Cynthia Erivo to play all 23 roles in one-actor West End production of Dracula

Following on from her blockbuster performance as the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked, Cynthia Erivo is set to play another legendary villain.

Erivo will star as Dracula, and more, in a one-actor adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel.

The play was dreamt up by the same creators behind the West End hit The Picture of Dorian Gray, which featured Succession star Sarah Snook. The play has since transferred to Broadway where it was nominated for six Tony awards.

Dracula originally premiered in Australia back in 2024, having been adapted by Kip Williams for the Sydney Theatre Company and co-produced by Australia’s Michael Cassel Group.

Erivo’s take on the bloodsucking count will debut on London’s West End in February 2026.

Much like Snook’s Dorian Gray, Erivo will be playing all 22 supporting characters, a feat made possible by the production’s melding of theatre with live and prerecorded video. The style of the recordings is said to be inspired by early horror films.

This will not be Erivo’s first stint on the West End, having made her debut in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg back in 2011.

However, it was her Broadway debut as Celie in The Colour Purple (2015-2017) that won her her first Tony.

Erivo was reportedly approached about the role during the promotional tour for Wicked nine months ago.

In March, Erivo attended the Broadway premiere of The Picture of Dorian Gray and is understood to have spoken with Sarah Snook about the mechanics and craft of her performance.

Michael Cassel told Deadline that the original Sydney production will not “be a blueprint” for the West End version. “I think what’s so exciting, I think for her, and for us, while we know what the story is, they get to go and create this role in the rehearsal room in London together, and that was very appealing to Cynthia to put her own interpretation on the role and explore that with Kip.”

While the play is not a musical, audiences will get to experience Erivo’s stunning vocals with the inclusion of one original song near the show’s end.

Cassel added: “When you look at Sarah as well, these actors have these amazing experiences on film or television, but the draw to the theatre, and indeed to do something that is so challenging, I think it’s testament to the calibre as actors that these individuals are.”