Blood Countess

Rating:

Company: Prairie Fire Presents

Genre: Unclassifiable

Venue: 8 - The Rachel Browne Theatre

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When I read that I would meet the infamous "Countess Dracula" Elizabeth Bathory and decide for myself whether she was the victim of a political conspiracy or the murderer of some 600 people (historical record leans toward the latterthere were apparently a lot of witnesses and bodies), I got excited.

"Yes!" I thought, "Give me all the salacious details of this historical mystery, and I shall decide!"

• Winnipeg Fringe 2017: read our reviews

Maybe I got too excited. Sharon Nowlan doesn't provide us with enough info to levy that judgmentand I'm not sure she aims to. Her approach to Bathory's story is an esoteric one; a series of impressionistic tableaux where I was hoping for chronology and detail.

Blood Countess could use a little more bloodand a little less Countess.- Kelly Stifora

Nowlan is a capable performer, wearing a beautiful costume and doing inspired prop work, so my bad, perhaps, for bringing crass expectations. But I think Blood Countess could use a little more bloodand a little less Countess.