'Dracula' plays to music

Halloween may be over, but there are still thrills and chills laced with laughter on stage at the Brewery Arts Center this weekend.

"Dracula, The Musical?" playing the next three weekends at the BAC's Black Box Theatre, spoofs the well-loved Bram Stoker classic and its many imitators.

"It's a comedy poking fun at any and all vampire stories," said Michon Chandler-Douglas, the show's director. "The music is fairly upbeat and the lyrics are terribly cheesy. And there are lots of gags and jokes and some very interesting special effects."

Those special effects include flowers that wilt before the audience's eyes and a flying bat that haunts the theater.

The play and score were written by Rick Abbot.

The BAC's cast of eight are all professional actors, said Chandler-Douglas, and include Greg Klino as Dr. Van Helsing, Corey Stockton as Boris Renfield, Briana Valley as Mina and Chris Nelson as Count Dracula.

The show is appropriate for all ages with some mild language and sexual innuendo.