2024-25 Season - Study Guide #1

A Study Guide by Caroline Judd

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Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors
By Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen
From the novel by
Bram Stoker

Produced at The Public Theatre

October 11-27, 2024

A Study Guide
by Caroline Judd

©Caroline Judd/ The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

 Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors - Study Guide - Page 2

THE AUTHORS
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is a modern play (published in 2023) written by two contemporary
playwrights, Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. Much of the inspiration and material, including
character names and plot, comes from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel titled Dracula, the quintessential
vampire story. Though the play differs greatly from the original work, it follows the same basic plot and
setting and deals with some of the same themes.
Bram Stoker was born on November 8th of 1847 in Dublin, Ireland. He suffered childhood illness
and could not stand or walk until the age of seven, but recovered from his mysterious ailment around
the time he entered school. He eventually became an exceptional athlete and a football player in college.
He attended Trinity College in Dublin from 1864-70 and earned a degree in mathematics. He also earned
a master’s degree in 1875.
For ten years, he worked as a civil servant at Dublin Castle and as an unpaid drama critic at the
Dublin Evening Mail. He eventually befriended the actor Sir Henry Irving and worked as his manager
from 1878 till Irving’s death in 1905, accompanying Irving on tour and assisting him in letter writing and
other tasks. Stoker published his first book, The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, in 1879. He
turned to fiction over a decade later, publishing his first novel, The Snake’s Pass, in 1890. He then
published his most famous novel, Dracula, in 1897. Stoker died in London, England, in April of 1912. Two
years after his death, his widow Florence Stoker published a posthumous collection of short stories titled
Dracula’s Guest.
Gordon Greenberg was born in Texas in 1969 and raised in New York, performing in his first
Broadway show at 12 years old. He attended Stanford University and New York University Film School,
which led to a robust career writing and directing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on the West End, and on
television. Some of his most notable projects include directing The Heart of Rock and Roll on Broadway
and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Geffen Playhouse. He was the director and co-writer for
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors along with Steve Rosen. Greenberg and Rosen also collaborated on Crime
and Punishment, A Comedy and Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Christmas Show. Greenberg is still writing and
directing, as well as being involved in arts education programs and teaching master classes.
Steve Rosen is an actor, writer, composer, and lyricist based out of New York City. He worked in
film and television as an actor and has recurring roles in series like Law and Order: SVU, The Resident,
and The Bite. He appeared on Broadway in Spamalot, The Farnsworth Invention, and Guys and Dolls. As
co-composer, lyricist, and book writer with David Rossmer, he co-wrote the musicals The Griswolds’
Broadway Vacation and The Other Josh Cohen. He is still an active writer and actor and has worked with
Gordon Greenberg on several projects, listed above.

THE SETTING
Bram Stoker’s novel is set in two main locations, Transylvania and London. The novel portrays
Transylvania as a dark and mysterious place, where the locals carve out life in a bleak, wolf-infested
landscape. Dracula’s castle is the center of all things dark, evil, and mysterious, and the place where the

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

 Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors - Study Guide - Page 3

book both begins and ends. London is not necessarily perfectly good, but the novel does present it
positively and in contrast to the darkness of Transylvania. This is part of the reason Dracula’s arrival there
is so wrong: it brings evil to a refuge and a safe haven.
In true comedic fashion, the play represents the same settings as the novel in a lighthearted and
farcical way. It also embraces the reality that it is a theatrical performance by using minimal sets and
props to create the setting and frequently breaking the fourth wall. The actors set the scene with their
bodies and movements, most comically when they are pursuing Dracula and mimic walking down several
flights of stairs into his basement. Rather than create hyper-realistic sets, the play uses a stripped-down
approach that communicates the necessary information while keeping the fourth wall thin, the mood
light, and the comedic energy high. The characters make occasional references to being in a play and
sometimes interact with the audience, which keeps the audience from real suspense or fear.
Like the novel, the play represents Transylvania as a place of fear and confusion. Rather than
inspiring a genuine feeling of fear, as the novel seeks to do, it has a cartoon feeling of suspense, such as
might be invoked at a kitschy Halloween party. The wolves are played by actors with light-up eyes, and
the scene is over-dramatized with fog and spooky music. The characters spend very little time there at
the beginning, and never visit or mention the area again.
Most of the action of the play takes place in Whitby, a homey and comfortable place where Lucy,
Mina, their father, and his mental patients live. The haunted house in town adds an air of mystery, but
the Westfeldt house still feels like a safe haven for the characters throughout the piece. Though Whitby is
their home, because of the lighter mood and feel of the entire piece, Dracula’s intrusion is not nearly as
offensive or abominable as it is in the novel.
The last location is London, where only a small portion of the final comedic montage takes place.
Because the play is much shorter than the novel, it does not lean into the thematic elements of the
different locations in the book, nor does it make commentary on those locations. It portrays each
location but does not spend time exploring what those locations mean to the characters or what they
represent.

