Cynthia Erivo Marks Return To The Stage In UK’s West End Premiere Of Sydney Theatre Company’s Acclaimed DRACULA

Three-time Oscar Nominee and Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner

Cynthia Erivo to play 23 characters in innovative, one-actor adaptation of Bram Stoker’s renowned novel 

Directed by Tony Award® nominee Kip Williams in his highly anticipated West End return

Performances begin February 2026 | Noël Coward Theatre

Producers Michael Cassel and Adam Kenwright today announced that Sydney Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of DRACULA, adapted and directed by visionary theatre-maker Kip Williams, will premiere at London’s prestigious Noël Coward Theatre in February 2026.

Celebrated Tony®, Grammy® and Emmy® Award-winner and three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo will return to the stage for the first time in nearly a decade for the production, starring in this bold, one-actor reimagining of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel.

DRACULA will begin performances on Wednesday 4 February 2026. Tickets for DRACULA will go on sale later in the year, with details and waitlist available here.

Following the global release of Wicked: For Good this November — one of the most eagerly anticipated cinematic events of the decade — Erivo’s next move will be into rehearsals for DRACULA. Her return to the stage marks a landmark moment in contemporary theatre: a rare opportunity for West End audiences to witness one of the world’s most extraordinary talents at the height of her powers, in a daring and intimate performance unlike anything she has undertaken before.

In this radical interpretation, Erivo will embody all twenty-three characters in Stoker’s iconic tale — from the naïve solicitor Jonathan Harker and his fiancée Mina Murray to confidante Lucy Westenra, her suitors, and the formidable vampire hunter Van Helsing — as well as the infamous Count Dracula themself.

Erivo most recently drew international acclaim for her performance as Elphaba in Universal Pictures’ Wicked, her work recognised with a series of major award nominations, including an Academy Award® nomination for Best Actress, a Golden Globe® nomination, a BAFTA® nomination, and recognition from the Screen Actors Guild Awards® and Critics’ Choice Awards. She recently announced her second studio album, ‘I Forgive You’, and is currently in production on Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Children of Blood and Bone with Viola Davis, Idris Elba and Amandla Stenberg. This spring, she will be seen in the hit Peacock series Poker Face.  Erivo’s return to the stage marks the next thrilling chapter in an extraordinary period of career success.

DRACULA represents the final and most ambitious production in Tony Award® nominated director Kip Williams’ gothic trilogy, whose productions have redefined the canon on both Broadway and the West End. The production follows on from his genre-defining adaptations of the 6-time Tony Award® nominated The Picture of Dorian Gray (which enjoyed triumphant seasons in both the West End and on Broadway) and the award-winning Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

In his adaptation, Williams delves into the enduring metaphorical power of DRACULA, crafting a bold retelling that reorients the narrative around a psychological battle between fear and desire. Through a transformative solo performance, the production blurs the boundaries between self and other, suggesting that the monster is perhaps not external, but something that stirs within. First staged by Sydney Theatre Company in 2024, DRACULA captivated audiences with its startingly original reimagining of Stoker’s iconic vampire tale, offering a haunting meditation on the aspects of ourselves we fear, desire, and deny.

The production reunites Williams with his award-winning creative team, including Olivier Award-winning designer Marg Horwell, lighting designer Nick Schlieper, composer Clemence Williams and joined by sound designer Jessica Dunn, video designer Craig Wilkinson and dramaturg Zahra Newman. Fusing live video, pre-recorded film, and virtuosic live performance, DRACULA continues Williams’ ground-breaking exploration of 'cine-theatre', a hybrid form reshaping the theatrical landscape.

Cynthia Erivo said “Returning to the stage feels like a homecoming, one that I’ve been craving for a long time. To do so with a story as rich, complex, and haunting as DRACULA offers a beautiful opportunity to delve into character, into myth, and into the heart of what makes us human. From the moment I was asked, I could not get the role out of my mind. Kip’s vision is thrilling, terrifying, and deeply resonant, offering a chance to sit with not only the darkness in the world, but also the light we fight to hold onto. It’s a rare gift for an actor to inhabit so many voices and perspectives in one piece, and I’m honoured to do it for West End audiences in this extraordinary production. The prospect of doing this show scares me and I know it will be a huge challenge. This show will ask everything of me — and I’m ready to give it.”

