Thrills and chills at Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy

Intriguing concept – the charged readings (performances) of four classic tales from Edgar Allan Poe, the master of Gothic horror and psychological fiction, each paired with cocktails in a moody (faux) candle-lit “speakeasy” experience. This is a touring production, with dates all over the US planned for the remainder of the year.    Above image – promo photo supplied by PR.

Per their press release: “The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is a chilling experience dedicated to the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The event takes place inside a dark speakeasy. Four of his most famous stories will be retold and reimagined by our Poe historians. Our macabre lead mixologist will transform each of those stories into a 4-part cocktail experience.” More information and tickets can be found here.

This past weekend, the Edgar Allan Poe Cocktail Experience was staged in a pop-up venue in an industrial part of North Hollywood, at the Wisteria Theater on Vineland Ave, with planes landing just a stone’s throw away.

A bare-bones affair, a mere three guys handled the admissions, sound and lights, mixology as well as the performances.  (Performers’ names unknown.) With three sessions of the brief show per evening (6, 8 and 10PM), it all seemed to go smoothly. The show’s duration was about 80 minutes long.   Tickets are $57.75, including $2.75 booking fee. There is no food available, just the pre-made themed cocktails.

The plastic cups are clammy with condensation, and watery with melted ice. The pre-made cocktails are sweet and not that strong… Everyone has to pass the plastic cups along down the row as they’re served from the aisles by the performers in-between readings. The Pale Blue Eye is “a classic twist on a traditional Collins,” made with “citrus and blueberry infused vodka, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup. Topped with a pale blueberry eye.”  They called this one a “mocktail,” so I’m not sure if there was vodka in it or not.

The Cat’s Meow was a “twisted version of Poe’s favorite Brandy Milk Punch. Aged bourbon meets with fruity brandy, accompanied by vanilla cinnamon milk, sweet cream and maple syrup.

Nevermore cocktail contained “fresh lime juice, peach and orange blossom infused vodka, simple syrup and crushed charcoal (!), topped with a slice of dehydrated lime.” Cocktail of Red Death was a ghoulish combination of “fresh squeezed seasonal fruits, raspberry infused vodka, cranberry juice, 100 proof vodka and fresh lime juice.”

So, while the cocktails are a bit too sweet and rather weak, the performances are strong. Poe’s most famous poems and stories are related with passion and terror.  The first speaker relates some biographical details about Poe, then evolves into a twitchy narrator. Low level sound design accents the retelling as the actors perform the text from memory.

A charged reading of The Tell-Tale Heart is followed by The Black Cat, exposing the two tales’ thematic similarities. Both feature unreliable narrators and psychological horror themes. Given that these poems reveal the growing insanity of the subject’s voice, the performances are fantastic, vividly charting the speaker’s mounting panic and descent into madness. Both tales are famous for its exploration of guilt, madness, and the supernatural, as told from the perspective of a narrator who slowly descends into insanity after committing terrible acts—beginning with the abuse of his beloved black cat.

More biographical information about Poe precedes The Raven reading; Poe – aged 27 – marries his 13 y old cousin (!) and she takes to her bed before dying of tuberculosis.

Published on January 29, 1845, The Raven first appeared in the New York Evening Mirror, and quickly made Poe famous (though not exactly wealthy). Considered Poe’s most famous poem, The Raven, was groundbreaking in demonstrating how poetry could combine musical rhythm, dark themes, and emotional depth. It’s renowned for its dark, melancholic atmosphere and its haunting refrain of “Nevermore.”

The Raven was followed by the fourth and final performance. Previously published in 1842, The Masque of the Red Death imagines a deadly plague is ravaging the land. Prince Prospero, a wealthy noble, tries to escape it by hiding in his abbey with a thousand of his friends. They seal themselves in and throw a lavish masquerade ball, but at midnight, a mysterious, uninvited guest dressed as a corpse materializes. The figure turns out to be the embodiment of the pestilence – the Red Death itself.

All in all, it was a fun evening that was well-received by the enthusiastic crowd.

Upcoming performances are scheduled as follows. More information and tickets can be found here.

August 21–22 – Dayton, OH
August 21–23 – Springfield, MO
August 21–23 – Virginia Beach, VA
August 21–23 – Fort Myers, FL
August 22–23 – Plano, TX
August 23 – San Mateo, CA
August 28–30 – Mansfield, OH
August 28–29 – New Orleans, LA
August 28–30 – Chico, CA
August 28–30 – Boca Raton, FL
August 28–30 – Piqua, OH
August 28–30 – Louisville, KY
August 29–30 – Jacksonville, FL
August 29–30 – Waycross, GA
August 30 – San Marcos, TX

September 4–6 – Yuba City, CA
September 4–6 – Hattiesburg, MS
September 4–6 – Orlando, FL
September 4–6 – Plymouth, MA
September 5–6 – Raleigh, NC
September 5–6 – Stockton, CA
September 5–6 – Waxahachie, TX
September 11–12 – Greensboro, NC
September 11–13 – Brunswick, GA
September 11–13 – Wilmington, DE
September 12–13 – Montgomery, AL
September 13 – Seguin, TX
September 18–20 – Sanford, FL
September 18–20 – Sarasota, FL
September 18–20 – Springfield, MA
September 18–19 – Reno, NV
September 19 – Bossier, LA
September 19–20 – Savannah, TN
September 20 – Bridgeport, CT
September 20 – Columbia, TN
September 25–27 – Monroe, LA
September 25–27 – El Paso, TX
September 25–27 – Detroit, MI
September 26–27 – Columbia, SC

October 1–4 – Ithaca, NY
October 2–4 – Fort Lauderdale, FL
October 2–4 – San Pedro, CA
October 2–4 – Jersey Shore, NJ
October 2–4 – Corpus Christi, TX
October 9–10 – Atlanta, GA
October 9–11 – Durham, NC
October 9–11 – Philadelphia, PA
October 9–11 – Charlotte, NC
October 16–18 – Nashville, TN
October 16–18 – Bend, OR
October 17–18 – Cape Cod, MA
October 23–24 – Fayetteville, WV
October 23–25 – Crowley, LA
October 23–25 – Spokane, WA
October 23–25 – Memphis, TN
October 23–25 – DeLand, FL
October 23–25 – Albuquerque, NM
October 23–25 – Tampa, FL
October 24–25 – Ridgewood, NJ

November 6–8 – Newport News, VA
November 6–8 – Newark, NJ