Having watched several Bogan Shakespeare productions, I knew I was in for some (un)serious fun with Bogan Literature’s Dracula, and I was certainly not disappointed. Creator and producer Dean Lovatt’s characteristic style – tongue-in-cheek iterations of literary classics set in Western Australian locations – finds a fittingly absurd home in Dracula, relocating Bram Stoker’s Transylvanian gothic horror to the WA wheatbelt town of Narrogin.
Complete with an accent resembling Sesame Street’s The Count and wearing the requisite black cape – lined in red flanno, no less – Rhys Hyatt’s Count Dracula is a gloriously over-the-top creation, committing fully to the bit.
And then there’s “Dr” Van Helsing (Jess Lally), who not only hunts bloodsuckers but also runs a Herbalife MLM and would love for you to join their downline. After all, the good doctor is committed to wellness, and nothing says health like protecting people from, ahem, certain individuals with sanguine malediction.
With other colourful characters such as the fiercely independent Mina (Sarah Courtis), her tradie partner (Lovatt), and her gay bestie Luke Westenra (Dawson Andrew), it’s clear no one is escaping Narrogin unscathed.
One thing is abundantly clear: these guys have surprisingly keen attention to detail. They keep pretty close to the original story, maybe with minor tweaks – Luke the gay bestie is actually Lucy in the book, and obviously Van Helsing doesn’t actually sell Herbalife, and all the locations they mention are real places – like the Duke of York Hotel in Narrogin. They are also incredibly unserious – not long in and they were teaching Drac how to flip the bird.
Add to that plenty of ridiculous, witty one-liners with a distinctly West Australian spin, plus a couple of Twilight and Anne Rice references, and these lovable bogans have done it again – proving once and for all that you don’t mess with the wheatbelt.
Bogan Literature Presents: Dracula is running at Planet Royale’s Royale Theatre until 20th September.