Review: Drac & Jill, Wardrobe Theatre – ‘A randy, raucous show that gloriously delivers on its promise’

You can’t say we weren’t warned. A sign on the box office at the entrance to The Wardrobe Theatre clearly states: ‘Drac & Jill contains swearing, violence, nudity, sexual references, blood, loud bangs, adult themes and strobe effects’.

And the performance on Friday night delivers in glorious detail.

First, to set the scene, Drac & Jill is a comedic retelling of the stories of Bram Stoker’s Dracula blended with the nursery rhyme Jack & Jill – with elements of The Sound of Music thrown in for good measure – directed by Tom Brennan.

The compact setting of The Wardrobe Theatre is transformed into Transylvania with a coffin-shaped door as the backdrop, surrounded by walls that – if you look carefully – are covered with pictures of naked men and women, pouring blood and more.

Here we meet Jack & Jill (in the form of puppets), two lovers in a Pagan village who meet at the top of the hill to have sex. When he’s finished remarking on how great the sex was for him, as an afterthought Jack asks Jill if she came. After a lengthy pause Jill replies “Uh, I had a good time”. The perfectly-timed one-liners keep coming throughout the performance.

Jack more than pays for his lack of consideration with a dramatic fall down the hill – and the story begins.

The nuns provide some of the best songs of the show

The multi-talented cast of four play numerous parts throughout the performance, each to maximum comic effect.

Corrina Buchan is spectacular as Count Dracula (among many other roles), working the room with a cape and strap on cock. Equally impressive performances come from Tom Fletcher as a washed-up, karaoke-loving Van Helsing, Alice Lamb as Frances, a nun who has spent her life in the convent and is prone to bursts of rage and foul language, and Caitlin Campbell as an ever-so-English uptight woman who embarks on a rescue mission with the hapless nun.

There are energetic comedic song and dance routines with some killer original lyrics, a Jon Bon Jovi singalong that gets the Friday night audience on their feet, blood, gore, comedy, flying, sex, nudity. The show has – as the Wardrobe Theatre Ensemble promised – all of the good stuff and they deliver in buckets. There’s even a tender moment as Frances and her uptight English companion realise their attraction for each other.

Frances sheds her long robes to embark on a final rescue mission

Trying to explain the often ridiculous plot of Drac & Jill is a non-starter but this randy, raucous, brilliantly funny performance is pure, fun entertainment that turns stereotypes on their heads.

The Wardrobe Theatre team behind shows such as Little Women In Black, Oedipuss In Boots and Reservoir Mogs deliver once again. Just be sure to heed the warning on the box office at the start.

The Drac & Jill cast more than deliver on their promise with a multi-talented performance of pure entertainment

Drac & Jill is on at The Wardrobe Theatre until July 31. Find out more and book tickets via: www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/drac-jill/

All photos: Paul Blakemore

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