Actress Cynthia Erivo has drawn a series of mixed reactions across the board at the opening night of her one-woman Dracula stage show in London's West End.
The production, staged at the Noel Coward Theater and adapted from Bram Stoker's novel, casts Erivo in an extraordinary challenge: she performs all 23 characters in a nearly nonstop two-hour piece that blends live acting with cameras, screens, and prerecorded segments.
At the curtain call, Erivo seemed visibly emotional, reflecting the intensity and sheer difficulty of this role, memorizing some 20,000 words of dialogue and sustaining such a demanding performance that really took a toll on her.
However, not all audience members appeared to be impressed. Some of the social media posts and comments appeared to suggest that parts of the audience were not happy but quite frustrated by the use of teleprompters during the show, and even complained.
Critics were divided as a whole. While some praised the star's versatility and endurance, others felt the tech overshadowed the emotional depth and live immediacy of her performance.