Dracula Musical Press Release

Dracula Musical - March 2008 News Release
Dracula, the musical by Orton, Evans & Lynn.
The already acclaimed British musical version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula has reached another mile-stone in its development.
Sang de Vie Productions Ltd, the producers of the Dracula musical concept album, have recently produced a short film of one of the numbers from the musical. The film is directed by an award winning director.
The filming took place in November, 2007, and features the West End and Broadway performer Michael McCarthy as Dracula and Danielle York as Mina.
The film of the song, “Within My World”, is to be broadcast on national television in the UK and will be available to watch on internet from December.
A statement from a Sang de Vie representative reads as follows:
“We are only too pleased to lend further promotional assistance to this outstanding musical work by Evans, Orton and Lynn. It’s quite obvious by now, to anyone who knows the Dracula novel, that the writers have made every possible effort to remain true to Stoker’s classic Gothic tale. Both in terms of music and lyrics.
The director has further honoured us, and Stoker, in his wonderful visual interpretation of the song, “Within My World”, from the Dracula musical concept album that we produced in 2006. Our intention was also to produce this film as a token of gratitude to the many people that have supported the work”.
It seems clear that this musical vampire tale is one that will not be so easily dismissed by detractors and has already proven a hit with the public as a genuine Dracula musical concept album, with sales all over the world.
The short film of the stirring number, “Within My World”, was released in December, 2007. It is available to view on many video / social networking sites, such as YouTube and MySpace.

The video will shortly be available to view on UK / European based Music Television stations.

Director: Sang de Vie Productions Ltd.

Cast: Michael McCarthy as Dracula and Danielle York as Mina.

Producers: Sang de Vie Productions Ltd.

Press Release. ‘Dracula’. The concept album of a new musical.

A new professionally written musical based on Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel, ‘Dracula’, has been created by two British writers, Gareth Evans (Book & Lyrics) and Christopher J. Orton (composer). Orchestrations are by the noted UK composer, producer and arranger, Ian Lynn.

The concept album of the work, which was released during September 2006, includes seventeen fully orchestrated tracks from the score and promises to be a rare treat for musical theatre fans.

The recording features leading professional performers who have appeared in London's West End and on Broadway. The cast includes Michael McCarthy, who will be singing the role of Dracula on the concept recording of this new musical. The complete cast listing for the concept album can be found on the official website.

Earlier last year, some completed tracks from the concept album, which had been made available to select industry recipients, caused quite a positive stir of enthusiastic interest. Now that the album has been released, this positive reaction has continued amongst the general public who have been buying the CD in the UK. There also appears to be an air of excited anticipation within professional musical theatre circles in the UK, as this new musical seems set to redefine the misguided belief that this vampire tale cannot be presented successfully as professional musical theatre. Orton and Evans, together with Lynn, appear to have written a work that is the exception to that rule by some considerable margin. It seems that, at last, someone has got in right concerning this gothic tale.

“This is clearly a major new British musical written by those who actually understand this subject matter”, commented one professional source, after listening to some of the recorded numbers from the show.

Some short sample tracks from the concept album of this exciting new show can be heard on the official website.

The concept album can now be purchased from Dress Circle, London, and at the Sound of Music store, Germany.

Selected tracks from the album, that are playing at Dress Circle in the West End, are already receiving an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception from members of the general public.

DRACULA MUSICAL REVIEW from a recent issue of WHATS ON STAGE.COM - The UK Theatre Magazine :

"Evita started as a concept album. Why not Dracula? This 70 minute CD has already gathered a battalion of fans (or should they be fangs?). It's a powerful new Gothic musical that remains faithful to the original novel and has enough dramatic bite to keep you listening well beyond moonrise.

With music by Christopher J. Orton and Lyrics by Gareth Evans, the songs deliver just the right measure of dramatic passion to get the blood pumping. And when you've got one hell of a vocalist like Les Miserables stalwart Michael McCarthy hitting all the right notes in the title role, something really does begin to quiver on the side of the neck. First the concept. Then the concert? Next, the West End?"

Dracula album track is played on national radio

"Those Dreams of Long Ago" (with vocals by Stephanie Benavente) received its first national radio broadcast. This was on the Elaine Paige show (BBC Radio 2). Many thanks to Elaine Paige for playing the track from the Dracula concept album.

* The appearance of The Dracula Musical fan club confirms that people have appreciated the album enough to have set up a fan club for the work.

Apparently, the writers are amazed by such enthusiasm for their musical. The have recently been contacted by fans from all over the world via their MySpace profile page.

The creative team and cast thank everyone who has bought the album and all those who appreciate this new British work. They hope to repay the fans' support by recording the complete work in the future.

The Dracula Musical has a MySpace profile.
At the moment you can listen to the complete album version of "Within My World", which is not the same as the short version you can hear on the Dracula website.
If you are a member of MySpace, please link them as friends. They will do the same for you.

Visit the DRACULA MUSICAL MY SPACE PROFILE

The Producers can be contacted via their website at Sang de Vie Productions Ltd

News updates on this item will follow shortly ...

Dracula Musical Press Release. © Copyright by Sang de Vie Productions Ltd. 2006

Current production updates can be found on the NEWS ITEMS page

^ TOP

Brief History of the Musical

The musical "Dracula" has taken over six years to reach the present stage of development. After extensive research had been conducted by the lyricist in 1999 / 2000 (including the use of references to Stoker's original notes for the novel), the initial lyric structures for some of the proposed songs and the outline of the musical plot were written. The first version of the complete libretto had been produced by 2003 and has subsequently been further improved.
Christopher J. Orton and Gareth Evans began working together on the project in 2004, when Christopher began setting the libretto to his original music and to create the score for the work.
After the lyricist and composer had recorded some demo material of their work in 2004, and following some private cast readings of scenes, an opportunity arose to produce a professional concept recording of the show. This process began in 2005 after the noted composer, arranger and musical director, Ian Lynn, agreed to orchestrate the work.
The album features the leading West End musical theatre performer, Michael McCarthy, singing the title role.
The official album launch was on September 25th at Dress Circle (London). Since then the album has been selling well at all retail outlets and is still a top CD best seller at Dress Circle.
The UK Theatre Magazine, What's On Stage, published a very positive review of the Dracula concept album in its December 2006 issue. Recently, a track from the album was played on national radio. That was on the Elaine Paige show on BBC Radio 2.
A further album of the complete Dracula musical is planned and that process will begin during 2007.
The producers of the album are Sang de Vie Productions Ltd. They can be contacted via their website.

Buy the album at Dress Circle (London): DRACULA - THE MUSICAL

Buy the album at Sound of Music store (Germany): DRACULA - THE MUSICAL

The Dracula Musical Album is now available in the USA, via the American / internet based supplier CD BABY

See the Dracula Musical Website Index for related links and credits

^ TOP

Copyright

Book and Lyrics by Gareth Evans. Music by Christopher J. Orton. Orchestration by Ian Lynn.

The concept album of the musical, “Dracula”, is produced by Sang de Vie Productions Ltd.

All forms of reproduction of any part of this recorded work are strictly prohibited by law.