Culture Dracula in tights Cathy Tan the last great novels of our Since the publication of the eponymous novel by Bram Stoker, the name Dracula has evoked fear, horror and fascina- tion. The legend of the undead feasting on human blood has received countless treatments on both stage and screen, all of which have made the dearth of ballet productions all the more strange. An oversight that may finally be réctified by the latest full-length offering from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. The world premiere of the RWB’s Dracula last October met with rave reviews from audience and critics alike. All eight perform- ances were sold out, drawing in close to 17, 000 people. Choreographer Mark Godden was originally skeptical about a Dracula-based ballet. It was only after close readings of Stoker's work that he became sold on the idea proposed by RWB Artistic Director Andre Lewis. “The book completely turned me around,” says Godden. “It has themes that are deep and universal. It’s one of Preview: What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him? 0r, in choosing to be deprived of choice, has he in a sense actu- ally chosen the good? These are the questions that sit at the heart of A Clockwork Orange. Everyone who sees the play will have to answer them for them- selves. Anthony Burgess’ 1962 novella, and his 1987 adaptation for the stage pose these ques- tions in powerful and _provoca- tive ways. Set in the “unforesee- able future,” where violence is common currency and civil government in grave danger of collapse, we travel with Alex and his gang, “the Droogs,” through a series of violent and vicious attacks, culminating in Alex’s incarceration. Eventually he is offered the opportunity to have his thirty-year sentence cut short if he is willing to undergo “the Lodovico Technique,” a new and untried combination of powerful drugs and radical therapy. Many people remember the 1971 cult film classic by Stanley Kubrick, starring Malcolm McDowell as the virulent Alex, which pushed the frontiers of “the new permissives” of the sixties. The image of Alex strapped to a chair, his eyes locked open, forced to experi- ence as series of excessively time.” The novel starts with the narration of Englishman Jonathan Harker, a solicitor’s clerk, who travels to Transylvania (in present day Romania) to negotiate Count Dracula's purchase of Carfax Abbey, located near London. Soon after, Jonathan wakes up psychologically terrorized in a Budapest hospital attended by his fiancee Mina Murray. Mean- while, the Count has sailed for England with seven mysterious boxes. The duality represented by the main female characters is one aspect that Godden retained after paring away impractical scenes from the novel-Lucy, who succumbs to the vampire’s advances, and Mina, who by bravery and cleverness escapes him. To Godden, Lucy is an anachronism, the Victorian lady without the skills to cope, while Mina anticipates the stronger 20" century woman. Godden focuses on the women in the ballet; Lucy is the basis of the first act, and the Gisexwork Orange # a 3 U 4 Dae ’ Pat Fae Ae third act is built around Mina. The second act, however, is a different animal entirely. Set to narration, the whole story is condensed and performed as a pantomime that is a tongue-in- cheek tribute to Hollywood's more ridiculous portrayals of Dracula as a cult figure and myth. “I wanted to encompass Dracula as. a whole, not just what Bram Stoker wrote, but what he is in our culture. If you look at old movies, you just laugh your head off. I don't know if I should be more scared of the acting or of the character himself in those movies.” Set to Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major (“Resurrection”), Symphony No. 2 in C minor, and Symphony No. 9 in D major, performances will be at the Queen Elisabeth Theatre with live accompani- ment by the Vancouver Sym- phony Orchestra February 24 to 27 at 8 pm and at 2 pm on February 27. Tickets are $20 to $49 with discounts for students at TicketMaster. . Gt $$ Darling, a neck condom! How though = tful! The “Droogs” (L to R) - Shane Azam (Pete), GJ Hoffman (Georgy), Jen Barclay (Dim), Preston Cook (Jordy), Shannon Strumecki (Alex) violent and pornographic images in order to “be made good” is indelible. As are the questions posed for us. The production at Douglas College pushes at new frontiers as well. Not only the technical and artistic ones that the staging of this kind of play demands, but also moral, philosophical and social ones. Alex is a woman. The gangs are mixed male and female The violence is escalated...the techniques of pacification advanced. Twenty-one actors in over sixty roles make this one of the largest and most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the Douglas College Theatre and Stagecraft departments. The artistic team is facilitated by Cheryl Matheson (Director), with Lynda Adams (Movement Director), Doug Smith (Original Music and Composition), Angela Gann, (Musical Director), Scott Swan (Creative Consultant), Kate King (Set Design), Danica West (Costume Design) and Del Surjik (Lighting Design). A Clockwork Orange runs March 12-20, with performances at 8pm on the 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Matinee will be held at 2pm on March 0 (2 for 1 General Admission). Talkback performance on March 16 (2 for 1 General Admission). The Performing Arts Theatre is the Other Press February 24 1999 located on the fourth floor of the New Westminster campus. General Admission tickets are $12, students and seniors $5. For information and reserva- tions, call 527-5488. Warning: Coarse language and extreme violence