Weekend Poll Results: Will Swenson Bites! (In the Best Way Possible)

Last week, Broadway.com was bitten by the vampire fever associated with the return of HBO’s hot “fang-banger” bayou series True Blood and the return of the Twilight saga with incoming flick Eclipse. "Glamoured" by the abundance of vamps on the big and small screen, we asked you readers which of 10 hot talents would best suited to suit up in cape and cowl and bring the 1928 drama Dracula back to the stage. Though the list included current True Blood stars Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer, Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson and menacing megastars like Liev Schreiber (who already proved he can rock a pair of fangs as Sabertooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), the masses ultimately chose Tony Award nominee Will Swenson as the Rialto’s Count of choice.

Swenson, who pulled in 28% of the vote, already has the Broadway chops for a be-fanged return—the Hair star is an alum of that infamous musical vampire flop Lestat. You won’t see this leading man chomping on necks anytime soon, however: Swenson’s going to be dragging it up in a set of false lashes and heels as Tick/Mitzi in the recently announced 2011 Broadway production of tuner Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, preceded by a 12-week engagement at Toronto’s Princes of Wales Theatre this fall.

Trailing Swenson with 20% of the vote was dark-eyed brooder Johnny Depp, whose penchant for darky, quirky roles (Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, etc.) makes him a natural fit for the wing-flapping icon. (Oh, what we wouldn’t give to see a Tim Burton-helmed stage collaboration with Depp...)

Tied in third with 10% of the vote were recent A View from the Bridge star Liev Schreiber and The Vampire Diaries’ Ian Somerhalder, both of whom, as we’ve mentioned, are more than comfortable with a set of extended canines.

Thanks for voting!