Dracula (Deane and Balerston)

This is a nice edition of the "Dracula" play that entertained audiences in the 1920s before being transformed into a classic film in 1931. The book contains two plays, in fact: The 1924 version adapted from Bram Stoker's novel by British actor/manager Hamilton Deane and the later 1927 American version adapted by John Balderston. The plays are illustrated with black-and-white photographs of performances from the 1920s to 1970s, the people involved in the productions, promotional posters, and miscellaneous items related to the plays. Interesting information about the plays, including quotations from old press notices, are found in the margins. David Skal, the book's editor and author of "Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen", has written an informative introduction outlining how "Dracula", the play, came to be written and found enormous popularity in Great Britain and the United States. Touring actor and manager of a theatrical company, Hamilton Deane was the first person licensed by Bram Stoker's widow to write an adaptation of her husband's popular novel -for a paltry percentage of the profit. First performed in 1924, Deane's play found popular success in the provinces before traveling to London. Deane took the role of Professor Van Helsing himself, and Raymond Huntley was the stage's first Count Dracula. This is a three-act play whose dialogue is unnaturally verbose and repetitive. As every adaptation is compelled to mess with the characters, the Texan Quincy Morris has been transformed into a woman. No one could call it good, and no critic did. But Deane's "Dracula" found wild success with audiences. American producer Horace Liveright commissioned journalist John Balderston to rewrite the play for Broadway in 1927. Raymond Huntley reprised his role as the Count in America, and Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi took on the role as well, although his limited facility with English compelled Lugosi to learn his lines phonetically. The 1931 Universal film of "Dracula" was adapted from Balderston's play and starred Lugosi. John Balderston would find more success in Hollywood as a screenwriter, including an Academy Award nomination for 1944's "Gaslight". John Balderston's play is longer, more polished, and generally more effective than Hamilton Deane's. The character change in this version has Lucy and Mina exchange roles. The play received mixed reviews, but audience's loved it. After the 1931 film made him a star, Bela Lugosi retuned to the role on stage. The Balderston/Deane play had a very successful revival as late as the 1970s -resulting in another film- which featured sets designed by Edward Gorey and Frank Langella in the role of Count Dracula.