The Devil’s in the Details of Blood/Love at The Crimson

The Twilight Saga meets Faust, with a twist, in Blood/Love: A Vampire Popera. The immersive rock musical opens this week at the aptly named Crimson, a Hollywood pop up gothic nightclub. Running through November 2, the vampire-meets-rock-star event injects a devilish romance into the spooky season.

The cast includes Cam Anthony (The Voice winner season 20), Brennin Hunt (Roger in Fox’ Rent: Live), Daniel  Franzese (the film Mean Girls), and Carey Sharpe, who also is the show’s creator and one of the writers/songwriters. Daniel LeClaire directs. The show has five dancers, Magdalena Fialek, Timothy Lewis, Katie Lee. and husband and wife ballroom dancers Jonathan and Oksana Platero, who also are the show’s choreographers.

Jonathan’s varied dance credential include years of competitive ballroom and a top finalist in So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5 where he has continued as ballroom choreographer while also working as a choreographer, dancer and actor in television and concert performances.

Born in Ukraine where she was a national ballroom dance champion at age 14, Oksana continued as a ballroom dance champion in the U.S. before branching into choreography and acting. The two came from different ballroom styles, but as a couple, they combined elements of each into an inventive, competition-winning ballroom style.

 
The choreographers took time from rehearsal to speak by phone with LA Dance Chronicle’s Ann Haskins.  The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

LADC:  Tell me about this vampire musical, what is the story?

Jonathan: Well, Valerie, who is the main vampire, was the bride of Satan, but she was dissatisfied. She wanted to be out in the world. So Satan cast her out of hell and into the world, but made her a vampire.  For centuries she has lived as a vampire, near, but not actually in the world she wants to be part of, living off of blood, not able to go into the sun. The other main character is Anzick a musician who made his own deal with the devil, to be rock star and wanting to get the approval of his father who has died.  So they’ve each had a run in with the devil in different ways.

LADC: I understand the performance is the centerpiece of a multi-part event.  What are the other parts?

Jonathan:  The beauty of the location in Hollywood is we have three chapters to this whole entire experience. You walk in, you already get the environment or the vibe, just by the walking into the first room where you get your cocktail and have a cocktail hour. The room looks like a beautiful, giant library, but still has a dark feel to it. The second part of the experience is the show. So everybody goes in, they take their seats and we put on the show. And after that, instead of saying, “thank you so much for coming to show, goodbye,” we lead you out in a different direction. The event turns into having a DJ with some song, dance, and getting to mingle. So the audience is still inside the story once you’re done with the show, it’s still not ending until you’ve gotten into your car to drive home.

Oksana:  It is very immersive. Everything happens all around you, and I think because everything’s so close to you, it makes you really feel the experience.

Jonathan:  It has been a little bit of a challenge from the original show because the original theater was huge. Now the space we have in Hollywood, is amazing, but more compact. So that was our challenge, to fit that same big show into a more compact space. But that’s always an issue when you go into a new theater.

 
LADC:  How did you get involved in the project.

Jonathan: I’ve known the director Daniel LeClaire for, I want to say, about 15 years. We worked on projects together when we were younger and in the audition scene. I think it’s just such a beautiful thing to see us both grow into different directions. And with being the director, and Oksana and me as the choreographers, it’s kind of full circle from where we started.

LADC:  Was he a dancer?

Jonathan: Daniel’s a dancer, he’s a singer, he’s an actor. He does it all.

LADC: : It seems a lot of the people involved in Blood/Love do multiple things.

Jonathan: Absolutely, yeah, it’s a multi talented cast.

LADC:  Were the performances in 2022 the beginnng?

Jonathan:  Yes, that was the initial performance in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That’s where it started.  Daniel had contacted us and wanted us to incorporate some of our dance styles into the show.  So Oksana and I have been involved from the very beginning.  The first time was a 45 minute show.  Later, it was done a second time, a 90-minute version, which is close to this version. Then we did a preview of the songs in New York with some of the dancing.

 
LADC: When you were brought in as choreographers, what were the discussions about how dance or movement fit into the story.

Jonathan:  I think one thing that kind of makes us a little bit different is we work, not necessarily with a specific style. Yes, we do partner work, and I think with a lot of partner work, you can do a lot of storytelling with different types of movements. As soon as they told us it was a vampire-themed musical one, we were in.  We’re huge fans of anything vampire.

Oksana:  Plus, we really loved the music. The songs get stuck in your head.  But we really have been on a journey, because there used to be some songs and there used to be some choreography in the original, and now there are new songs and new choreography as the show grew.

Jonathan:  It’s satisfying to see how the story has developed and just blossomed. It has evolved from the original 45 minute piece.  Some things have dropped off as new things and new songs have been added.  It’s now it’s about 75 or 80 minutes long.  There’s new songs and more time to clarify the story and the relationships among all the characters.  We have more time for more movement and dance too.

Oksana: There’s the vampire aspect of it, and then there also is the romance.  I’m a sucker for romance.  Also, the strong female lead who finds herself through this story. The female lead is Carey Sharpe, who is the writer, songwriter, the Creator.

Jonathan:  Carey is the prime mover. Without her, we would not be here.  She told us that she’s always had this image and vision. When she had the opportunity, she wanted to bring in as many people to help create this, find the right team who has the same vision and understands how she wants it.

LADC:  The leads are clearly singers, but are they also dancers or movers?

Jonathan: Not everyone is a dancer, some are more singers and musicians, but everybody has movement.

 
LADC:  A lot of choreographers working with singers or actors describe their work as amplifying what the singer or the actor is doing to a maximum point where it is movement, if not outright dancing.

Oksana:  True, they don’t break out in exactly the dances that we do. That’s why we have the incredible dancers that help elevate the movement.

