SF Playhouse Offers a Feminist Take on Popular Gothic Horror Favorite with “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really”
By Darlene Jurow
Bloody Hell! San Francisco Playhouse’s presentation of “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” is ingenious, well-staged, unexpected, and very clever. This fresh, feminist take on the traditional classic, by Kate Hamill, is currently performing through June 27,2026 at San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post Street) in San Francisco.
“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” takes a very different twist than the traditional gothic horror classic, turning it into a very clever comic drama, featuring a gender-bending cast.
The talented cast features the very convincing Johnny Moreno as Dracula, while Susi Damilano is just as stunning as vampire slayer Van Helsing.
Other cast members who deserve top accolades include Stacy Ross as Renfield, a madwoman who worships Dracula; Sharon Shao as Mina Harker, a smart and loyal woman targeted by Dracula; Nemma Adeni as Lucy Westenra, Mina’s friend; James Aaron Oh as Jonathan Harker, Mina’s lawyer husband; Charisse Loriaux as Marilla, a vampire accomplice to Dracaula; Elizabeth Cowperthwaite as Drusilla, a vampire accomplice to Dracula; and Josh Schell as Doctor George Seward, the asylum’s head physician.
The production’s special effects also take the audience by surprise, and, yet keeps the pace of the production moving forward.
Extremely entertaining and definitely unique, “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” is by all means a stage production not to be missed, offering a refreshing new vision on the traditional horror classic. For tickets or further information please phone (415) 677-9596 or visit sfplayhouse.org
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Photo caption: Drusilla (Elizabeth Cowperthwaite), Marilla (Charisse Loriaux), and Dracula (Johnny Moreno) are eager to feed on Jonathan (James Aaron Oh) in San Francisco Playhouse's "Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really," currently performing through June 27.(Photo Credit: Jessica Palopoli)