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Dracula's Cabaret Restaurant Gold Coast- NINE PINTS Review

By Chloe Smith

Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant has been entertaining and shocking audiences for over 30 years with an evening of vampire-esque debauchery at the supernatural themed restaurant and theatre. With an all new cast and production, Experience Oz was lucky enough to come along and watch the new show, NINE PINTS!

This after dark Gold Coast experience just keeps getting better over the years with a talented cast of actors, musicians and aerial performers who work hard to bring a quirky and outrageous show that you definitely won’t see elsewhere. Keep reading to see our review of the Dracula’s latest cabaret production, NINE PINTS.

How to get there

Car: Limited onsite parking is available at Draculas Cabaret Restaurant. If the car park is full then you can find paid parking across the road at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre or The Star Casino around the corner.

Bus: Catch the bus to Pacific Fair, Stop B

Tram: Catch the tram to Broadbeach South, Platform 2

Highlights

• Comedy for the non-politically correct
• Brilliant soundtrack with live performances paying tribute to Tenacious D, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin
• Tribute to the 27 club
• Delicious 3 course meal
• Hilariously Sassy wait staff
• Mesmerising aerial act and burlesque performances

What you’ll do

Arrival and entry to Dracula's Cabaret Restaurant

Whether you have tickets for A Reserve, B Reserve or the show only, it turns out there is no special treatment when you enter the ‘afterlife’. We all come in and out the same way (pun intended) and at Draculas Cabaret Restaurant your experience at the themed restaurant begins from the moment you arrive in the parking lot.

Sexy and scary zombies, vampires and sassy staff will usher you into the correct queue as you wait anxiously to enter the unknown. On the night I attended the show, it decided to storm right as I arrived but a surprisingly polite and chivalrous zombie met me at my car door and hand delivered an umbrella for my convenience so I wouldn’t get wet walking from the car to the entrance. A nice touch I thought.

The entertainment begins even while you are in the queue to enter with a few of our zombie friends scaring us while we were engrossed in conversation and waiting in anticipation for what was to come.

Entering the afterlife

At the risk of spoiling the surprise, when the doors open you will enter Draculas and be welcomed into the afterlife with a ‘warning’ of what you might come to expect during the evening. This is a really great way to kick off the evening completely immersing you into the supernatural themes interwoven throughout the night . With A Reserve tickets, you get to skip the queue and enter the ‘afterlife’ sooner- just one of the many perks to the upgraded experience.

Once you’ve made your way to the front of the queue and have been invited to enter through the appropriately unnerving doors, your first task will be to navigate through a creepy hallway, decorated to make your skin crawl.

Following on from the hallway, you’ll find a large room with tree roots and skeletons protruding from the walls, much like the inside of an enormous grave.

This is where your first experience of the night takes place, with an impressive screen on the ceiling providing guests with a 4D cinematic burial, cleverly signifying your trip to the underworld (which, as you would expect, has a fully stocked bar).

Mingle with the dead in the bar before the show

After your ominous entrance into the afterlife, mingle with the dead in the bar before the show. The bar is elaborately themed with skeletons, zombies and various depictions of the dead and staff who get a kick out of sneaking up behind you to scare you.

If vampires have a lair, this is exactly as I would imagine it. Fitted out with blood red décor, velvet couches, dark corners, zombies, skeletons, coffins and laughing clowns all delighted to scare you or serve you with a cocktail or two before the show. We had A Reserve tickets so we were treated to a glass of sparkling wine and canapés on arrival as we enjoyed our drink and took in our surroundings.

Explore some of the incredibly detailed displays

For those guests not holding a VIP chain, the fully stocked bar can be found up the first flight of stairs, along with plenty of creepy displays that have been expertly arranged throughout the upper level. Themed cocktails, mocktails, spirits and soft drinks are available to purchase for all guests with the entertaining staff also manning the bar.

Some of the best décors around the foyer include an undead band from the Titanic, a lifeless hanging body over the stairs, and several glass coffins built directly into the floor. There is also plenty of seating areas should you wish to relax before the show, along with bathrooms found on the upper level.

Keep your cool during a ride on the Ghost Train

As the show time approaches, you will be ushered to your table via the famous ghost train but not before a group photo to remember the experience.

This provides a great chance to get some amusing group shots to remember your night by (the screen was large enough to fit our group of 8 comfortably enough). Photos are available to purchase at the end of the performance should you wish to take home a memento of your visit.

Following the photo you’ll walk down some stairs to Dracula’s very own amusement-park-like ride, affectionately known as the ‘Ghost Train’. The train seats two people per carriage and is one of the night’s early highlights, with numerous jump scares and some brilliant displays to get your heart racing.

Keep your eyes open at all times on the short but hilarious ghost train that really sets the theme for the night. If the actors don’t scare you then they will work hard to make sure that you at least crack a smile.

Find your table and devour a 3 course meal inside the Dracula's Theatre

As A Reserve guests, we were treated to VIP booth seating in the upper tier of the auditorium providing an excellent view of the stage below. If you purchase a B Reserve ticket then you will have a more intimate table configuration on the floor close to the stage. As we took our seats our waitress introduced herself to us and began to take our drink and meal orders.

