FORMER Hollyoaks actor, Gerard McCarthy makes his debut at the Ardhowen Theatre later this month when a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece, Dracula, comes to town.

Almost two years in the making, the new adaptation, directed by Michael Poynor, sees McCarthy take on both the lead roles of Jonathan Harker, a solicitor whose diaries chronicle the ghastly tale, and Dracula, one of the most iconic gothic characters in our culture.

It’s a project that has taken over Gerard’s life for the best part of the last two years.

But speaking to the Impartial Reporter ahead of the performance on October 18 he says it’s a journey that he has relished from start to finish.

“It was actually my idea to play both roles,” he explains, “It all started over a conversation at a dinner party with some friends in London. We were talking about how vampires are really fashionable now thanks to Twilight and True Blood. The are seen as being young and sexy and desirable. But it is so far removed from what Stoker had written in the 17th Century.

“I thought it would be interesting to go right back to the person who created Dracula in the first place and remind people what he wrote.

“It has been a really interesting process for me -- normally as an actor you are only involved in the last part of the process, the rehearsals two to three weeks before the start. But I was there from the script being devised right up to the casting and rehearsals.” The play has been something of a family affair too, he tells the Impartial Reporter, while babysitting his little nephew, Olly.

Multiple cameras, backing screens, projections and surround sound have been used to include pre-recorded cameos of Coronation Street actress, Kym Marsh, West End star, Rachel Tucker and Coleraine actress Jayne Wisener as the Brides of Dracula.

But little Olly also has a starring role in the pre-records.

It’s a role though, which has shocked and stunned audiences to date, as Gerard explains.

“Rachel, Kym and Jayne are all good friends of mine so when I asked them to get involved they were all really excited.

“But there is a section in Stoker’s book where they eat a baby. We needed to find a baby for the three girls to eat.

“I asked my sister, Ciara, could we use Olly.

“I told her, ‘Kym Marsh has to eat him!’. She said it was fine as long as there was no loud noises involved -- Olly doesn’t like loud music!” Asked how he felt about offering up his first and only nephew to the Brides of Dracula, Gerard said: “It is quite a shocking scene.

“In fact, people in the audience at the Mill in Newtownabbey actually walked out of the theatre when they saw it -- that’s the first time that has ever happened at the Mill.

“But I just thought, ‘We must be doing something right’.

“That’s what actually happens in the book -- we haven’t watered it down or added to it -- this is what Stoker wrote and we are sticking to it.

“People have this romanticised perception of vampires being young and good-looking, who are attracted to humans and fall in love. But that wasn’t the Dracula that Stoker wrote about.

“His character is almost like-Hitler. His mission is to obliterate all of mankind and run this super race of which he will be the leader -- he shows no mercy to anyone.” He is quick to point out that no Olly’s were harmed in the making of the play!

“Olly had a field day -- he loved it. And I think he definitely got a taste for life as an actor!

“I absolutely love him to bits -- he is my first little nephew so he is spoiled rotten!” Depite a number of roles on the West End in the past, Gerard says Dracula has been his most gruelling project to date.

“It’s exhausting after every show,” he admits, “It’s the most tiring project I have ever worked on.

“We started rehearsals four weeks beforehand, rehearsing every day from 10am until 8pm.

“It is just a part of me now! But it’s been a brilliant project to work on and I’m very excited about what’s going to happen with it and where it is going to go.” Dracula comes to the Ardhowen Theatre at 8pm on Saturday, October 18.