Review: Dracula – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

The grand art deco auditorium of the Edinburgh Festival Theatre is the perfect setting for a ballet about Dracula:  the dim lighting and red hues of the furnishings emphasise the gothic horror which awaits us, creating an atmosphere before the curtain rises.

The character of Dracula was created by Bram Stoker in the 1890s in his novel of the same name and is one of the most famous works of English literature and has been called the centrepiece of vampire fiction, influencing the popular image of vampires.  The Guinness Book of World Records named Dracula the most portrayed literary character ever.  He appears just as relevant in 2026, with TikTok trends, a stage production starring Cynthia Erivo, a new film, new music and this ballet – choreographed by Joel Burke and staged by BIG (Ballet International Gala).

15th Century Transylvania

The evening starts in 15^th Century Transylvania.  A young Vlad Dracula (Baktiyar Adamzhan) is engaged in battle with his enemies (a well-thought-out fight sequence).  He discovers that his true love (Meaghan Grace Hinkis) has been executed.  Enraged, he renounces God and becomes a vampire. 

Adamzhan bursts onto stage with a series of amazing jumps.  Both energetic and masculine, he almost seems to hover in the air.  Dracula is all about the grand allegro (large jumps) which give the male dancers the chance to show off their elevation and athleticism.  No acting as a mere prop to the ballerina here!  It was also lovely to see some European folk dancing woven into this initial scene.

This prologue segues into a wedding:  Jonathan (Burke) is marrying Mina (Hinkis) who bears a striking resemblance to Dracula’s dead wife.  There is some beautiful work by the Corps de Ballet (chorus) which moves as one through some lovely petit batterie and lifts.  We also see the first of a number of pas de deuxs between Jonathan and Mina -including one to Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” – as they head off on honeymoon to Dracula’s Castle.

The Brides of Dracula steal the show

As you will anticipate if you know anything of the legend of Dracula, this is where things start to go very wrong for the couple.  Dracula becomes obsessed with Mina and the couple fall prey to him and to his brides or ghosts.  This group of four dancers got a lot of stage time and almost stole the show from the three principals – Burke’s choreography, together with the costumes and lighting give a real sense of the un-dead as the girls flitted and slithered around the couple, like a sinister version of the four cygnets from Swan Lake.

Hinkis – a first soloist with the Royal Ballet – dances with precision and warmth, her natural grace and technical ability allowing her to transform Mina from the rather passive and sugary bride at the start of the production to the determined woman we see at the end, when Jonathan’s ill-fated attempt to storm the castle leads to a higher body count than a ‘Line of Duty’ box set.

A higher body count than a ‘Line of Duty’ box set.

There is a lot of dancing in the show, and I felt that a bit more storytelling, mime or acting would have helped with the audience’s understanding of the show and given the dancers a rest.  This is not to say that the dancers couldn’t keep up with the pace – their stamina was impressive.  On a similar theme, there seemed to be a lot of pas de deuxs.  The story is about Dracula, Mina and Jonathan so invariably there will be a focus on them, but exploring other parts of the original story might have added opportunities for more characters and different set pieces.

Dan Sharp’s Lighting sets the atmosphere 

No effort has been spared on the staging– the scenery, props and costumes are very detailed and beautiful, there is some dramatic aerial work and Dan Sharp’s lighting provides many “wow!” moments throughout.  That said, the creative areas which are there to support the dancing are sometimes in danger of overshadowing it:  The lighting is superlative and enhances the emotions we are meant to feel throughout, but in the darker scenes it can make it difficult to see the dancers’ footwork.  The programme is a work of art but difficult to read due to the size of the font and layout.

Much has been made elsewhere of the decision to use individual pieces of pre-recorded existing music for the ballet.  I felt this worked quite well – wonderful music enhances the dancing – so why look elsewhere to create something which may not create the ambience you want it to when there are already so many amazing pieces out there?  

One of BIG’s strengths is its ability to attract newcomers to this art form – which certainly seems to have succeeded in Edinburgh.  On Friday evening the audience looked different from the usual middle aged, middle class faces you would expect to see.  It was particularly refreshing to see a lot of youngsters dressed in gothic finery themselves. 

As a middle-aged, middle-class woman who goes to the ballet regularly I can’t claim to speak for the newcomers, but I would imagine that they would be attracted by the theme of the ballet and the inclusion of recognisable, popular music such as Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”.

BIG has produced a sumptuous piece which will appeal to this audience but has enough content and innovation to satisfy more seasoned ballet lovers.  With its breathtaking performances, flawless direction, and magnetic atmosphere, Dracula is a must-see before it moves on to San Francisco.

Featured Image: Dracula – SYD – Big Live

Dracula will play the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, from Friday 12th June until Sunday 14th June 2026 before continuing on national tour. For tickets or more information, click here: https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/dracula/