face to everyone who’s complaining about how quiet things are. We’re not quiet, we’ve been working and re-inventing and the queue outside the box office is a beacon to all the doubters. When the curtain falls we want the audience on their feet screaming for more.”

Visit www.draculas.com.au for more ticket information.