Review: 7 Stages’ world premiere of “Dracula: The Rock Opera” has its bites and misses

Those loud guitar riffs emanating from the downtown area this weekend aren’t necessarily all from Music Midtown. “Dracula: The Rock Opera” has opened and is playing through October 14 at 7 Stages.

Postponed from last season at the Little Five Points venue, “Dracula” is a world premiere that kicks off the theater’s 34th season. Concocted by Rob Thompson, founder of the Little Five Points RockStar Orchestra, and composed by Thompson, Naomi Lavender, Chris Love and Sam McPherson, it’s a production uniquely its own, with terrific music. Last year the company presented the first half of the story — “Haus von Dracul, Part 1” — and now the anticipated second part has been added. The whole thing has more energy than half a dozen musicals, but it still feels a little more like a concert than a piece of theater.

Thompson has worked on this project for years and has turned the classic text around pretty faithfully, retaining all the main characters. Jonathan Harker (Chris Love) visits Transylvania and the castle of Count Dracula (Thompson) on a real estate matter. Eventually, Harker learns that he is trapped there and has to deal with an array of thirsty creatures of the night. Soon, blood is flowing all over the stage before Van Helsing (Jeff Langston) arrives to slay some vampires.

“Dracula” is directed by Del Hamilton, 7 Stages’ longtime artistic director (who will step down soon after this production), and former Atlanta actor Justin Welborn. They give it mood aplenty. But the first half is a problem here. It’s meandering and confusing and never feels cohesive. It’s a busy staging. The performers are all over the place, the rock band is in the background, and images are projected from backstage almost nonstop. These visuals don’t add as much to the flow as they should, and sometimes they’re just distracting. Deep-sixing that element and focusing more on what’s onstage would help.

The second act is much more assured. Once you realize that it’s all about the music, it’s easier to sit back and enjoy. Forty songs have been crafted for this production, and the moment one ends, another begins. The onstage band, many of whom were involved in 7 Stages’ version of “Hair,” is made up of McPherson, Tim Beitler, Michael Robinson and Steve McPeeks. And they rock it out.

The 18-performer ensemble engages completely into the campy material. Love makes a formidable Harker, with a versatile voice to match his stage presence, but Langston almost steals the show. He’s a wide-eyed and convincing Van Helsing, and his blood-soaked killings of Dracula’s three wives are highlights. Thompson’s Dracula, though, is a little disappointing. He may look the part, decked out in Shane Morton’s makeup, but is not quite the imposing figure he needs to be.

“Dracula: The Rock Opera” is a night of funk and metal, dismembered heads, blood, skimpy outfits for the women, goth, sex, coffins, wonderful moments and not-so-wonderful moments. It’s a great fit for 7 Stages, never afraid to be experimental, and is as ambitious as anything you’re likely to see on an Atlanta stage this season. It’s also just nutty as hell.

It’s too enthusiastic and well played to completely dis, but it needs a little work before its bite is as potent as it should be.