I was very worried that this was one of those shows with a bad name that makes an absolute mockery of a classic novel in a way that’s not funny at all. It’s something all too common at the Fringe, with one man show or comedy versions of films and novels. But don’t be deceived by the name, because Dracula: Sex, Sucking and Stardom is hilarious.

In Last Chance Saloon’s production, the basic story strangely remains pretty intact, except that Dracula now has the power to make you dance when he plays the guitar and dreams of becoming a musical theatre star and auditioning for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar (the living dead playing Jesus – now there’s irony for you). There’s something so unashamed about Last Chance Saloon’s outrageous humour that I don’t contest this blasphemous version of a story I love for a moment. They rip off Lady Gaga and Michael Bublé and, when Dracula gets going with his guitar and Jonathan Harker’s hips start swaying (and what a dancer!) in his little Fosse-esque hat, the auditorium explodes with laughter.

They are bold characters that feel very familiar very quickly, whose crazy little traits set them up for a lot of jokes which just don’t grow old. There’s the drama queen Count (Jack Faires), ignorant little Jonathan Harker (Sam Dunham), and a Van Helsing (Simon Naylor) from God knows where in his Indiana Jones outfit and ridiculous accent. I can’t understand half of what he’s saying and it’s still hilarious. Dunham has the adorable look of a little boy about him, and he seems to sympathise with the audience, with a face that says, “What on earth is going on?” Jack Faires has an excellent singing voice and exudes charisma, target flirtaholic John Barrowman. I’m pretty sure they could take this show a step further and literally charm the pants off someone; he already flirts and dances with the audience as it is.

Last Chance Saloon are brilliant because they laugh at themselves with their knowing humour. There’s a little bit of everything, including slapstick and little looks at the audience. Audience participation always goes down a treat, and the rapport the actors establish with them is excellent. When you get to the point (pretty early on) that you can fire a water gun at them without complaint, you can be pretty confident that you have them on side. The gags keep rolling in this fast-paced comedy.

Last Chance Saloon’s production is neat and minimal, and even this becomes a part of the humour. They create their own not-so-subtle sound effects and rapidly pass in and out of their surroundings; it’s a professional production that’s as silly as you can get. Dunham and Faires’ writing injects current humour into a classic and will actually make you laugh out loud all the way through. Dracula: Sex, Sucking and Stardom is a real guilty pleasure of the Fringe.

**** – 4/5 stars

Dracula: Sex, Sucking and Stardom plays at Paradise in the Vault until 27 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival. For more information and tickets, see the Edinburgh Fringe website.