Krzysztof Pastor – Wojciech Kilar
Dracula
A ballet with a taste for blood
The world’s most famous horror story about the Transylvanian count returns to the ballet stage. Krzysztof Pastor’s choreography was immensely popular in its premiere season in 2024 and is now revived by popular demand. The music by Wojciech Kilar was also heard in the Oscar-winning film Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola.
The blood-thirsty and diabolical yet sexually alluring horror icon made his first appearance in European short fiction during the early 19th century. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, inspired by the historical figure of 15th century Count of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler, has become a classic in popular culture. The haunting story has been recreated in countless film and stage adaptations since its publication in 1897. One of the best known renditions is the Oscar-winning film directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1992. The chilling film music by the Polish composer Wojciech Kilar serves as the foundation for the ballet score, which has been complemented with Kilar’s additional compositions.
Reviews
The narrative ballet Dracula, restaged for the Finnish National Ballet, has graveyards and gloomy castles alternating with waltzing couples in Victorian drawing rooms. In this collision of fantasy and reality the dancers have a broad canvas on which to display their talents, while the sets and costumes show awesome attention to detail.
– Maggie Foyer, Bachtrack
Dracula is a magnificent surprise. The swirling choreography reveals a vampire who is emotionally balanced and capable of deep feeling. This Dracula can fall in love and his heart can be broken. — What wonderfully varied and surprising choreography Pastor has created. The choreographer has certainly not taken the easy route.
– Matti Pulkkinen, Pirmediat
Tickets and performances
Watch trailer
Synopsis
According to rumours, the valiant Count Dracula from Transylvania has met a heroic death in battle. Consumed by grief, his wife Elisabeta has thrown herself from the castle tower. The Count has survived, however, and is distraught to discover his wife’s fate. When priests refuse to bury Elisabeta because of her suicide, Dracula renounces God and becomes a cruel vampire.
Read longer synopsis
Centuries later, a young barrister Jonathan is preparing to travel to Transylvania to finalise Count Dracula’s purchase of an English estate. Jonathan and his fiancée Mina meet up with their friend Lucy, her brother, and her two suitors, the aristocrat Arthur and the psychiatrist Seward. Mina is sad to see her fiancé go away.
In Transylvania, Jonathan notices that everyone is somehow anguished about the Count’s castle. Before the property transfer, he finds himself at a vampire party in the castle. When he accidentally cuts his finger, Dracula is drawn to his blood. The Count sees Jonathan carrying the portrait of Mina, who resembles his deceased wife.
Dracula saves Jonathan from a throng of vampires by giving them the body of dead child. Jonathan follows him into a vault and opens the coffin in which Dracula sleeps. Dracula tries to abduct Jonathan, who is saved by the mother looking for her child.
Back in England, one of the patients in Dr. Seward’s hospital next to Dracula’s newly bought estate, Renfield, exhibits frightening behaviour. As Dracula’s coffin is carried past the hospital, Renfield becomes even more agitated. Soon, Dracula appears at the window, and Renfield invites him in.
Lucy and Arthur are celebrating their engagement, but the party guests fail to notice they’re being observed. Dracula chooses sleeping Lucy as his victim, and after drinking her blood, he quickly turns back into his young self. One of the guests, Professor Van Helsing, finds teeth marks on Lucy’s neck. Dracula recognises Mina, the spitting image of his Elisabeta, whom he saw in the portrait earlier.
As the party is cut short because Lucy feels unwell, Mina sees her about to sleepwalk into Dracula’s arms and manages to wake her. Though people try to protect Lucy with garlic, Dracula strikes his victim again. Jonathan returns to London to meet Arthur and Van Helsing at the hospital. Renfield sees Mina and attempts to warn her. Lucy’s friends try to prevent her from turning into a vampire. Lucy is not in her grave, however, but is trying to seduce Arthur. Seward pushes a stake through Lucy’s heart and saves her from eternal damnation.
Dracula takes revenge on Renfield for warning Mina. Eventually, Mina understands the reason behind Dracula’s attraction and surrenders to his power. As her friends arrive, Dracula escapes and appears again in his old form. Mina protects the miserable old Count and kisses him. Dracula wants to save Mina from his own fate and asks her to kill him. As Dracula dies, he is transformed into a young man and freed from suffering forever.
The full synopsis can be found in the programme leaflet.
