Charlie Stemp, renowned for energetic performances in big musicals like Half a Sixpence in the West End and Hello, Dolly on Broadway, steps into the world of comedy theatre with Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at the Menier Chocolate Factory. In this interview, Charlie shares insights into his journey, the challenges of transitioning from musicals to plays, and the unique experience of working on this quirky take on Bram Stoker’s classic.
Charlie’s journey into the performing arts began with a lot of energy and a need for physical activity. “I’ve always been an attention seeker,” he laughs. Initially involved in sports like football, judo, and rugby, Charlie’s life took a dramatic turn when his mum enrolled him in a school that offered dance lessons. “At first, I hated it,” Charlie recalls, “but soon, dance consumed my life, leading to acting and singing. And then before I knew it, I was auditioning for college, and a career in theatre followed.”
Known for his musical theatre background, Charlie was drawn to Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors by its unique script and the opportunity to work with director Gordon Greenberg. “Sometimes in this country, there’s a stigma about musical theatre people doing plays,” Charlie observes, “however, I’ve always seen myself as a trained actor, dancer, and singer, not just a ‘song and dance man’.” Charlie says, “this project offered a chance to break free from being pigeonholed.”
Charlie’s involvement in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors began when Gordon Greenberg, the writer and director, approached him after seeing his performance on Broadway. Greenberg had seen Charlie in Hello Dolly and was impressed, which led him to send Charlie the script for the play. “He just said, I thought you were fantastic. I’d love to see you for my play,” Charlie explained. The script captivated Charlie, who was drawn to its unique blend of comedy and horror. “I got to the end of reading the script and said, I need to read this again. It’s so good. And I knew I needed to do it.”
“The play is a quirky blend of Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and RuPaul” says Charlie, offering a fresh comedic take on the classic Dracula tale. “We’ve been so pleasantly surprised by the fans that have come to watch the show who’ve said, ‘we just know we love Dracula. We didn’t expect this, but we thought it was fantastic’,” Charlie shares.
Charlie plays Jonathan Harker, an anxious estate agent, and with many of the cast multi-rolling, Charlie takes on five other characters as well, including a brief appearance as a grave digger. “It’s probably the smallest role I play, but it’s my favourite” says Charlie, “the grave digger is a cockney, and I didn’t want to sound just like myself, so I took inspiration from someone I worked with on Half a Sixpence, adding a little lisp to distract from my own accent, which is how they’d approached doing an accent.”
The cast includes James Daly, who has extensive experience with the play, having originated the role off-Broadway. Charlie praised the cast’s camaraderie and the director, Gordon Greenberg, for his openness and understanding of comedy. “Gordon knows the beating heart of the show,” Charlie noted, appreciating his patience and willingness to adapt the script for British audiences. “He has been so open to saying, OK, well, let’s try and find a British way of saying it or, you know, having certain things that will resonate more strongly in this country,” Charlie said.
Charlie found the rehearsal process for the play similar to that of a musical, emphasising the importance of getting on his feet and performing physically. “I just want to get stuck in. I just want to do it. The physicality of theatre is great fun.”
In preview performances, the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive, with laughter and enjoyment filling the theatre. “When you do a comedy in rehearsals, you just hope that there’s going to be a laugh in places. So now we’ve got an audience, it’s just a real relief to hear the laugh, to hear the enjoyment, and to see the smiles on people’s faces,” Charlie says.
If you’re thinking of booking Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Charlie invites you to experience “an hour and a half of escapism, laughter and fangs.” The show runs until May 4th at the Menier Chocolate Factory, offering a unique blend of comedy and horror that promises to delight audiences.
