Cynthia Erivo Ignores Online Criticism As Dracula Receives Mixed Reviews

American Actress and “Wicked” star, Cynthia Erivo, shows her talents in a
one-woman production of Dracula, Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of a Transylvanian vampire whose relocation to England unleashes terror, showing at London’s Noël Coward theatre from now until May.

Media reports state that Erivo has reportedly traded the world of Oz for something “darker and far more demanding.”

In this new play, the actress will perform a two-hour theatrical marathon all by herself, acting out 23 characters, including Count Dracula. The play also features 20,000 words of dialogue in a regular dance with live technology that blurs the boundaries between film and theatre, with previous press statements describing it as a piece of “cinetheatre”.

In its early stages, the audacious show attracted a lot of attention; however, some audience members complained online that Erivo seemed to be learning sections of the production script and, at times, relied on an autocue.

In a conversation after the show’s opening night on Tuesday, the “Wicked” actress told the BBC that she pays no heed to those comments.

“I’m not paying attention to any of them as no one knows the experience except me,” she said. “It’s not for me.”
“I have a job to do, and I want to do it as well as I can, and I want to do it with all my heart. I don’t let the comments take the energy that I should be spending on the stage,” she expressed.

She also accepts that she was still learning her lines and “figuring it out” during the preview shows, stating that it’s gradually become a part of her.

Erivo’s ability to slip between characters, involving quick costume changes from Harker’s English lawyer to Mina to the doomed but delightful Lucy, was well received by the media. Other characters played by the actress include Van Helsing and Quincey Morris.