Jonathan:  There’s definitely a difference between a dancer and a performer who can move.  Even if you go into the musical musical theater department, there’s a different type of dancing, just as I think it’s a different type of musical theater singing than the pop singer. So we’re working with it, because it’s not limiting us.  We don’t have to take things away. I think everybody here is ready to be challenged and pushed. The actors’ movement has to make sense with the story that they’re telling. So they’re not just bopping their hips because of the song. If they’re moving their arms, it’s intentional. If they are pointing in this direction, or if they are pulling in, then it’s trying to bring in the audience. There’s always a reason behind every movement that they do specifically.  So we’re not trying to dim down anything for anyone, if anything, we’re just trying to work extra hard to make sure they get it and bring out of them, that special something they already have.

LADC:  How do the dancers fit into the show?

Jonathan:  We have a group of five dancers including Oksana and me.  What we tried to do was assemble a diverse group of dancers. As choreographers and dancers, we’re really strong with partnering, but we specialize in ballroom and other styles as well. The dancers that we have are technically trained in jazz, hip hop, ballroom, break dancing, and musical theater. So we try to combine all the elements, and I think that’s what really makes like a big happy family of it.

 
LADC:  Do the dancers have specific dances or are they more of an amplification of the story being told or some combination?

Jonathan: I think it’s a little bit of both.  For an example, there’s a there’s a song that tells the story of the devil and his love for the main vampire and that has a special dance for those two dancers.  That’s their highlight. There’s another love story, you might say, more of an intimate type dance that shows the story of what the vampires are going through. The choreography physicalizes their mental processes.

Also as the show evolved, some of the dancers have been given some acting roles, which is kind of fun. It’s like we’re stepping to the world of the singers and the actors.  I get to play a bartender role and Oksana plays a doctor, therapist role. So we actually get to be a little bit more involved than just dance. So I think we’re kind of really looking forward to bringing those chops to it too.

LADC:  And for each of you, is there a moment that you find yourself looking forward to in the show?

Oksana:  And I’m really excited about one of the dances where I represent Valerie, the main vampire, so it is really cool to represent the main vampire.

LADC:  Jonathan, do you have a favorite dance moment?

Jonathan: I do. It’s actually been one that’s been here since the original show, and that’s the duet that represents the intimate moments that the two main actors have. I dance with Oksana.

 
LADC: Oksana, is there a difference in how you view the work or how you present yourself as a dancer in a live theater environment with an audience, as opposed to in television or film where there are cameras you have to be concerned with?

Oksana: There’s different cases when you are on camera.  If it’s a live TV show, it’s quite similar. There’s no room for mistakes and whatever happens, happens the same as on stage. If it’s not a live show, I do find it a little bit easier, because there is room for stopping and doing it again, if it wasn’t perfect. The risk is higher in theater performance and for the live cameras, because you just don’t have any room for mistakes. And it’s really important to be able to cover up your mistakes if anything happens, so nobody ever knows that any mistakes were present.

LADC:  Jonathan, do you also find working with the camera is similar to working for a live audience in terms of how you present yourself?

Jonathan: I absolutely do. There’s just more of a vulnerability when it’s a live audience. Even with a live TV, it’s different. You’re performing at a camera, so you don’t really get the same energy as from a live audience. There’s nothing like the energy you get from a live audience, and you just feel it coming. Also, the performance level is different. Most of the time when you’re performing for TV, you’re looking directly at the camera or finding the other camera. With a live show, you have to give your energy all around.

LADC: Do those differences come into play when you’re choreographing for a camera or live performance?

Oksana:  Yes, from a choreographer’s perspective, the camera and a theater show are very different.  On camera you can choreograph a finger movement that is going to tell a story, because the camera can really zoom in and the viewer can really see that story. For the theater show, you need to make it big, so everybody can understand from any location in the audience.

LADC:  Have the writing and song changes since the original 2022 show affected the choreography?

Jonathan:  There’s definitely been modifications. And again, most of the modifications come from the story and the space.

Oksana:  I think as we became invested into the music and listened to it over and over and over again, somehow more details that came out.  And we’re still listening to it over and over, even though we’ve heard it a million times. We just find more details.

Jonathan:  I think we just want to make it as perfect as possible to really tell the story and hit every moment. There are always going to be modifications until we get to the happy point which we have accomplished with a lot of the songs, like 85% there maybe 90%. There’s always room for growth.

 
LADC:  Have you a favorite among the songs?

Oksana: So many, but my favorite is Prey, that duet Jonathan was talking about. And my second favorite would be the Devil and the Details. And then my third place would be Better When I’m Gone.

LADC:  And what about you, Jonathan, what’s your favorite?

Jonathan: Hands down, Devil and the Details is my top favorite. That’s a new addition from the original show.  From the first time, I heard the song, I found it a storytelling song, that also has a great rhythm, great voice, great song track with it.  Everything is just produced beautifully.

LADC:  After all this time with Blood/Love, what remains the show’s attraction for you?

Jonathan:  It is such a beautifully created original musical, I just want people to know that this is not your typical musical. That you’re going to go sit down watch a show on a two dimensional performance, which is right in front of you. It’s going to be it’s just something that you’re going to feel all around and I think there’s just always going to be surprised that you’re you’re not going to even be able to see it in one show. You might have to go a couple times to really fulfill the whole entire story for yourself, and you will not be able to stop singing those songs. Yeah, they’re good. At night I wake up with one of the soundtracks in my head.

Blood/Love is at The Crimson, 6356 Hollywood Blvd., First Floor, Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 26 – Oct. 19, 7 & 9:30 pm, then Wed.-Sat, Oct. 23 – Nov. 2, 7 & 9:30 pm, $59-$119. https://bloodlove.com/