Kip Williams, Director and Adapter, said "I am thrilled to be returning to the West End to direct my adaptation of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA and to collaborate with the extraordinary Cynthia Erivo, as she brings to life the many iconic characters of this much-adored tale. Our production expands upon Stoker’s exploration of the tension between fear and desire, offering a contemporary perspective on the vampire as a monster that lurks not beyond, but within. I am excited to reunite with many of my Dorian Gray collaborators on this project, and it is an immense privilege to have such a singularly gifted artist as Cynthia at the heart of it. I can’t wait to share this piece with London audiences, especially in the West End, a place where Bram spent so much of his creative life."

Michael Cassel, Producer of the West End season, said "It is an incredible privilege to bring Kip Williams’ visionary production of DRACULA to the West End, led by the incomparable Cynthia Erivo. Cynthia is an artist of extraordinary power and presence, and Kip’s bold approach to this iconic story will offer audiences something truly unforgettable. I am so excited for London audiences to experience the thrilling synergy between Cynthia’s extraordinary flair and Kip’s ground-breaking storytelling. This production represents everything we love about theatre: daring artistry, breathtaking performance, and a deep connection with audiences."

Adam Kenwright, Producer, said "The West End has long been home to some of the world’s most exhilarating storytelling, and I am so proud to help bring DRACULA and this remarkable team to London. Cynthia Erivo is a once-in-a-generation talent, and Kip Williams has reimagined this classic story with innovation and emotional depth. Cynthia’s return to the stage is a theatrical event in itself, and this unflinching, beautiful production promises an unparalleled experience for theatre lovers.”

Anne Dunn, Sydney Theatre Company Executive Director and co-CEO, said “Sydney Theatre Company is thrilled, as originating producer of former Artistic Director Kip Williams’ groundbreaking cine-theatre adaptation of DRACULA, to collaborate with Michael Cassel Group once again to take this STC production to the West End. We are immensely proud that the innovative work of our team here in Sydney – who first brought DRACULA to life starring Zahra Newman in 2024 and before that, The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Eryn Jean Norvill in 2020 – is being recognised on the world stage. With the incredible Cynthia Erivo at the helm, the exquisite work of STC’s award-winning, all-Australian creative team and led by Kip’s singular, ambitious vision, this spectacular interpretation of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic will be another unmissable theatrical experience for London audiences.”

DRACULA’s London premiere season continues a landmark collaboration between Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group, created to bring STC’s innovative works to international audiences.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Michael Cassel and Adam Kenwright
present a Sydney Theatre Company production
DRACULA

by Bram Stoker

in a new adaptation written and directed by Kip Williams

THEATRE

Noël Coward Theatre

A DELFONT MACKINTOSH THEATRE
85-88 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4AU

CAST
Cynthia Erivo

CREATIVE TEAM

PRODUCTION DATES
From 4 February 2026

Find DRACULA on Facebook: @draculawestend and Instagram: @draculawestend

#Dracula Play

About Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo is an internationally acclaimed actor, singer, and producer, known for her extraordinary performances across film, television, theatre, and music. She first came to prominence in London with her star-making performance as Celie in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple, a role she later reprised on Broadway to universal acclaim. Her performance earned her the Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical, a Grammy Award®, and a Daytime Emmy Award®.

Since her breakout on stage, Erivo has built an extraordinary career on screen, with standout roles in critically acclaimed films such as Harriet (2019), for which she received Academy Award® nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song, Widows (2018), directed by Steve McQueen, and Chaos Walking (2021). She also starred in HBO’s The Outsider (2020), adapted from Stephen King’s bestselling novel, and earned an Emmy® nomination for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha (2021).

Erivo’s musical talents are equally celebrated. In addition to her Grammy®-winning work, she has performed at the Academy Awards®, the Grammy Awards®, and the Kennedy Center Honors, and has collaborated with a wide range of acclaimed artists.

In 2024, Erivo starred as Elphaba in Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated film adaptation of Wicked: Part One, opposite Ariana Grande, directed by Jon M. Chu. Wicked: For Good is set for release in November 2025.

In addition to her work in film and theatre, Erivo is set to release her highly anticipated new album I Forgive You later this year through Verve Records. A deeply personal collection of songs, I Forgive You explores themes of healing, self-acceptance, and emotional resilience, showcasing Erivo’s extraordinary vocal artistry and songwriting talents. Known for her ability to imbue her performances with profound emotional depth and commanding physical presence, Erivo is widely regarded as one of the most talented and versatile artists of her generation.

DRACULA marks Cynthia Erivo’s first major theatrical role since her Tony Award®-winning performance in The Color Purple, offering West End audiences a rare and thrilling opportunity to experience her formidable stagecraft in an intimate, ground-breaking production.

