28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 3-9, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com ONSTAGE There has been a lot of singing and dancing on the Paper Wing Theatre stage this season. Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors— the Covid-era comedy thriller (with an off-Broadway debut in 2023) co-written by Steve Rosen and Gordon Greenberg, with a bit of inspiration from Bram Stoker and Gen Z life—is all about spoken word and body language. Paper Wing’s longtime venue manager, Taylor Young, directs the play which relies on fast-paced, humorpacked dialogue and fascinating characters—many of them familiar. The star of the show is Count Dracula (Justin Gaudoin, who was just announced as PacRep’s technical director). The count is the opposite of what you might expect: an energetic bisexual fitness maniac who is, quite literally, looking for new blood in London. He follows his gluten-free, vegan, organic, non-GMO-eating real estate agent, Jonathan Harker (Gillespie Ruvalcaba) from Romania to England, haunted by an image of the agent’s fiance, Lucy Westfield (Sarah Ehrhardt), an accomplished young lady who seems just too lively and adventurous to waste her life away as Mrs. Harker. That’s at least what Dracula thinks. He crashes Jonathan’s engagement party, makes a quick introduction and offers Lucy his arm—which is taken as a joke, providing him with a challenge that will only sharpen his appetite. We learn that Dracula has a time share in Florida, is simply allergic to garlic, and a good baker. He wants Lucy but he is open to a possibility of a relationship with Jonathan, or even a throuple. The cast of six at Paper Wing do a remarkable job with minimal stage settings and almost no music. Everyone but Dracula has to take another character; Erin Elizabeth Davison plays Dr. Westfield and two other minor roles; Hunter Powers shines as Lucy’s ugly and naughty sister Mina who finds a new guy in town (Dracula) amazing and offers the vampire her love and neck. Powers doubles as ruthless Jean Van Helsing, a female doctor-turned vampire hunter. Kelsey Posey serves as backup for all the roles, and is being acknowledged for her dedication when it comes to this play. It’s hard to not enjoy the performance. Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors 7:30pm Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 4-Sept. 19; 3pm Sundays Sept. 13-20. Paper Wing Theatre & Supper Club, 711 Cannery Row, Suite I (upstairs), Monterey. $35-$79. (831) 905-5684, paperwing.com. PAPER WING Love Bites After a series of musicals, Paper Wing opens the fall with Dracula, reinvented for laughs and modernity. By Agata Popęda Count Dracula (Justin Gaudoin) trying his luck with his real estate agent’s bride-to-be, Lucy Westfield (Sarah Ehrhardt). Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors runs until Sept. 19. www.folktalewinery.com C medy SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COMPETITION ROUND 2 OF THE 50TH SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COMPETITION: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF WINE, FOOD, AND BIG LAUGHS AS 16 TALENTED COMEDIANS TAKE THE STAGE!
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