Dracula's Final Week at Bristol Riverside Theatre, With Treats on Mill Street
Bucks Co. & Beyond Daily
Bucks Co. & Beyond Daily
by Nick Rau
In Bristol Riverside Theatre's production photos, Count Dracula wears black leather, a lace shirt and a look of wounded vanity, and that tells you most of what you need to know about this one. "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" began performances at Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol Borough, on Oct. 6, and it plays its final week from Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, with seven performances left. Written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen and directed by Ken Kaissar, BRT's co-producing director, it runs 90 minutes with no intermission, which leaves plenty of the evening for dinner on Mill Street.
That last part is the reason to go this week rather than someday. BRT and 21 shops, cafes and restaurants within walking distance of the theater have teamed up on "Take a Bite Out of Bristol," a list of themed drinks, desserts and ticket-holder discounts this October. Add a Thirsty Thursday beer-and-snacks hour before the Oct. 22 evening show, included with your ticket, and the final week of a Halloween comedy turns into one of the easiest fall nights out in Bucks County.
Kaissar described the show to 6abc in September as "just a total spoof of 'Dracula,'" a blend of the classic "I want to suck your blood" vampire and "all kinds of goofy humor throughout." Davey Miller plays the count as a newcomer to town, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, and as Miller put it to 6abc, "He's really just trying to get people to pay attention to him." The other four actors, William Bednar, Brenny Campbell, Laura Cable and Danny Vaccaro, split everyone else between them, according to BRT's cast list, from Jonathan Harker and Renfield to Lucy, Mina, Dr. Van Helsing and, for three of them, a man-eating wolf. Vaccaro plays both Mina Westfeldt and Van Helsing, which must make for a busy dressing room. "We're all putting on, literally, different hats and it's quite fun to see," Cable told 6abc. "There's actually so much heart to it."
"We're just trying to, forgive the pun but, suck out the comedy as much as possible from the show and make everybody laugh." Ken Kaissar, director, to 6abc
BRT's list reads like a walking tour of Mill Street with a Halloween menu attached. Before the show, you could split a pie with a Blood Moon Mule (vodka, blood orange, cinnamon, lime and ginger beer) at Itri Wood Fired Pizza, 310 Mill St., try the Blood Orange Spritz at Drift on Mill, 313 Mill St., or order The Blood Bath Quesadilla at K's Deli, 257 Radcliffe St. King George II Inn, 102 Radcliffe St., is pouring a Witches Brew and a Scary Coke, Hops and Hardware Distillery has a Drac-u-Lada, and The Forager, 311 Mill St., is featuring Calkins Creamery's Vampire Slayer Cheese, a cheddar studded with garlic, onion and paprika. For dessert, Spad's Scoops, 115 Mill St., serves a Vampire Kiss, vanilla ice cream layered with strawberry topping and finished with whipped cream and wax fangs, and Terra Cotta Green Market, 236 Mill St., makes a dark chocolate raspberry Dracula's Revenge Latte.
The shops are in on it too, so hang on to your ticket. According to BRT, it gets you 15% off selected items at Bristol Antiques Market and Bristol's Treasure Cove, 10% off selected items at stops like Canal's End Antiques, Mignoni Jewelry and Shop ELLA Boutique, and half off a Blood Pearl Necklace at Isn't She Lovely. On top of that, BRT's standing patron discounts include 10% off at Cesare's Ristorante, Dad's Hat Tasting Room, Hops & Hardware and Itri, plus a free pretzel at Papa's Pretzel Place, though the Cesare's, Itri and Papa's offers are good only on the date printed on your ticket.