THE PLOT
The play generally follows the structure of the novel, though it leaves out many minor plot points
and takes several artistic liberties, most of which have to do with the length of the play and the artistic
switch from drama to comedy.
The play begins with a comedic prologue that breaks the fourth wall, interacting directly with the
audience and preparing them for the adaptation they’re about to see. It also incorporates the necessary
theatrical information about silencing cell phones and unwrapping candy right into the piece.
Throughout the play, characters occasionally read from letters or dairies, which alludes to the fact that
the novel is told almost entirely through the characters’ writings, but most of the play is enacted live and
in the moment by the actors.

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

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The main plot of the play begins with Harker’s journey to Dracula’s castle. Harker converses at
length with his carriage driver, who drops comedically exaggerated hints about who Dracula is, including
giving Harker a braid of garlic. Other actors play wolves with light up eyes and spoof the drama of the
novel with spray fog. Dracula’s entrance is also comedically showy and rock-star-esque, featuring loud
music and more spray fog. Harker’s stay at the castle is greatly shortened, making up one scene between
him and Dracula. They discuss Dracula’s new properties and Harker talks about his fiancée Lucy, who
Dracula becomes infatuated with. Harker also tells Dracula about Lucy’s father, Dr. Westfeldt, who runs
an insane asylum, and the local haunted house in Whitby, which Dracula promptly purchases. Dracula
comes across as a rather goofy and stuck-up character designed more to make people chuckle than
cause fear.
The play then jumps from Harker’s stay in the castle to the shipwreck of a foreign vessel carrying
mysterious cargo. The audience sees the captain and the bosun trying to steer through a storm and
talking about how the whole crew has died except their mysterious passenger. The captain records some
of these events in his ship’s log, and the next scene cuts to Lucy and Mina reading this log as they
prepare for Lucy and Jonathan’s engagement party. They are enraptured by the drama of a shipwreck
and eventually realize that Jonathan’s Transylvanian client was on board, hoping he collected payment
from his client before the wreck. Jonathan arrives and he and Lucy share a romantic moment that
displays their differences: she is the spirit of adventure, while he is extremely cautious and a rule
follower.
The engagement party introduces a variety of suitors of Lucy, all played by puppets operated by
the same actor. The suitors are quite arrogant, pursuing Lucy even though she is engaged and ignoring
everyone else entirely. Dracula appears into the engagement party with his usual self-absorbed flair and
Mina is immediately smitten, but he ignores her and bestows all his attentions on an intrigued Lucy.
Dracula also meets Renfield and begins to win him over with talk of delicious bugs for him to eat,
encouraging him to come be his servant at Withering Manor. Dracula flirts with Mina and selects her as
the easiest victim, bringing her home with him.
The fifth scene begins with Dr. Westfeldt reading a letter he wrote to a medical expert, echoing
the consistent use of letters and journal entries in the novel. The letter tells of Mina’s recent illness,
which began after the engagement party, and her father’s concerns for her health. The other characters
tend Mina on her sickbed. Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. Westfeldt’s German medical colleague, arrives to care for
Mina and identifies bite marks on her neck. After this, Renfield tells them he saw Mina leave the party
with a gentleman and then runs away, escaping the asylum. This leads them to suspect Renfield as the
culprit.
Van Helsing immediately guesses that Mina’s illness was caused by a vampire, identity unknown,
and they continue to care for Mina as she slowly succumbs to fits. Lucy gives her sister blood
transfusions, and Lucy and Jonathan fight over the fact that Jonathan is a germaphobe and unwilling to
help care for Mina.
Dracula arrives under the pretense of caring for Mina, but no one guesses that he is the vampire,
still suspecting Renfield. He seduces Lucy and drinks Lucy’s blood from Mina’s veins, then kidnapping

