An Australian-born ballet that has sold out seasons in London, the United States and across Australia and New Zealand is returning to Melbourne this spring, with Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest taking over Her Majesty’s Theatre for 35 performances.
The acclaimed production will run from 10 September to 25 October, bringing its dark and cinematic take on Bram Stoker’s gothic classic back to the city where Melbourne audiences first saw the production during its 2025 Australian and New Zealand tour.
The Melbourne season is part of a 65-performance return to Australia for BIG Live, with Dracula also playing Sydney’s State Theatre and Capitol Theatre. The Sydney season has been extended due to demand, adding 22 performances at the Capitol Theatre from 7 to 29 November.
For Melbourne, the return is particularly significant as Her Majesty’s Theatre celebrates its 140th anniversary.
“In our 140th year of proudly entertaining Melbourne audiences, Her Majesty’s Theatre is delighted to welcome BIG Live back to our stage with Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest. We are proud to present an Australian-created production that has grown into a genuine international success, performing on major stages across the United Kingdom, the United States, Asia and Australasia,” said Chief Operating Officer Quan Tu.
“Its bold storytelling, exceptional artists and impressive theatrical scale make it a particularly exciting production to welcome back to Melbourne.”
Choreographed by BIG Live Artistic Director and co-founder Joel Burke, Dracula is a cinematic reimagining of the Bram Stoker story, exploring forbidden love, grief, obsession, immortality and sacrifice through dance.
The production stars BIG Live principals Ervin Zagidullin as Dracula and Abbey Hansen as Mina Harker, with internationally renowned guest artist Adamzhan Bakhtiyar appearing at selected performances. The cast includes artists with experience at the Mariinsky Theatre, English National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, The Australian Ballet and Queensland Ballet.
The gothic world of the production is paired with a score featuring works by Bach, Rachmaninov, Mozart, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns and Debussy, led by Emmy Award-winning composer Jason Fernandez.
The production was created in Brisbane and has since travelled to major venues including the London Palladium, Sadler’s Wells, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre and Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre.
Tickets are available here.
