What I liked
I loved the concept of the show! Dracula, recently relocated to Glendale, encounters red tape when trying to open his bar, so he puts on a cabaret at the Hollywood Fringe, calling on his monster friends to perform. With its talk-show setting—Marz Richards excelling as Dracula, the host with the ghost (a hauntingly believable Crystal Keith), and musical sidekick Erik, the Phantom (a musically superb and biting Ryan Johnson)—and well-deserved jabs at “Hollywood,” I found the show to be on point and surprisingly believable (given its cast of characters).
Full of clever quips, inside jokes and fun songs to sing along to, performed beautifully by monsters you wouldn’t expect to inhabit such voices, let along song choices, “Dracula’s Taste Test” is a self-reflexive piece of pure delight!
All performances were wonderful! Carrie Keranen’s Quasimodo, a hilarious comic who must have escaped from the Friar’s Club, relished in bringing the audience into her dirty act. Bryan Krasner’s Frankenstein’s Monster rocked the house with his own unique rendition of a couple of popular tunes, begging us to believe that he was human and needed to be loved, right down to his The Smiths t-shirt. Brendan Broms and Brian Wallis were hilarious and believable as a couple of “Secret Monsters,” real-life creeps nobody in Hollywood wants to take the blame for creating. But the creepiest of all creeps was Jeff Sumner, a scene-stealing “Creep” who looked and acted the part to perfection. Kids, watch out for this perv, with his slick comb-over, tight bodysuit, haunting voice and fanny pack full of goodies.
“Dracula’s Taste Test” is a humorous, smart, engaging commentary on society, presenting monsters of every stripe, from the make-believe to the unbelievable, every one of them giving us a different taste of humanity. And Cj Merriman’s deft direction of Marz Richards’s script made fantastic use of the entire theater and kept the show cohesive, right down to a perfectly-choreographed all-cast energetic EDM closer that promised to keep Hollywood Fringe weird!
What I didn't like
I can’t think of anything that didn’t work. The smallish stage at the Broadwater was well-utilized, be it inhabited by two performers (Drac and the Phantom) or by the entire cast, who took the stage for the finale. But it did seem a little tight at the end, probably due to the seats on either side of the stage.
If/when the show plays outside of Hollywood, to audiences who might not get some of the local L.A. references, it would be good to write to the specific crowd just a little bit, keeping it local to the venue. For example, Glendale as Drac’s new home in L.A. is hilarious to us, especially to me, having grown up in Burbank. But it might not play quite as well in Boise, Idaho.
That’s all I’ve got! Awesome show! Thanks so much!
My overall impression
“Dracula’s Taste Test” is a witty, rollicking, irreverent treat of a sing-along full of surprises and fun, popular tunes that keep its audience enthralled from beginning to end. Hosted by Marz Richards’s Drac, with musical accompaniment by Ryan Johnson’s Phantom, this Hollywood cabaret moves at the perfect pace, featuring surprise musical acts with topical witty banter in between. Well-written/directed/choreographed/produced/acted/performed, my pals and I couldn’t have asked for a more entertaining time! The entire audience sang along with delight! Bravo to all involved!