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

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Mina and framing Renfield. Once again, no one suspects Dracula. This pokes fun at the characters in the
novel, who are slow to come to conclusions that seem obvious to the reader. On a later visit, Dracula
coaches Harker in how to be courageous and adventurous. The two characters are often contrasted as
men and love interests, especially as they both have romantic interest in Lucy.
At last, Van Helsing and Lucy guess that Dracula is the vampire. Lucy’s father tells her to stay
home while they search for him and Jonathan volunteers to go with the party, displaying rare courage
and initiative. On the hunt for Dracula, Lucy’s father and Van Helsing flirt relentlessly, including while
investigating a nearby graveyard.
Shortly after, Dracula approaches Lucy and asks to marry her but she refuses, now knowing who
he is. She then agrees to the marriage in order to buy them time to deal with him. Mina bites Harker and
he becomes like Dracula, including his confident demeanor and bold fashion choices. Lucy likes this
version of him even better, but Van Helsing says they must kill Dracula to free Mina and Harker. They
head to London and search for him at his first property with no success. This leads to a farcical montage
of the characters searching all Dracula’s properties for the coffin where he sleeps, which makes fun of
how long it takes them to find him in the book. As they arrive, Dracula wakes up. Lucy convinces Dracula
to be selfless and he allows himself to be killed to save the others, though Harker does the actual killing
out of jealousy over Dracula’s advances toward Lucy.
In the epilogue, Dr. Westfeldt and Dr. Van Helsing are romantic partners, Lucy has a career, she
and Jonathan are married, and they are expecting a baby. The final scene shows their wedding day, in
which Lucy’s baby bump begins to glow red and the officiant of the wedding reveals himself as Dracula.
With this dramatic cliffhanger, the curtain falls.

THE CHARACTERS
Dracula: He is portrayed as a very sexually attractive and alluring man with a magnetic personality. Partly
because of this, he is extremely self-centered. Women tend to be naturally drawn to him as a romantic
partner and men, especially Jonathan, are drawn to him as an exemplification of masculinity, boldness,
and self-confidence. In the end, he sacrifices himself to save Mina and Jonathan, which displays a degree
of courage and nobility completely absent in the novel.
Jonathan Harker: He is engaged to Lucy and is an extremely timid germaphobe. He is cautious about
what he eats, takes no risks, and allows other characters to push him around. His fiancée Lucy is the clear
leader in their relationship and he is controlled almost entirely by what she and other characters want.
He demonstrates no nobility until the end, after he has been bitten and changed by Dracula to become
much bolder and more outgoing. In the end, he reverts back to his usual cowardly self.
Lucy Westfeldt: She is one of the heroes and plays an active role in getting rid of Dracula. She is engaged
to Jonathan, usually takes the lead in their relationship, and often uses her cunning and her problem-
solving skills. She is intelligent and heroic, figures out that Dracula is the vampire, and leads the charge to
find and kill him. In the end, she uses persuasion and logic to help Dracula see the error of his ways and
becomes the hero of the story by helping to get rid of the antagonist.

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

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Mina Westfeldt: She is a rather foolish sidekick of her sister Lucy, uncared for by her father and without
any suitors. While close to Lucy, she often feels inadequate and in her sister’s shadow. She is desperate
to be in a relationship, naïve, and easily taken in. An easy victim of Dracula, she spends most of the show
incapacitated.
Dr. Van Helsing: She is a German woman who speaks with a comically thick accent. She is also the brains
of the operation in tandem with Lucy and provides much of the know-how about vampires. She is
relatively similar to the Van Helsing of the novel and models much of his wise, strategic, and
knowledgeable spirit. In the play, Lucy shares the role of solving the mystery and caring for Dracula’s
victims, which makes Van Helsing’s role in the drama slightly smaller. Van Helsing also eventually
becomes a romantic interest of Dr. Westfeldt.
Dr. Westfeldt: He is Lucy and Mina’s father. He also runs the insane asylum and cares for Renfield and
Kitty but does so in a flippant and dehumanizing manner. He is emotionally unaware and misogynistic
and favors Lucy over Mina, frequently pushing Mina to the side or ignoring her completely. He is
arrogant and unwilling to believe he is wrong, which blinds him to many of the problems in the piece. He
eventually develops a romantic relationship with Dr. Van Helsing.
Renfield: He is a resident of the asylum and assists Dracula in his nefarious plans after being taken in by
the offer of delicious insects. He is primarily motivated by his desire to eat other creatures and by
personal gain. The other characters believe him guilty of the attacks for a time, but his name is eventually
cleared.
Kitty: She is a maid in the insane asylum and a chronic kleptomaniac. Her character does not grow or
change much throughout the piece and she mostly exists to provide comedic relief.
Lord Windsor/Lord Cavendish/Lord Havemercy: These three are all arrogant suitors of Lucy who arrive
at her engagement party to offer their counterproposals of marriage. They are all played by puppets in
the hands of one actor.
Driver: He takes Harker to Dracula’s castle. He speaks with a comically thick Transylvanian accent and is a
caricature of the superstitious and overly cautious local.
Captain: He is the man in charge of the ship doomed to wreck in England carrying Dracula and his
belongings.
Bosun: another member of the crew of the doomed shipwreck.
Gravedigger: a mysterious and creepy character who points them along the way in their hunt for
Dracula.

