Dracula

It's not the most faithful adaption out there...

What would have made Dracula better?

If you're just interested in hearing David Suchet play Dracula or a young Tom Hiddleston play Jonathan Harker, then you'll probably enjoy this. But if you're looking for a good Dracula adaptation, I'd say give this a pass. It's a heavily abridged adaptation and a lot of the changes suck the life out of the story (pun intended).

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I enjoyed David Suchet as Dracula. He plays the count as barely able to hide his cruelty behind his facade of civility, always a good choice. Hiddleston is a serviceable (though forgettable, yes, I said it) Jonathan Harker. None of the other actors are particularly memorable or compelling in this short drama. But probably what offends me the most about this adaptation is that they decided to cut Quincy Morris. I don't care that he is the most disposable character in this story, they deprived me of a ridiculous Texan accent!

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dracula?

It's less what I would cut and more what I would add back in. They cut out Jonathan Harker's emotional trauma from his stay with Dracula, presenting him as perfectly fine after he reunites with Mina halfway through the story. (He even indicates he's down for some sexy times!) This lessens the horror of his stay with Dracula. I also have mixed feelings about Dr. Seward leveling up from rejected suitor to beloved fiancé in this adaptation. It better connects his mental hospital to the greater story, but it also removes some of the internal conflict from the character. However I would cut the maid's subplot... That was weird, am I right?

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for a more faithful radio adaptation of Dracula, I recommend Classic BBC Radio's Dracula with Frederick Jaeger, Phyllis Logan, Bernard Holley and assorted cast. Not only is it more true to the source material, but they actually include Quincy Morris - exaggerated Texan accent and all!

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Putting New Life in Dracula

If you are looking for a version faithful to the original, this is not it. Story elements and characters are cut and changed significantly. This is partly to streamline the story down to an acceptable length for a radio production, but also to enable a change in focus.

The original Dracula is a male-centric story; despite still following the expected conflict, this version shifts the spotlight to the female characters, giving them more backstory, presence, and connection to each other. Sexual, gender, and class anxieties threaded below the surface are made more explicit and explored at the forefront of the drama. Dracula is still a story of Good versus Evil, but the nature of both are suddenly less clear. Evil is more insidiously common, and Good more of a difficult, and occasionally thorny, path to follow.


I really enjoyed this version of Dracula as a short exploration of the story's underside. Seeing a more woman-centric version is uncommon enough to make it interesting, but it is also done well enough to keep my attention focused. There are a few loose threads I wish had been attended to, such as a character introduced into the story and left abruptly hanging, and Dracula himself was hardly fleshed out at all, but the production was still strong. Definitely recommend to fans.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

An okay adaptation

What did you like best about Dracula? What did you like least?

The best thing about this recording is David Suchet's performance as Dracula! That's really saying something considering I'm a hardcore hiddlestoner! suchet steals every scene he's in. The worst thing about this recording is that it is an adaptation and not the actual Bram Stoker book. It is very severely adapted and abridged.

What could Bram Stoker have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Nothing! This is a severely adapted dramatization by somebody else. He didn't write it!

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes.

Could you see Dracula being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, because this is just a very commercialized version of the original book. Except for Suchet's and Hiddleston's performances the story is lifeless.

Any additional comments?

It's okay as a radio adaptation. Just be aware that's what it is!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Lovely acting; annoying pace

Great acting by all. I especially found Renfield enjoyable. However, the pacing was everywhere, and they clearly expected you to know the book before listening. Rather than a connected story, it seemed to jump from one scene to the next. If you like the actors and want to hear their performances, get this. If you like the Dracula novel or want to listen to an engaging play, I would skip.

Very condensed

David Suchet sounds more like Poirot than like Count Dracula. The story is very summarized and can only be understood if you previously read the longer version. I enjoyed the female characterizations. A bit weak for me.

So entertaining

So THIS is the original story... it was confusing at first because the are no narrative parts. It's a complete adaptation for radio, so there's only dialogue. After a while, I got used to the characters and it was easier to tell what was going on. The acting was on point! It was thrilling and scary in an old fashioned way that only an old scary story could be. There are full sound effects and music too. I did enjoy it very much!

Nostalgia Galore

Growing up, Dracula was one of my favorite books. At first when I hit play I was disappointed because this radio adaption does start before the novel does, but I actually ended up enjoying the extra scenes. A few of my favorite bits were shortened or removed altogether but seeing as this was adapted from the stage play I can understand why they had to be cut. Overall I absolutely loved this. Also Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Harker was amazing, I want to see him do it on the stage.

Possibly the worst radio play of all time

I listened to this and rather wished that the Count himself had exsanguinated me before I had bought this tragic farce.

Loved it!

Amazing and vivid, it brought life to this story! I have a new-found appreciation for this tale.

Disappointing

I love David Suchet and could listen to him read anything. This overdramatized adaptation just wasn’t very good. I was pretty disappointed.