THIS show bites!Auditions were held this week for “The Musical Dracula,” a new Broadway-bound show based on Bram Stoker’s horror classic.

Produced by SFX Theatrical Group, “Dracula” has a score by composer Frank Wildhorn (“Jekyll & Hyde”) and lyricist Don Black (“Sunset Boulevard”).

Christopher Hampton – the British playwright best known here for his Tony-nominated 1987 drama “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” – is writing the book.

The director is Des McAnuff, who staged the acclaimed Broadway revivals of “Tommy” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

Jon Bon Jovi was being courted for the title role, but is said to have turned it down.

Tom Hewitt, who was nominated for a Tony this year for “The Rocky Horror Show,” is now the leading contender.

“Dracula” will have a tryout this fall in La Jolla, Calif., and could end up on Broadway in the spring.

Wildhorn has a lot riding on “Dracula.”

Once billed as the American Andrew Lloyd Webber, Wildhorn, a pop composer, had three shows running simultaneously on Broadway two seasons ago – “Jekyll & Hyde,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and “The Civil War.”

Unfortunately, critics hated all three, and, in the end, the musicals collectively lost more than $30 million.

Normally such a pile-up of red ink and bad reviews would have led to Wildhorn’s permanent banishment from the Great White Way.

But many Broadway producers think Wildhorn simply had too much power over his previous shows, emphasizing his music at the expense of plot and character.

Surround him with theater pros who know how to structure a show, and Wildhorn may yet come up with a winner.

And if he doesn’t, “Dracula” will certain give his critics something to sink their teeth into.

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Nathan Lane missed another performance of “The Producers” last night. Lane is still battling a tracheal infection and has been out of the show for a week. He is expected back tonight, the show’s publicist said.

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Tina Maddigan has been cast as Sophie, the young girl searching for her father in the Broadway-bound blockbuster, “Mamma Mia!”

Last year, just weeks after graduating from Sheridan College in Canada, Maddigan landed the role in the Toronto production of the musical. Producers auditioned a number of New York actresses, but couldn’t find any as sweet and fresh-faced as Maddigan.

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David Strathairn has been cast in Strindberg’s “Dance of Death,” opening this fall on Broadway. The play also stars Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.