Dracapella
08 January 2026
Park Theatre
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Dracapella, currently running at the Park Theatre until 17th January, is an a capella musical version of Dracula that is stuffed to the brim with terrible puns and groan-worthy dad jokes. Staged on a wooden stage with just a few wooden crates for stage dressing, this show really packs an unexpected punch.
When Harker is sent to Transylvania to complete a business deal with Count Dracula, his life is thrown into disarray. Dracula believes Harker’s wife Mina to be his long lost love, reborn and just waiting for him to find her. Meanwhile, Mina is staying with her fabulously rich friend Lucy, who is also looking for love. Harker solicits the help of vampire hunter Van Helsing to save his wife and hunt down Dracula.
This version of the famous tale is a ridiculously comedic take on the blood-sucking immortal. Mashing timelines, we see Dracula swiping on Tinder one minute, and travelling to Victorian England the next. But within this setting, the ridiculousness works well due to the campy comedy setup. Plot holes and continuity errors are commented on, joked about, explained with more outlandish sidebars. It is a delightful romp of laugh-out-loud moments woven into a supernatural love story.
Dracapella incorporates mostly hits from the 80s and 90s into the narrative, again making fun of itself and its story effortlessly. Count Dracula belting out Somebody to Love is such a delirious idea, it has no right to work as well as it does. Each song perfectly fits its setting to create the funniest moments throughout, while the vocalists are accompanied only by champion beatboxer Alexander Hackett, better known as ABH Beatbox, who also doubles as on-stage foley artist, providing all background sound effects. It’s an impressive show of skill that stuns and delights the audience.
The cast does a fantastic job creating the most ludicrous moments on stage, unashamedly revelling in a constant barrage of the worst (best) puns the world has ever heard. Including last minute script in hand addition Aretha Ayeh, covering for Keala Settle who unfortunately sustained an injury that prevented her from performing. The biggest stand-out performance hands down goes to comedian Ciarán Dowd, slipping effortlessly into the roles of Dracula’s servant Sinister, vampire hunter Van Helsing, Lucy’s servant Watson, and a plethora of other smaller roles. The comedic timing and absolute conviction on delivery of even the most groan-inducing puns is a joy to watch, elevating the show from comedy musical to an absolute riot of a laugh-fest. Dracapella is a joy, providing chuckles, snorts, and uproarious belly laughs.