There's a bigger Bristol story behind the marquee, and BRT tells it plainly on its own history page. After mill owner and U.S. Senator Joseph R. Grundy died in 1961, the foundation created in his name set out to support Bristol Borough, but over the next two decades the mills and factories closed, and by the early 1980s the borough was known for a 700-seat X-rated movie house. The foundation's executive director, Len Snyder, believed turning it into a live theater could change the town's image and economy, so the Grundy Foundation renovated it, even after a feasibility study said a professional theater in Bristol wasn't feasible, and partnered with Susan D. Atkinson, whose Repertory Company of Bucks had spent three years producing plays in and around Doylestown. Today BRT says it serves about 45,000 patrons in a typical season and has earned nearly 100 Barrymore Award nominations, and it credits the theater with helping fill Bristol with the restaurants, bars and breweries you'll walk past on your way in. Grundy's own line, which BRT quotes, still fits: "If a man does not take pride in his own town, he isn't likely to give a rap for his country."
According to Bristol Riverside Theatre, its ticketing site and its show listings, here's what to know for the final week:
When does "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" close at Bristol Riverside Theatre?
The last performance is Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at 3 p.m. The final week also includes shows on Oct. 21 (2 p.m.), Oct. 22 (2 and 7:30 p.m.), Oct. 23 (8 p.m.) and Oct. 24 (2 and 8 p.m.) at 120 Radcliffe St. in Bristol.
How long is "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" at BRT?
About 90 minutes with no intermission, according to Bristol Riverside Theatre. It's a five-actor comedy by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, directed by Ken Kaissar.
Is parking free at Bristol Riverside Theatre?
Yes. BRT lists free parking for the production, and it notes that all 21 "Take a Bite Out of Bristol" businesses are within walking distance of the theater.
What restaurants near Bristol Riverside Theatre have Dracula specials?
BRT's "Take a Bite Out of Bristol" list includes Itri Wood Fired Pizza (Blood Moon Mule), Drift on Mill (Blood Orange Spritz), K's Deli (Blood Bath Quesadilla), King George II Inn (Witches Brew), Spad's Scoops (Vampire Kiss) and Terra Cotta Green Market (Dracula's Revenge Latte), among others.
Bristol Riverside Theatre sits in Bristol Borough, which my Bristol guide covers, along with my story on Historic Bristol Day's 50th year, and you can browse the rest of my Bucks County town guides.
Bristol is proof of what one theater can do for a downtown, and a comedy, a cocktail and a walk by the river is about as good as a fall night gets around here. I'm Nick Rau, President of Sales with the Rarity Real Estate Team, ranked in the Top 1% of agents nationally (RealTrends 2025, individual), with more than 135 Google reviews, and I live right here in Bucks County.
Rarity Real Estate Team, 1100 N Delaware Ave Suite A, Philadelphia, PA 19125 · (215) 593-7498 · [email protected]
Questions about Bristol or Bucks County? Call (215) 593-7498 or email [email protected].
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Davey Miller as Count Dracula in Bristol Riverside Theatre's "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors," October 2026. Photo (cropped): Mark Garvin / Bristol Riverside Theatre, via Bristol Riverside Theatre.
Sources: Bristol Riverside Theatre, "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" (Oct. 6 to 25, 2026; writers, director, cast and roles; 90 minutes, no intermission; Thirsty Thursday Oct. 22; free parking; concessions; accessibility; performance calendar); BRT ticketing, Dracula performances (remaining dates and times; box office opens two hours before performances); BRT, "Take a Bite Out of Bristol" (21 participating businesses, specials and discounts, all within walking distance); BRT, Patron Discounts; BRT, Mission & History (Grundy Foundation, Susan D. Atkinson, Repertory Company of Bucks, about 45,000 patrons a season, nearly 100 Barrymore nominations, Grundy quote); 6abc, "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" runs October 6 - 25 at Bristol Riverside Theatre, Sept. 27, 2026 (Kaissar, Miller and Cable quotes); LevittownNow, Oct. 8, 2026 (tickets $15 to $63; photo credit Mark Garvin/BRT); BroadwayWorld listing (seating tiers $53, $58, $63); Bucks County Herald, Sept. 23, 2026 (audience events included with the ticket).
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