JOHNNY DOO WOP DRACULA
Written and Directed by William Electric Black, aka Ian Ellis James Produced by Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, New York, NY 10003
February 19, 2026– March 8, 2026
Photo credit by Desiree Conston
Come on over to the flip side to see daddy-o’s coolest cat brigade of dreamboats, greasers, squares, and queens swoon their way through teenage longing in writer, director, and actor William Electric Black’s Johnny Doo Wop Dracula. Rocking and rolling over at Theater for the New City, the play is set in the shimmy-and-shaking ’50s, where a rambunctious cast of poodle skirt, letterman jacket, slick hair, and dweeby eyeglass-wearing high school teens doo-wop their way through teenage angst. The actors harmonize in full swing a cappella to the familiar sounds and rhythms so lovingly revered in the 1950s. Johnny (Nick Schiro) is a dreamy teenage vampire who makes his way to Pennsylvania to cross paths with a group of high school kids who spend their time at the local soda fountain shop.
The set design is nostalgic, particularly vibrant, with loving attention to detail. From glitter and checkered floors to vinyls hanging midair, there is thought in every detail. Some of the set is visibly handcrafted, from the large vinyl discs to even a hand-built front of a Chevy conveying part of the drive-in cinema. Black never runs out of creative and spontaneous ways to amplify stage design as a figurative cast member to the tone, vibrancy, and imagination of the 1950s doo-wop era.
What sets the world in its entirety is the command of the vernacular used by the actors to portray their understanding of the ’50s era. Now we’re cooking with gas, as even physical cues hit the spot in their body language, from the way they use their cigarettes to the beats and pauses, rhythms and rhymes, and the ginchiest styles of dance. There is not one moment where you think this group of young twenty-something actors has no clue about the times and almost could have been pried out of a Grease or Dirty Dancing film. In some of the banality of modern times, this play gives me a glimmer of hope that the younger generation can keep some of the made-in-the-shade moments of the past alive as a way to live onward.
Perhaps I have seen way too much horror or am just a typical jaded New Yorker, but my assumption that Johnny Dracula was going to rampage the town or be part of a play with lots of bloodshed was way off. Tables have turned, and vampire Johnny is the potential victim of misunderstanding and discrimination. As the play unfolds, the students’ natural bias in their hearts renders cruel and unwarranted behavior. In the end, that misconception does not jive with the true essence at their core: love and acceptance. Through song and dance, we bridge the connection that we are not much more different from one another, even a vampire.
The immersive theater elements are holy mackerel! Black is the head honcho of the soda fountain shop, and each time he enters and exits the stage, his natural charm and wit light up the room. There is something so remarkably cool, composed, and calm in his demeanor, in that Mr. Rogers kind of way, that you just cannot get enough of. Live theater is never a dull moment, from throwing Twinkies into the audience to sharing rice pudding; the audience also becomes a willing fourth-wall participant. It is astonishing how the audience melds seamlessly into the play without causing any disruption or distraction, considering potential floating Twinkie wrappers or disposable cups of rice pudding could clash at any time.
If there were any room for considerations, I wonder what would happen if the stakes of Johnny Dracula were increased. What if Johnny had some other agenda other than to sing and swoon with his guitar? Could further elaboration on his motivation or reasoning perhaps create a tonal shift that would break away from feel-good and move toward more raw emotions or potential horror? Or perhaps now more than ever in this ever-maddening world, maybe less is more and we all need to watch more spirit-lifting theater.
There are certain moments in theater where you say to yourself, “How lucky am I to watch work by New York luminaries unfold?” Certain artists in New York are certified legends in their own right. Particularly, artists of the Lower East Side have a special knack for skipping the conundrum of the mainstream while maintaining autonomy in their work to create lasting impressions as they claim New York. William Electric Black once again takes audiences to a cherished and fond era in his production of Johnny Doo Wop Dracula. For those of you who think you find yourself experts of the ’50s with enough Grease to last you a lifetime, pin a rose on it, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Bianca Lopez.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on February 27th, 2026. All rights reserved.
