Dracapella - Jez Bond Interview

A solicitor from London.​
A mysterious count from Transylvania.​
An ensemble of mind-blowing vocal talents.​

Full-blooded fun.​

When Harker sets off to Transylvania to sell a crumbling castle to a mysterious client, he doesn’t expect to wind up in a love triangle – or is that a square? – involving his wife, her best friend, and one very melodramatic vampire.

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Things spiral quickly; capes are flung, necks are bitten (accidentally), and a human beatboxer accompanies it all. Featuring a capella covers of everything from Somebody to Love to Eye of the Tiger, and more terrible puns than strictly necessary, Dracapella is a fast, funny, fang-filled festive treat.
​Starring Olivier Award winners Stephen Ashfield (The Book of Mormon) as Harker and Lorna Want (Beautiful) as Mina, alongside Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman, Wicked: The Movie) as Lucy and Ako Mitchell (Sister Act, Mean Girls) as Dracula.

With UK Champion Beatboxer ABH Beatbox providing the show’s unique vocal soundtrack, and a stellar ensemble including Monique Ashe-Palmer (SIX the Musical), Ciarán Dowd (Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner) and Philip Pope (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

Ahead of performances over the festive season we sat down with writer and director Jez Bond to learn more about the show.

What inspired you to create a comedy retelling of Dracula, and how did the concept of using a cappella rock hits come about?
When Dan Patterson (the original producer and concept creator of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Mock the Week) pitched the idea to me it was unclear as to how the two elements would sit together onstage. One thought was that there would be an a capella group and a (separate) group of actors – but this seemed counterproductive to me. I felt strongly that if we were going to present these two brilliantly entertaining elements they needed to fuse together as one – hence developing the concept of a set of actor-singers and a beatboxer who together take us on the whole journey. We worked and reworked the script and put it through a workshop process testing the theory, to great success, in front of a live audience.

Can you tell us more about the process of collaborating with Dan Patterson on this project? 
Dan is a walking encyclopaedia of comedy; give him a situation and he’ll pitch you ten possible gags… on the spot. It’s a joy to work with him and he’s a natural collaborator. Like me, he always prefers writing with someone, spit balling ideas and riffing off each other. In that sense it’s been a very natural and easy process. Ultimately, we want the best for the play: so, the minute someone says, ‘that could be funnier’ or ‘I’m not sure that line works’, the other tends to say, ‘you’re right, let’s fix it’. It also helps that we have a similar love of comedic styles – from Marx Brothers to Zucker Brothers to… [Dan would now likely insert some punch line I can’t think of about brothers].
 
What unique insights did he bring to the script?
What Dan knows is how to craft a gag… and he’s lived and breathed this stuff for decades (sorry Dan, you’re a little older than me). He’s also excellent at swivelling and taking things a different way. Not holding on to things can be so important in the journey; ‘kill your darlings’ as Stephen King once wrote about the creative process (now there’s a man who knew about comedy – I mean, have you seen The Shining!?) 
 
The story mentions Harker winding up in a love triangle—how do these comedic elements play into the traditional Dracula narrative, and how do they enhance the humour?
The idea of the traditional narrative is so fascinating because truly there have been so many interpretations of the original – and (some may want to put me in the stocks for saying this) the Bram Stoker book is utterly full of plot holes and inconsistencies (where was his editor!) So, part of our job – and something I was pushing from the off – was to ensure that we built a plot which made sense. The play is then so full of humour which comes from the situations in which the (often bizarre) characters find themselves in. 
 
Can you share an example of some of the 'bloody terrible puns' in the show? 
I don’t want to give too much away but here’s one: “Of all the terrible spectacles I’d seen those perched on the end of her nose were the worst.” 
 
How important is wordplay to the overall comedy?
Absolutely key – it’s not just puns, it’s jokes, misunderstandings, mis-hearings, non sequiturs and more surreal moments (think Monty Python).
 
How did you approach incorporating music into the narrative? 
We wanted to use known songs – a) to add a real sense of fun and make this a great night out, and b) when doing a capella you’re doing an ‘arrangement’ for voices and therefore it’s almost more impressive to use existing songs where people know the original. The challenge then was choosing music that would both sit well with a capella voices and fitted each moment, with the right energy, tempo and theme for each scene. We worked with our music consultant, Awsa Bergstrom, on all of this – and she was also keen that we got a better flow of music throughout the decades (in an early draft, for example, we were very 80s heavy).
 
What challenges did you face in arranging popular rock hits a cappella style?
In one sense you can make anything a cappella – but ultimately some songs lend themselves to it more than others, and we also have the UK’s beatboxing champion whose skills we wanted to maximise. So that influences the choices. Our Musical Director, Ian Oakley, is phenomenal at arranging (he spent years in the USA working with gospel choirs before an astounding career in musical theatre) and has done a remarkable job – as have all the cast. 
 
With the eclectic mix of genres— horror, comedy, and music — what do you think will resonate most with audiences?
I genuinely think what’s going to come across most is how utterly fun this is – a totally silly, energetic, fast paced fun filled piece of entertainment of entertainment’s sake: something quite rare these days and, boy, do all of us need that right now! 
 
How do you believe Dracapella sets itself apart from other adaptations of Dracula or similar comedies?
Well, I’ve never seen an a capella one – or one with such bonkers comedy; let alone together so I think it’s unique. Plus, the way we’re telling the story everyone is involved in every scene; it’s an ensemble piece and the cast are onstage the whole time which adds to the atmosphere… and the madness! 
 
As the Artistic Director at Park Theatre, how does this production reflect your broader vision for the theatre and its future?
Our mission is to tell accessible stories – by that I mean that if you come and see a show here then no matter whether you’re a regular theatregoer or if it’s your first time inside a theatre, we want you to have a great time. There are certain shows that can be pretentious and make people feel stupid or that theatre isn’t for them. That’s not what we want. Watching a piece of live theatre here should be like bingeing on your favourite Netflix series… only better, because here you’re truly part of the action. Across a season we try and balance shows that are fun, shows that make you think or challenge certain norms, shows that perhaps have a historical or modern significance… this certainly belongs to the first category! 
 
What was the first piece of theatre you saw which had a big impact on you?
I don’t remember one specific show where I said ‘yes this is it’ but I remember my father taking me a number of times to the RSC seasons when they used to be at the Barbican. I adored the vast sets and flying above the rooftops in A Christmas Carol, the lavish costumes and staging of A Comedy of Errors and the dazzling comedy and stage tricks in The Venetian Twins.
 
What are you most excited for audiences to experience when they come to see Dracapella?
I’m most excited for them to come and have a great night and laugh, laugh, laugh. Laughter is the best medicine – it really is. So come to Park Theatre and get your full dose this winter. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. 
 
Finally, what does the process of putting together a show like Dracapella teach you about the nature of storytelling in theatre, especially with a comedy twist on classic tales?
For me storytelling is always about the connection with the audience – we don’t perform in a closed room. We perform to an audience. Sir Ian McKellen said to me, ‘in film you lean back (and watch), whereas in theatre you lean in’. The magic of theatre is creating an environment where the audience lean forward to watch the play, to touch, smell, feel it… whether it’s comedy or tragedy that’s the golden rule; and if you can find little moments (which in comedy we often do) to break the fourth wall and literally sit with the audience for a moment that can be utterly spellbinding. Come and you’ll see… 

Dracapella runs at Park Theatre from Wednesday 3rd December until Saturday 17th January 2026. Tickets are available from https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/dracapella/