Erivo’s upcoming appearance in DRACULA follows a one-night-only performance in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2025, and will see her return to her theatrical roots at a pivotal moment in her career.

About Kip Williams
Kip Williams is an award-winning writer and director of theatre and opera. Williams’ career has seen him work extensively for Sydney Theatre Company (STC), Australia’s largest theatre company. In 2012 he was appointed the company’s Directing Associate by then Artistic Directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. He was subsequently made Resident Director from 2013-2016, and in November 2016, Williams was appointed Artistic Director & Co-CEO, a role he served in for eight years. His appointment, at the age of 30, made him the youngest Artistic Director in the company’s history.

In addition to STC, Williams has directed for many of Australia’s leading theatre companies and festivals, including Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), Malthouse Theatre, Adelaide Festival, Perth Festival, Opera Australia, Carriageworks, and Melbourne’s RISING Festival, as well as internationally for Auckland Arts Festival, Michael Cassel Group, Kindred Partners, Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End and The Music Box on Broadway.

In 2012, Williams made his mainstage theatre debut at the Sydney Opera House directing Australian screen legend Jack Thompson in Under Milk Wood. He has since gone on to direct 24 productions for STC, including a multi-award winning cinema-theatre hybrid production of Suddenly Last Summer, lauded interpretations of Shakespeare including Romeo & Juliet and The Tempest starring Richard Roxburgh, a retelling of Lord of the Flies starring Mia Wasikowska, Daniel Monks, Eliza Scanlen, and Yerin Ha, and collaborations with actor Hugo Weaving in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Macbeth, and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Williams has regularly directed new writing, including the 7-hour epic The Harp in the South by Kate Mulvany, for which he won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director and Best Production, and is an acclaimed adapter in his own right. His 'cine-theatre' trilogy of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, and Dracula have brought him international acclaim, with The Economist calling his work "the future of theatre” and The New Yorker describing Williams as ““an Australian megatalent exploring the cutting edge of video onstage”.

Williams' work is noted for its stunning visuals and groundbreaking formal experimentation. He most recently earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Director of a Play for The Picture of Dorian Gray, along with Best Director nominations from The Drama League Awards and Drama Desk Awards. He has been nominated a record six consecutive times for the Helpmann Award for Best Director, Australia’s top theatre prize, and in 2015 became the youngest director to win the award, for Suddenly Last Summer. He has twice won Melbourne’s Green Room Award for both Best Director and Best Production, first in 2016 for his adaptation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie (MTC) and next in 2023 for his celebrated adaption of The Picture of Dorian Gray (STC). He has won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director a record three times, for The Harp in the South (2018), The Picture of Dorian Gray (2021), and most recently for his adaptation of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (2022, STC). In 2024, The Stage nominated Williams for Best West End Debut for his direction of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Williams’ work in opera has been much lauded, including acclaimed productions for Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera (SCO), Carriageworks, Dark MOFO, Australian String Quartet, Ensemble Offspring, and the Biennale of Sydney. His radical production for the SCO of Fausto Romitelli’s composition An Index of Metals was the first-ever theatrical staging of the piece. A longtime collaborator of composer and Artistic Director of SCO Jack Symonds, Williams most recently directed the world premiere of Symonds' new opera Gilgamesh.

A graduate of both Sydney University and Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Williams served as a Board Member for NIDA from 2016-2023.

His forthcoming West End production of DRACULA marks the final instalment of his groundbreaking gothic trilogy, following The Picture of Dorian Gray and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

About Michael Cassel Group
Michael Cassel Group produces the world’s greatest theatrical productions and live entertainment on stages internationally. Current productions include the Australian premieres of Titanique, MJ the Musical and Beetlejuice The Musical, and the Broadway premiere of The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook and nominated for six Tony Awards in 2025.

Also on Broadway, Michael Cassel Group is a co-producer of Redwood with Idina Menzel and the smash hit MJ the Musical, and will co-produce The Hello Girls at Syracuse Stage in New York.

In 2026, the company will present a bold new West End production of Dracula, starring Cynthia Erivo and helmed by Tony-nominated Kip Williams.

Past Australian productions include Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, & Juliet, Dear Evan Hansen, Mary Poppins, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Singin’ In The Rain and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. International tours include Hamilton, The Lion King and Les Misérables throughout Asia.