Gallery
A man stricken by a curse
Creative team
- Koreografia
- Krzysztof Pastor
- Musiikki
- Wojciech Kilar
- Lavastus ja puvut
- Charles Cusick Smith, Phil R. Daniels
- Valaistus
- Jon Buswell
- Musiikinjohto
- Patrick Fournillier
The sets and costumes for the production have been rented from the Polish National Ballet, with additional costumes from Queensland Ballet Company and the West Australian Ballet.
Cast
Cast will be published later.
Listen to dracula
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Stage24: More about the work
The keys to an entertaining evening
The performance takes place on our Main Stage, which has no fewer than 1,300 seats in its auditorium. Please note that the 3rd balcony is very high up. It provides an impressive view, but the front-row seats on this level may not suit those with a fear of heights. Explore the Main Stage and find out more about where to sit. You can also compare the view from different parts of the auditorium.
Price categories: Seats in the auditorium are priced according to the view of the stage and divided into eight price categories (A–H). In addition to seat location, the price is affected by the performance date and demand. Only standard-priced tickets are available in the lowest price categories (F–H).
Discounts
Discounts are available for selected productions, performances, and seats in the Stalls and the 1st and 2nd Balconies, unless otherwise indicated.
- Pensioners: €10 discount per ticket for selected seats in the Stalls and the 1st Balcony. The discount is available to all holders of the card for national pension recipients and anyone aged 65 or over.
- Students, military and non-military servicemen: 40% discount on the full ticket price.
- Children and those aged 20 and under: 40–50% discount on the full ticket price.
- Same-day tickets: A special rate of €30 per ticket is available for those aged 20 and under, students, military and non-military servicemen, the unemployed, and pensioners. The discount applies to seats in the Stalls, no earlier than 12 hours before the performance and subject to availability.
Please note that full-price and concessionary tickets for under-20s, students, and pensioners can be exchanged in our online store free of charge up to 24 hours before the performance. The value of the ticket(s) is credited to your customer account for later use.
Children and young people up to the age of 20 are eligible for a 40–50% discount on ticket prices.
Please note that children under the age of 5 are not admitted to Main Stage performances. The age recommendation for each production can be found at the top of its dedicated page.
For the best view, we recommend seats in the front Stalls or the centre of the 1st Balcony. If you’re unsure which seats would be most suitable, our customer service team will be happy to help you find the best options.
To ensure an enjoyable and memorable visit, see our Visiting with children page for more tips.
You can easily purchase accessible seats either through our online store or customer service. On the auditorium map, you can check the locations of accessible seats in the Main Stage auditorium (pdf). The accessible seats are marked with wheelchair icons to make choosing your seat easier.
Read more detailed instructions for purchasing accessible seats and ensure your visit is effortlessly enjoyable from start to finish.
The programme booklet provides background information about the production, its creators, and the story. It is published on the day of the premiere and can be purchased before the performance from the customer service desk in the Töölönlahti lobby, the sales desk at the Mannerheimintie entrance, all open counters of the Opera Restaurant, and selected members of our lobby staff. The price of the programme booklet is €7.
You can also buy the programme booklet in advance from our customer service desk or online via the Order refreshments page. See more detailed instructions here on how to purchase the programme booklet on the Order refreshments page.
The digital cast details for each opera and ballet, including the evening’s cast and creative team, are published online no later than on the day of the performance (please note that the link opens in a separate window). Cast details are also available on the displays and touch screens in the foyers, as well as under the My events tab in the mobile app.
Enhance your experience with refreshments. You can enjoy refreshments before the performance or during the interval. We recommend placing your order in advance, either through our online store or by calling our customer service. If tables are still available, online sales close no later than 24 hours before the performance.
Using the Opera&Ballet mobile app, you can order interval refreshments to a pick-up counter until shortly before the performance begins. Learn more about pick-up orders.
The Opera House is located by Töölönlahti bay. Our address is Helsinginkatu 58, which is well served by public transport.
The main entrance on the Mannerheimintie side usually opens 1.5 hours before the start of a Main Stage performance. Please make sure you arrive in good time, at least 15 minutes before the performance begins. Latecomers are only admitted after the interval so as not to disturb the performance.
At the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, our audiences and staff are committed to safer space principles. Everyone has the right to enjoy art in a safe environment, and we do not tolerate harassment, discrimination or inappropriate language or behaviour.
How to dress for the performance? Can I wear perfume? Do I need to pay for the cloakroom? Find answers to these questions and more on our Tips for visitors page. We have put together a comprehensive guide to help make your visit to the Opera House a success.