The winter repertory cycle at the Classic Stage Company is set to begin, and it features two classics that you won’t want to miss. Starting in January, CSC will feature Kate Hamill’s “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” by Tristan Bernays. Why trek all the way uptown to Broadway? You have a great theater just steps from the East Village apartments at EVGB 

Experience the thrill of two Gothic horror classics live in these new adaptations. While one is the tale of a bloodthirsty vampire and the other of science run amok in the form of a man-made monster, both of these stories tap deep into what we all fear as humans: betrayal, the loss of love, and the darkness in our very nature.

In Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula,” the sexism in Stoker’s work is confronted head-on as Hamill ingeniously treats the tale as a “disquieting feminist revenge fantasy.” More than one demon is dispatched (spoiler alert!) as both Dracula AND toxic masculinity take a stake to the heart. Hamill’s wit is prevalent in the script, and, under the direction of Sarna Lapine, the piece is sure to be a delight to the audience and a challenge to perceptions of what it truly means to be a monster. Or, as CSC puts it, this “Dracula” is a work that is both “terrifying and riotous.”

The other play in the series is adapted from Mary Shelley’s take on the creation myth. Originally written as part of a competition between herself and Lord Byron to see who could dream up the most terrifying tale, Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus” is the story of Victor Frankenstein’s strange experiments and his creation of a living “man” assembled from the body parts of the dead. The ancestor of what we now call science fiction, the book forms the basis for Tristan Bernays’ “Frankenstein,” lending the metaphysical themes that underscore the philosophical conflicts of this modern creation story. While Shelley’s work includes nearly 20 characters, Bernays has distilled that list to its fundamental essence, delivering a two-person story that is both bold in its pronouncement and strikingly perceptive in revealing the darkest recesses of our mortal psyches. Timothy Douglas directs what is sure to be a dramatic tour de force. 

Tickets to both shows are available at www.classicstage.org or by clicking here. These two new adaptations will run from Jan. 14 through March 8, 2020 at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater. 

So, instead of settling in for a long winter’s nap, venture out from EVGB’s East Village luxury rentals and rekindle your love of two classics of Gothic literature. Classic Stage Company’s adaptations of “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” will bring to the fore ideas that have long bubbled up in the works but have seldom before been explored in such unique ways. And if you’re thinking of going to both, buy a package and save! Get your tickets before they’re gone, and find new exhilaration in these beloved classics.