Broadway and West End credits include Into The Woods, Almost Famous, Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, The Prince of Egypt, Pretty Woman and The Cher Show. Concert and event highlights include The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Celeste Barber, Not Now, Not Ever: Live on Stage with Julia Gillard, Patti LuPone: A Life In Notes, Tina Arena, Darren Criss and Lea Salonga.

On screen, Michael Cassel Group created and produced A (Very) Musical Christmas (including the accompanying cast recording), the opening celebration of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at ANZ Stadium.

Michael Cassel Group also represents The Hon. Julia Gillard AC, Liz Hayes, Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE, Sonia Kruger’s Strictly You, Sarah di Lorenzo and Sami Lukis.

Michael Cassel Group is headquartered in Sydney, with offices in New York, London, Singapore and Melbourne.

Find Michael Cassel Group on Facebook: /MichaelCasselGroup, X (formerly Twitter): @michaelcassel, Instagram: @michaelcasselgroup, YouTube: /MichaelCasselGroup and LinkedIn: /michael-cassel-group.

#michaelcasselgroup

About Kindred Partners
Kindred Partners is a production and general management company committed to developing, producing, and investing in world-class plays, musicals, and live-entertainment experiences. Kindred Partners was founded in 2021 by Adam Kenwright and Amanda Murray.

In addition to Dracula, adapted and directed by Kip Williams and starring Cynthia Erivo, recent and current projects include: The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook and adapted and directed by Kip Williams, at the Music Box Theatre (Broadway) and the Theatre Royal Haymarket (West End); Two Strangers, a new musical by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, directed by Tim Jackson, which premiered at the Kiln Theatre in November 2023 and opens May 2025 at A.R.T.; Elephant at the Menier Chocolate Factory, following two sell-out runs at The Bush Theatre, opening May 2025; Coven, a new musical by Rebecca Brewer and Daisy Chute, directed by Miranda Cromwell, opening October 31, 2025, at the Kiln Theatre; executive producers of the new play The Iron Throne, based on the writing of George R.R. Martin, opening in 2026; the multi-award-winning new play Red Pitch at Soho Place (West End); the hugely successful UK tour of Tim Firth and Gary Barlow’s The Official Take That Musical: Greatest Days; a new musical based on the Netflix sensation Call My Agent!; the development of two new musicals, Prohibition and Syren; general managers of Elf The Musical; and consultants on Mamma Mia! The Party.

About Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC), Australia’s largest theatre company, takes brilliant Sydney theatre to the world and brings brilliant world theatre to Sydney. Most recently, the Company has become renowned as the originating producer of the Oliver Award-winning, Tony Award-nominated West End and Broadway 'cine-theatre' hit, The Picture of Dorian Gray, adapted and directed by former STC Artistic Director, Kip Williams (2016-2024).

The current Artistic Director, award-winning actor, director, writer and producer Mitchell Butel was appointed in November 2024. He is Co-CEO with Executive Director, Anne Dunn. 

Since it was established in 1978, STC has been a major force in Australian drama, commissioning new Australian writing and producing and presenting works of ambition and scale including Australian plays, new interpretations of the classic repertoire, the best of new international writing.  

From its home on Sydney Harbour, STC presents an annual curated program of around 700 performances a year across its three venues:  the Wharf Theatres, STC’s headquarters within a repurposed 100-year-old shipping wharf, the 900-seat Roslyn Packer Theatre and at Sydney Opera House, where STC is resident theatre company.  

Internationally renowned artists who have worked with STC include Cate Blanchett, who was co-Artistic Director of STC with her husband, writer/director Andrew Upton from 2008-2013, actors Rose Byrne, Toni Collette, James Corden, Judy Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Joel Edgerton, Yerin Ha, Remy Hii, Isabelle Huppert, Tim Minchin, Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh, Sarah Snook, Russell Tovey, Mia Wasikowska, Jacki Weaver, Hugo Weaving and Sam Worthington; directors Benedict Andrews, Tamas Ascher,  John Crowley, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barrie Kosky and Steven Soderbergh; and writers Tony McNamara (The Great), Suzie Miller (Prima Facie, RBG: Of Many, One) and Joanna Murray-Smith (Honour, Switzerland).  

Sydney Theatre Company productions that have toured internationally include The Picture of Dorian Gray to the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket and Broadway's Music Box; The Present on Broadway, Hedda Gabler and A Streetcar Named Desire at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Uncle Vanya at the Lincoln Center Festival and the Kennedy Center, and The Maids at New York City Center; The Secret River to Edinburgh International Festival and at the National Theatre in London and Gross und Klein (Big and Small) and Waiting for Godot, at The Barbican, London.