HOW do you bring a well-known, and beloved, tale to the stage and keep it fresh?

Bram Stoker's spine-chilling Dracula was first published in 1897 and has since been made into countless radio, TV and Hollywood films. Everybody knows the story.

Now it has reached the stage of the Alhambra, thanks to Touring Consortium Theatre Company, with a contemporary interpretation that includes all the definitive characters and an excellent mix of gothic and dramatic backdrops.

All the key Dracula ingredients are here; blood, wooden steaks, vampires, Whitby and garlic. Even Bradford itself gets a name check when one of the characters lists places across God's own country.

As Mina Murray, played superbly by Olivia Swann, says; 'Transylvania is a long way from Yorkshire'.

A crack of thunder started the show, which opened in Bradford on Tuesday night, and set the scary tone for the audience, which included a large proportion of teenagers.

The sets play as much of a part as the marvellous cast, as it quickly switches from a number of locations; Lucy's house in Whitby, Count Dracula's evil abode in Transylvania and a lunatic asylum.

Away from the gothic and dark nature of the plot there is a bit of comic relief. Cheryl Campbell's Lady Renfield, the queen of the asylum, has a number of funny moments, most notably when she eats spiders, mice and flies during the show. Maybe she is auditioning for next year's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here?

Glen Fox's Dracula manages to be both menacing and comic in the first half. He particularly comes into his own in the second half of the two-hour performance when his chilling voice fills the theatre, sending chills down the audience's spines.

The latter characteristic is particularly demonstrated during his meal with Jonathan Harker, played by Andrew Horton, in Transylvania. Dracula talks about his desire to travel to Yorkshire, while Harker explains some of its beauty including the Yorkshire Moors. All this to the backdrop of Dracula serving a red-coloured soup. It can't be blood, can it?

Evan Milton plays Doctor Seward particularly well, getting the balance right between infatuated man and pillar GP of the community. 

Professor Van Helsing's obsession with ridding the world of Dracula and stopping his blood-based carnage is also a key part of the performance. Played by Philip Bretherton, known to TV viewers for roles in shows including sitcom As Time Goes By, is one of the play's showstealers. He captures the professor's quest to stop Dracula perfectly, producing a commanding and authoritative performance.

Jessica Webber's Lucy is also a shining beacon (Dracula definitely doesn't like those) in the play. She radiates optimism and youthfulness.

The play's second half is particularly strong as Dracula becomes a wanted man, as the quest to stop his fiendish ways intensifies and builds the drama for the audience.

Bradford is the final stop of the production's nine-date UK tour and runs at the Alhambra until Saturday. For more information visit bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on or call 01274 432000.