Things that go boo in the night.

I'm not sure where my facination with vampires and werewolves come from. I've never been a huge fan of real science fiction and though I've read some fantasy, that's not my real thing either. But I hear a story about a vampire or werewolf and I'm hooked. I'm sure the Freudian in you will say that werewolves and vampires are very sexual icons (power over others, sucking or biting, chasing after hot little girls with big screams) and there in lies my issues, but that's a devil's road, I'm not quite ready to walk yet.

Anyway, part up my upbringing was the Vampire Chronicles of Anne Rice. Former erotica writer and current messiah biographer, she spent some of her years in between creating some of the most interesting vampire characters ever seen. Vampires conflicted with their love of humans and their need to feed on them. Vampires conflicted about their immortality and the price they pay for it. Very human issues.

Two movies have been tried, Interview with a Vampire and Queen of the Damned, and despite the star power of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, these were pretty much flops, but last night I witnessed Anne Rice's tale in a new medium, Lestat, a musical featuring songs by Elton John and his long time lyrical collaborator, Bernie Taupin.

Skeptical? I don't blame you. If you're familiar with these stories, you know that there's a lot going on for a two act play. But actually, it wasn't bad. There were a lot of sign posts, voice overs and dates to keep the scenes moving, and just enough good songs to keep the whole thing moving. I'm a little suprised, but it actually wasn't bad.

So read the books if you get the chance. Very enjoyable, but if you don't and you want a condensed version with singing and dancing to keep you interested, see this instead.