Safeena Ladha on starring in 'Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors'

Safeena Ladha is sinking her teeth into multiple roles in the spoof Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, alongside James Daly, Diane Pilkington, and Charlie Stemp.

A veteran of multi-tasking, Safeena Ladha took on a variety of roles in both The 39 Steps and She. In her latest comedy – described as “a mixture of RuPaul, Monty Python and Mel Brooks” – five actors play all the characters. Ladha portrays Lucy Westfeldt, as well as “Kitty the maid, the Transylvanian driver, and a man-eating wolf – actually it’s technically two wolves, one in each hand!”

Ladha talks to London Theatre Magazine about her acting roots and secret dream role.

How did you get into theatre?

I started ballet when I was three because my parents told me I’d asked to start dancing. I was a very energetic child, so it worked out perfectly for them because it gave me something to do. I got addicted, so started tap then street dance. My teachers noticed I was enjoying the acting through dance thing, so I started acting classes around the age of seven. And it all just kind of snowballed from there.

What can audiences expect from this version of Dracula?

They can expect to laugh – I hope anyway! They can expect fast-paced physical comedy, a lot of multi-role-ing, a lot of gender-swapping, loads of props and fun bits of music. There’s a lot going on, so you can expect a busy 90 minutes!

Does it take special skills to quickly jump from one character to the next?

I think it’s definitely something that you need to spend a bit of time on if you’ve not done it before. It’s not easy to quickly switch from the mind of one person into another – and I guess with fast-paced shows like this, you also have to think about the technical aspect of quick changes, wigs and props. It can be a challenge, but I think in a good way.

Can you tell at the rehearsal stage whether a show is going to fly – or is it a mystery right up until you get it in front of an audience?

I think you kind of know – although audiences can surprise you. With this show, we know it’s been in front of an audience before and they really enjoyed it. And working through this rehearsal process with amazing actors like the ones I’m working with – they’re all so good that I feel like this has to be good because THEY’RE so good.

Which role would you never get cast in but love to play?

I’d love to do an action-y sort of role – a good chase scene that goes into a fight. A role like that would be cool, a sort of Tom Cruise Mission Impossible vibe.

Book Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Safeena Ladha. (Photo courtesy of production)

This article first appeared in the April 2025 issue of London Theatre Magazine.