Red Rope‘s production of Liz Lochhead‘s adaption of Dracula is a worthy, well-timed revival. Directed by Matt Grinter, a well-established figure on the Bristol theatre scene, the production takes place very much on location in Arnos Vale Cemetery, in an imposing stone building which towers darkly over this ideal gothic setting.
As a teen, we’re at odds with the world. We’re no longer a child, and therefore refuse to be conned by the fairytales and feigned truths that once gripped our imaginations. We begin to fight the opinions of our nearest and dearest, whilst coming to grips with both physiological and emotional changes, let alone educational expectation. Add the universal feeling of struggling with identity and contending with societal expectation and there you have a recipe for complete and utter emotional mayhem. This is a rite of passage that Meera Syal‘s 1997 novel, Anita and Me manages to warmly encapsulate.
