Last night Jim and I attended a dress rehearsal of "Dracul:Prince of Fire" at Oakland’s The Crucible.  Driving home, I kept wondering how in the world I would describe this unique event to you.  One thing’s for sure, you’re not going to see anything like it anywhere else.  The upshot is I liked it.  It was compelling and so different from your typical ballet fare.  Think of it as the anti-Nutcracker.  The story is loosely based on the idea that Dracula had a dad.  A dad who slayed a dragon and became a vampire.  There’s no reason to try and figure out the plot, which is good because it doesn’t really add up.  But that’s just fine.  The fire is all!  Fire everywhere.  Coming out of the dragon’s nose, rimming the stage, at the ends of a baton being spun by a very gifted fire-manipulator.  "Dracul" is a combo-pack of straight-ahead ballet, Cirque du Soleil acrobatics, and, oh, did I mention, the FIRE?  Check out this video for a taste of what’s going on this weekend and next at The Crucible.