The biggest departure from the dinner theatres of old, Newman explains, is Dracula’s new cabaret ticketing option. “With Spiderlash, we’re releasing what we’re calling cabaret tickets,” he says. “Most of our visitors are from overseas and interstate – they make up the bulk of our audience. We certainly get locals in, but the novelty of a vampire-themed variety show draws in a lot of tourists.” With the cabaret tickets, Dracula’s are hoping to change that. “We have installed new cabaret seating, and the new ticket are a part of that. They’re aimed at people who might want to come in and see the show, but aren’t sure if they actually want to come in for dinner. It basically offers a more relaxed way to see the show – you can come in, sip a cocktail, eat some tapas and just enjoy the acts.” It’s closer in spirit to something like the Fringe Festival, and Dracula’s is hoping to draw a similar crowd.
In line with the new show, Dracula’s has revamped its venue, and also the food and drinks on offer. “The room looks great now,” Newman explains, “it’s like something you’d stumble upon in Berlin in the ‘20s. We’ve added booth seating, and gone for smaller-sized tables for a more intimate experience. The show is called Spiderlash, so our new signature cocktail is an alcoholic twist on the classic Lime Spider – we serve it with liquid nitrogen ice cream, so it smokes, and that has been going down really well.” The new show also means brand new costumes for the staff. “We started the process about a year ago,” Newman says. “In the past, they’ve walked around like mummies and werewolves, but now we have people wearing corsets, made of specially-designed fabric. They’re still very punked-up and tattooed and still have a very individual attitude – it looks really great, they look really elegant. That contrast works really well with the act.”
As for the acts, Newman reckon that the stand-out, and the one who will impress audiences the most, is burlesque performer Philippa Harrison. “She’s a singer and dancer from the West End of London,” he says, “and has already attracted a great deal of attention as far as the burlesque scene goes. We’ve made a huge sculpture of a lady’s hand, which is completely animated, and has been programmed to move with the music. It looks great.” Harrison starts her act in a naked-style bodysuit, covered in diamantes and singing Glory Box by Portishead; halfway through her song, the hand comes to life and begins twisting around her. “It grabs hold of her and she dances as the fingers twine around her,” Newman says. “It took us three months to design and build, and it just looks really stunning.”
There are also some old-school magic acts on the bill, featuring tricks – or illusions, depending on how seriously you take such things – that are bound to wow audiences. “Our key magic act harks back to the ‘80s,” Newman explains, “and it has those kinds of classic tricks you’d expect, like cutting the woman in half and the sword illusion, but everything goes wrong and the whole thing becomes hideously gory. There’s a woman cut in half, a headless assistant, a musician with spikes protruding from everywhere – there’s blood all over the place. It’s quite a clever act, and it looks really great.”
Newman’s father John designed this act, and has quite the background in magic, having toured with master magician Les Levant in his day. “Dad drew on that experience to design all the illusions for this act,” Newman says, “and it just looks really spectacular.”
With the new show has come brand new musical accompaniment – the cast of Spiderlash includes a live band of three musicians, playing everything from jazz to psychobilly. “Our three musicians are really talented, and between them, they can cover everything,” Newman explains. “There’s a beautiful viola player, and we have double bass, saxophone, trumpet, keyboards and a guitar, as well as drums. They start with a jazz set at the start of the night, while people are arriving and dining. Being very versatile, they shift between their instruments a lot. The songs are ‘40s and ‘50s swing and jazz with a modern twist, and we have live music accompanying the show as well.”
At the end of the day, Newman says, it’s all about re-introducing Melbourne locals to the twisted Dracula’s experience. “People may have been burned by theatre restaurants in the past, so this is an attempt to appeal to the kind of people who might go to the Fringe Festival or the Comedy Festival,” he explains. “We’ve been trialling it, and the locals are really jumping on the cabaret tickets and loving the new acts, so we’re really excited about all of it.”
BY ALASDAIR DUNCAN