And what a drinks menu there is here. With a selection of beers, ciders, spirits, wine, mocktails and outrageously huge cocktails that come served in skull heads.

Unless you have show only tickets or dietary requirements, both A and B Reserve receive the same entrée very quickly after being seated and ordering your first round of drinks. The Chicken, leek and fennel tartlet with balsamic glaze arrived at the perfect time as we were all feeling a little peckish and there weren’t too many plates that were left empty.

The main meal selection aims to cater for all tastes and diets. You won’t have much time to mull over your choice of main though so I would have a look at the menu and decide before you arrive so you can order right away.

Main Meal Options

• Slow cooked beef short rib served over a bed of creamy potato mash with a Texan Bourbon BBQ Sauce
• Lemon dukkah crusted chicken breast served with salsa verde and rosemary sea salt roasted with potato wedges
• Baked Tasmanian Salmon with shitake mushroom, ginger, star anise broth, sliced shallots and baby pak choi
• Rustic mix of pumpkin, zucchini and spinach patties combined with herbs

There were 8 attending in our group, 4 of whom are fussy eaters ranging from nut and seafood allergies, pescetarians ,vegetarians and vegans, however, Draculas were able to cater for them all with no problems with a little bit of notice prior to arrival. The kitchen is able to cater to various dietary requirements including gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian.

I chose the beef rib and I was very happy with my choice. The beef was cooked to perfection; incredibly moist and tender, simply falling off the bone and the mash potato was creamy as described. Sometimes basic meals can also be the most delicious.

As we began tucking into our meal the pre-show entertainment was playing ambient acoustic live music in the background- a taste of what was ahead.

Meals were served and cleared in record time with the show’s late start meaning guests are fed during the opening acts and introductions, including various performances from the live band and some incredible singing to accompany your meal.

NINE PINTS performance begins

The lights dimmed and the bass and electric guitar kicks in as the vampire-esque show begins with an video introduction to ‘Nine Pints’ (pints of blood that is).

The cast of Draculas burst onto stage in song led by the quirky, funny and charismatic Diamond who plays MC and make appearances throughout the night. You will also be treated to the delightful vocals and dancing from Absinthe and the heart attack twins who will thrill and shock you with their aerobatic skills throughout the evening.

Nine Pints is presented to you in two acts with a short intermission in between so you can top up your drinks and get stuck into your dessert- which was a decadent chocolate mousse resting in a specially-made Dracula’s coffin moulded completely from dark chocolate. Death by chocolate.

The captivating show is set to a brilliant soundtrack from rock legends including Tenacious D, Nirvana and more. The first act showcases the talented cast and duets by Will, burlesque performances by Absinthe and optical illusions and aerial feats by the ‘Heart Attack Twins’. During this part of the show you can also expect a tribute to ‘the greatest song in the world’ and a hilarious dark mime about the ‘birds and the bees’.

However, it is Diamond who really steals the show with his powerhouse vocals demanding the attention of the audience in a acoustic rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven with equally talented musician Vendetta.

The second act of Nine Pints is one that music lovers can really sink their ‘fangs’ into with a number of live music performances from rock legends and a touching tribute to the members of the 27 club.

Enjoy a variety of entertaining performances

Without giving too much away, the show was an intense blend of jesting, satire, brilliant music and circus-like performances that captivated the audience, filling the room with laughter and applause on many occasions throughout the night.

Some of the highlight acts included the incredible aerial acrobatics that incorporated giant metal frames and aerial apparatus that demonstrated their unbelievable strength and flexibility by the 'heart attack twins'.

What's included

• An entrée, main meal and dessert
• 3 hours of entertainment
• Funny Ghost Train Ride
• A Reserve VIP Seating
• A Reserve Complimentary wine and canapés
• A Reserve Priority entrance

What to bring

• A sense of humour
• An open mind
• Your tickets- mobile vouchers accepted
• Money for drinks and souvenirs
• Your camera (photography is encouraged throughout the show!)

Our Recommendations

Nine Pints is a departure from the Dracula’s shows of old. Rather than a heavily laden vampire-esque show with controversial comedy, partial nudity and variety acts; the new show is a more stripped back version with a stronger emphasis on live music performances and the vocal talents of the cast as well as jaw dropping aerial acrobatic acts and sensual burlesque performances.

There are still hilarious comedy acts and you do need to have an ability to laugh at yourself because you may just become part of the evening’s entertainment but this is a more refined and subtle adults only Vegas style variety evening show best suited to men, couples and those who have a sense of humour and aren’t easily offended.

Beyond the laughs, the show also features excellent live music, including some incredible drum solos and guitar riffs, and captivating vocals, along with impressive acrobatic displays and naughty and provacative props to help tell the story.

Having experienced both A and B Reserve seating it is well worth your while to upgrade to the A Reserve experience instead to receive priority entry on arrival, a complimentary drink and VIP booth seating overlooking the stage for a more comfortable Dracula’s experience.