THE THEMES
The play is primarily a farcical comedy designed to make audiences laugh rather than ask deep
moral questions. Partly because the novel asks such questions, however, elements of these themes are
still present in the play and worth considering. One of the biggest questions the play examines is

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

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whether or not Dracula is a good character. This primarily comes up through his final sacrifice. Through
Dracula’s final actions in allowing himself to be killed, the play explores the idea of what it means to be
selfless and sacrificial. It also brings up the question of whether such sacrifice is heroic when it is not
entirely voluntary, as Dracula’s is. Though he does choose the right thing, which is to sacrifice himself for
the sake of others, he does it only by being persuaded and eventually forced. This leaves the audience
wondering whether he is a hero or a pushover at the mercy of the other characters.
Because the play deals with topics like harm to others for selfish gain, it also raises questions of
good and evil. The line between the two is not particularly clear, as Dracula is portrayed as funny,
attractive, and sympathetic despite being the antagonist. The other characters, while still heroic, boast
many flaws. Most obvious is Dr. Westfeldt’s prejudice against women, particularly his daughter Mina. He
still assists in the fight against Dracula and contributes, so he is not outright evil, but his arrogance and
prejudice keep him from being completely good either. Thus, the play allows some moral ambiguity and
structures the characters and their interactions to have the greatest comedic effect rather than offer a
robust commentary on good and evil.
Third, the play explores the idea of heroism and what it means to do the right thing. The play
mostly examines heroism through Jonathan and Dracula, frequently comparing them. Dracula is
portrayed as partly heroic in the end because he is willing to die for the good of others, while Jonathan is
not heroic because he is not courageous or bold enough to care for others well or give Lucy the support
she needs. Interestingly, Jonathan only becomes heroic while under Dracula’s influence, and reverts back
to his cowardly self after Dracula’s death. By contrasting these characters, the play also looks at themes
of masculinity and what it means to be a good man and a supportive partner in a relationship.

THE COMEDIC STYLE

The play is written primarily in a satirical style. The Oxford English Dictionary defines satire as a
work of art “which uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize prevailing
immorality or foolishness, especially as a form of social or political commentary.” The Merriam-Webster
Dictionary defines satire more simply as “a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or
scorn.” In this case, the play is satirical because it pokes fun at the self-seriousness and drama of the
novel. For instance, the dramatic rising action of the novel takes place as the characters painstakingly
search London for Dracula’s lairs. In the play, this becomes a slapstick montage with the characters
leaping from location to location in seconds and miming their movements for comedic effect. In all
things, the play takes the atmosphere of the novel, which is meant to invoke terror and deep moral
questioning, and makes it light and funny, poking fun at the fear audiences tend to feel from vampire
stories.
The play is also written in a vaudeville style. Vaudeville began in the early 18th century in France
as a form of light musical drama incorporating pantomime. In America, it began primarily as an obscene
form of comedy for male audiences. By the late 1800s, it evolved into a respectable style of
entertainment and appropriate for families. Vaudeville generally featured a variety of different acts,
eventually including feature films in between performance acts. In this play, the vaudeville style reveals

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org

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itself in the fact that a handful of actors play all the roles, often switching between them onstage by
taking a wig on and off. This is meant to be purely comedic and entertain the audience, reminding them
that they are watching a performance and not seeking to maintain a fourth wall. Additionally, the
characters of Lucy’s suitors are played by puppets, and Mina during her illness is portrayed by stuffed
arms and legs that stick off her bed and are moved by other actors. All of this combines to create a light,
upbeat mood designed to keep the audience engaged and laughing rather than inspiring deep moral
thinking.
Other works in the same comedic style include Monty Python, Young Frankenstein, and The
Princess Bride, as well as the popular style of Mel Brooks.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Why do you think the authors chose to make the play a comedy when the original novel is so dark?

2. What is the purpose of having a few actors play all the roles? What are some of the benefits and
drawbacks of doing it this way?

3. Why do you think the authors chose to make the setting of the play so minimal when it is
thematically important in the book? How does such a minimal setting affect the story and how
might it be easier or harder for actors and production teams?

4. Why do you think men play women and vice versa in the play? What questions does this bring up
about gender roles?

5. Which is your favorite character in the play and why?

6. What parts of the play do you think are the most comedically effective (funny)? Why?

©Caroline Judd / The Public Theatre - 31 Maple St, Lewiston, ME - ThePublicTheatre.org