Dracula Zenith Youth Theatre Kingswood Theatre, Bath

It started with a spine-chilling scream and it ended with a prolonged burst of applause.

In between, this latest Zenith production of the musical

Dracula

is a gory Gothic feast of vampires with lashings of blood and dry ice, the howling of wolves, plenty of action and a poignant ending that tugs the heartstrings.

For running alongside the bloodlust there unfolds a love story between the Count himself and Mina, heroine of the tale.

The score for this musical (written by Frank Wildhorn) is pretty challenging but the cast pulls it off with aplomb and the band is also excellent.

Tom Corbishley is superb in the demanding role of Dracula, his powerful voice belying his 17 years of age, and the duet

I Was Born to Love You

that he sings with Mina (an accomplished performance by Sabrina Messer) is both beautiful and passionate.

There are other notable performances from Keir Hillier as Jonathan Harker and Sophie Smith as Lucy, Mina's friend and Dracula's first victim when he travels from Transylvania to Whitby Bay. Josh Howell plays Renfield, who has access to Dracula's mind, with a groveling madness that is brilliant, but it is impossible to pick too many individuals for praise as the production comes together because of the obvious enjoyment of the whole cast.

The vampires, in hoyden red, all hissing menace and smeared with blood, are splendidly scary, emerging from beneath a raised catwalk to prey upon their victims.

And the set, painted black and topped with huge flashing-eyed and cobwebbed gryphons, perfectly sets the scene.

Director Scott Rogers and musical director Roy Page have produced a wonderfully visual show that combines real dramatic tension with catchy songs and some superb performances.

This is a show to drink deep, as one of the songs has it.

Jackie Chappell