Vampire's Kiss

Full Circle's First Production Takes a Bite of Greatness

By Anna Ditkoff

Vampire Alice, By Thomas E. Cole, At Full Circle Theater (at Goucher College) through Oct. 9

Flesh and Blood: Felicia Albright (left) and Amber Tomlinson in Full Circle Theater’s Vampire Alice

Goucher College's latest thespian venture, Full Circle Theater—a troupe founded to enable Goucher alumni and faculty to continue working together—debuts with Thomas E. Cole's engrossing new play, Vampire Alice. This stylish and impressively creepy show follows a team of researchers who have found the cure for cancer, AIDS, and just about everything else; unfortunately, the cure has some disturbing side effects. The production itself is not nearly so disturbing—despite a few stumbling blocks, Vampire Alice provides a night of chilling, charismatic, and beautifully produced theater.

The entire show takes place in project leader Dorsen's lab, where he and colleagues Helen and Robert experiment on terminally ill subjects. These subjects must sign a contract, agreeing to stay in the lab for the duration of the project, however long that may be, and to do whatever the researchers ask. In return for their obedience, they will be completely cured. All of the researchers' previous subjects have been men; this time, the team will be experimenting on a woman. Dorsen is violently opposed to this new round of testing, but accedes to the others' insistence that they must produce new results in order to keep their funding.

This new female subject is in the final stages of cancer; she's willing to do anything to defeat the disease. When the woman awakens after the treatment, her hair has grown back and her body is strong and fit. The researchers, who have assigned her the name Alice, explain that they have infected her with a parasite that can fight any disease but becomes part of the host, making that host powerful and alluring, sensitive to sunlight, and hungry for human blood—in other words, a vampire.

As they toil at their labors, the researchers are protected from the vampire by the sunlight streaming through a retractable skylight. And as the project continues, the scientists' feelings toward Alice become increasingly complicated. Dorsen treats Alice harshly because he fears the researchers will become too attached to her. Robert, the psychiatrist on the project, feels a confusing combination of compassion for and attraction to the young silver-spandex-clad subject. Helen befriends Alice, leading to a powerful scene in which Alice begs Helen to touch her. Helen agrees, and as the women embrace, Alice struggles with her conflicting desires for human contact and warm blood.

Playwright/director Cole has created a unique and detailed world here. His direction is dynamic, consistently building the tension and keeping the pace brisk. The first half flies by, full of genuinely surprising plot twists and intense scenes. (Sadly, the intermission diffuses the tension, which is not to the production's benefit.)

The set design, lighting, sound, and video work are expertly done. Alice's animal instincts are represented by the throbbing sound of her heartbeat. Her vampire nature is illustrated by a projection of churning blood that covers the stage, and audio of the collective voices of the vampires in her bloodline. The white set, with its industrial-style medical tables, is effectively sparse and cold. The lighting brings the simple set to life by giving the light from the skylight a distinct and realistic feel, depending on the time of day being depicted.

Amber Tomlinson's performance as Alice is electric, full of complexity, energy, and utter commitment to her character. Unfortunately, the other actors do not rise to Tomlinson's level. Felicia Albright's Helen is decidedly stiff. The scene in which she embraces Alice should be filled with sensual caresses, but Albright instead offers awkward grabs. Mark Bernier's Dorsen and Ray Barcia's Robert also lack Tomlinson's fluidity and presence, though Barcia's performance grows more natural as the play goes on.

The final moments of Vampire Alice are disappointing. The climax is unclear, and that limits its dramatic effect. Ultimately, though, the flaws matter little. The combination of Cole's strong writing and dynamic direction, the amazing accomplishments of the technical crew, and Tomlinson's meaty performance make this show an exceptional theater experience. Hopefully Full Circle's future productions will be as intriguing.

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