Everything you need to know about Cynthia Erivo’s West End show Dracula as first photos released
Cynthia Erivo to star in one-person Dracula play. (Danny Kaan/Noel Coward Theatre)
Cynthia Erivo to star in one-person Dracula play. (Danny Kaan/Noel Coward Theatre)
Cynthia Erivo is swapping her Wicked witch cape for a vampire cloak to star in the West End show Dracula.
Dracula is currently in rehearsals ahead of its limited 16-week run, from 4 February to 31 May 2026. The newly released images see the 39-year-old Tony, Emmy and Grammy award-winner rehearsing for the one-person play.
In a series of published images, Erivo is being filmed as she navigates the marked-out stage. Additionally, images show her sitting at a big desk looking up at a candelabra.
Dracula will also mark Erivo’s West End stage return after her Tony-winning performance in The Color Purple.
Who stars in the West End’s Dracula?
As well as playing the titular Count Dracula, Erivo will play all of the other 22 characters in Bram Stoker’s iconic tale.
Among the characters, Erivo will play naïve solicitor Jonathan Harker and his fiancée Mina Murray, as well as confidante Lucy Westenra, her suitors, and also the formidable vampire hunter Van Helsing.
The gothic show is being adapted and directed by Kip Williams, who was acclaimed for his revised take on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook. Dracula is said to be William’s “final and most ambitious instalment of his Gothic trilogy.”
Erivo is appearing on Friday’s (9 January) The Graham Norton Show, where she’ll speak more about balancing 23 characters.
Furthermore, teasing her appearance, the show released a clip where Erivo declares the one-person show “ridiculous.”
She explains: “It is like Kip William’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, but on crack!
“Learning the lines was interesting with all the accents and because of what is on stage and what is filmed. It is a complete brain puzzle.”
Erivo will be seated on Norton’s famous red sofa with Chris Pratt, Dawn French, Rob Beckett and musical guest Jack Savoretti. The Graham Norton Show’s episode featuring Erivo will be on BBC One tonight at 10:40pm.
What is the plot of Cynthia Erivo’s Dracula?
The Dracula narrative appears to honour Bram Stoker’s original story. Set in a castle deep in the woods, Count Dracula ruled over his world with violence.
The synopsis continues: “But now, the people of London are under threat, as the infamous vampire sets his sights on the city, ready to spread his sinister spell.”
This will be an unmissable night of theatre and the final piece in one of the most innovative theatrical feats in recent history.”
In the show’s description, the adaptation is said to fuse “live video, pre-recorded film, and a herculean live act in the genre-defying cine-theatre style.”
In Dracula, Erivo will be performing just one song, though the show’s soundtrack will feature a mix of classical, contemporary and club music.
The production’s creative team includes sound designer Jessica Dunn, video designer Craig Wilkinson, composer Clemence Williams, and dramaturg Zahra Newman, with further creatives to be announced.
How to get tickets for Erivo’s West End production of Dracula?
Dracula is playing at the Noel Coward Theatre from 4 February to 31 May 2026.
Tickets have not yet been released, but you can find out more information here.
