JUPITER, Fla. — "I play Count Dracula," says New York-based actor Jared Zirillia.
The folklore of Dracula is not new, it was written in the 1890s. But what is new is a completely original, and never seen before take, 'Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors' playing at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
"It's such a funny script and it allows Dracula to be silly, it allows him to be serious, and it allows him to be violent and passionate. So, it's just a very three-dimensional portrait."
"We lay heavy into the comedic melodramatic elements and our goal is to scare you a little bit but really we want you to leave with a huge smile on your face," says the show's co-writer Steve Rosen. "It's got like a definite since of camp that 'Rocky Horror [Picture Show]' has mixed with elements I would say, like Mel Brooks and Monty Python..."
Five actors play over two dozen roles often changing characters and costumes on stage in front of the audience.
"This version of Dracula is completely unique, completely a comedy," says the shows director and co-writer Gordon Greenberg.
Greenberg says theater is unique compared to television and cinema as the medium forces the audience to use their brain to fabricate elements that aren’t there like incomplete sets and on-stage costume and character changes.
"But all of that comes from your imagination and it engages your brain in a very stimulating way."
"It's so refreshing, it’s a very new take on an old story," says Zirillia.
'Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors' plays now through Nov. 10. But if you want tickets act fast, the show is nearly sold out.