Arts

Luke Newman on being a third generation Dracula

10:13 am on 4 October 2023

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Now to a story you can really sink your teeth into.

It all starts back in 1964 with John and Tikki Newman opening a small late-night coffee house in Melbourne, with the aim of catching people heading home as they left the theatres. It evolved into Australia's first theatre restaurant, featuring gangster and vaudeville acts through the '70s on its original site.

In the 80s, it was time for a change - it became 'Dracula's Cabaret' in an old warehouse in Melbourne's back streets, heavily influenced by the popular Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a second Dracula's opening on the Gold Coast.

Dracula's has had more than five million attendees - many Kiwis among them. And some of the best acts from the show will be included in Dracula's: The Resurrection Tour which kicks off tomorrow night in Auckland.

CEO Luke Newman joins Kathryn to talk about what's in the show, and what it's like being a third-generation Dracula - as the grandson of John and Tikki Newman.