Dracula's Guest (radio)

“Dracula’s Guest” is a program from the American radio anthology series Radio Tales. The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] and 1998, [Hear Here: "Tales by American Masters". AudioFile Magazine, pg. 8, Feb/March 1999, Vol. 7, No. 5.] ) a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] The “Dracula’s Guest” program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the classic short story Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker.

Broadcast history

The Radio Tales production of “Dracula’s Guest” was first broadcast via NPR on October 19, 1999. [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 1999". NPR Marketing, Vol. V, No. IV] The program encompassed two half-hour installments that were distributed to NPR member stations as part of the NPR Playhouse cultural series. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired in reruns on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service. [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] The “Dracula’s Guest” program debuted on XM Satellite Radio on September 13, 2003.

Production information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host. [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] Composer Winifred Phillips created over fifty-six minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress. [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] “Dracula’s Guest” was part of the fourth year of Radio Tales on NPR Playhouse. [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 1999". NPR Marketing, Vol. V, No. IV]

Media

The Radio Tales production of “Dracula’s Guest” has been available in numerous formats and venues, including burn-on-demand CDs manufactured and distributed by MP3.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031129193548/artists.mp3s.com/artists/33/npr_radio_tales.html "MP3.com: Radio Tales"] MP3.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] and Ampcast.com. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060212003627/http://www.ampcast.com/music/25229/artist.php "Ampcast.com: Radio Tales"] Ampcast.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] Beginning in 2005, programs from the series, including the “Dracula’s Guest” program, have been available for download via the Audioville.co.uk web site. [ [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=580&ProductCategoryId=59 "audioVille | Stor>>Fiction | Radio Tales | Download Audio Books, Podcasts and more in MP3. Comedy, Fiction, sport, news, science, drama."] Audioville.co.uk. Accessed May 24, 2008.]

Opening narration

Plot summary

The story opens with a description of the countryside through which the unidentified narrator is passing, with the final destination being the estate of Count Dracula in Transylvania. The narrator stops for the night at The Golden Krone hotel, where a letter from the Count is waiting. It includes instructions on the final leg of the narrator’s journey, which will involve a trip to an inn in the nearby province of Bukovina and from there a transfer to a carriage sent by the Count himself, which will complete the journey to the Count's Transylvanian estate. After passing the night at the hotel, the narrator prepares to leave for Bukovina when the wife of the landlord suddenly approaches and begs the narrator not to go. She explains amidst tears and entreaties that the night to come will be Walpurgis Nacht, when evil holds dominance over the earth, and that it is a terrible night to undertake the journey, especially considering the narrator’s final destination. She refuses to elaborate further, but gives the narrator a rosary. The narrator boards the carriage and the journey to Bukovina commences.

The coachman, Johann, seems very nervous and eager to complete the trip. When the carriage passes a particularly picturesque road and the narrator asks if they can take a detour in order to see it, Johann fiercely objects. The reasons for his objections are many – the weather is changeable and a sudden snow storm may come, there are voices of wolves in the area when there should be none at this time of year, and the narrator’s desired detour leads to a dangerous place. Questioning him further, the narrator learns that many years ago in a village at the end of that road, local villagers had heard noises coming from graves. Upon exhuming them, the villagers found that the bodies were alive and that the mouths were bloodstained. Despite this grim story, the narrator is not concerned. Chalking up Johann’s anxiety to a foolish superstition, the narrator decides to take a walk down the charming road, telling Johann to continue on with the carriage to the inn in Bukovina, where the Count's carriage waits to take the narrator to the Count's estate. Judging that the distance to Bukovina is not too far to be traversed on foot, the narrator decides to walk the rest of the way (after enjoying the scenic detour of the country road). Johann continues on with the carriage to the inn in Bukovina, and the narrator begins strolling down the road.

The stroll is pleasant at first, but the weather grows rapidly colder, and snow begins to fall so heavily that the road becomes obscured, the narrator loses track of it and wanders into the forest. Lightning pierces the sky regularly. The howls of wolves break through the storm, despite the shrieking wind. At length, the narrator stumbles into a graveyard just as the sky opens with a torrent of hail. Seeking shelter, the narrator hurries towards a stone crypt, which an inscription indicates is that of the “Countess Dolingen” who “sought and found death, 1801”. Entering the doorway of the crypt, the narrator sees for a split second a beautiful woman sleeping on a bier inside, but then the narrator is grasped by an unseen hand and hurled backwards, away from the crypt just as it is struck by lightning. The narrator receives a brief glimpse of the woman in the crypt as she screams, her body enfolded by the crackling electricity of the lightning, and then the unseen hand drags the narrator away. The narrator faints.

Later, when a search party combs through the snowy woods, the searchers hear and soon begin to follow the regular yelping of what sounds like a dog. Reaching the source, the search party is horrified to discover a wolf lying on the narrator’s body, seemingly in order to maintain the narrator’s warmth in the midst of the deadly cold. The wolf flees, and the searchers bring the narrator quickly to the inn in Bukovina where the coachman Johann is anxiously waiting. Later, the narrator asks the Bukovinian innkeeper why he had sent a search party, and the innkeeper reveals that he had received an urgent telegram from Count Dracula, in which the Count had hinted that his ‘guest’ might be in danger and that all rescue efforts would be answered with a considerable reward.

Critical reception

The “Dracula’s Guest” program from the Radio Tales series has been favorably received. MP3.com wrote in its “Music News” newsletter that the Radio Tales production of “Dracula’s Guest” is “as creepy today (as it was) in the 19th century.” [ [http://www.groo.com/mail2/msg05184.html "New Music on MP3.com"] Groo.com. Accessed October 4, 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=580&ProductCategoryId=59 Dracula’s Guest Streaming Audio Samples on Audioville]
* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales Streaming Audio Samples on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio – Information on the Sonic Theater Channel]