“The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

Highly Recommended *****  Pleasant Home, in Oak Park, Illinois, has been transformed into the supreme backdrop for immersive theatre in the production “The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story.” Here we are whisked back in time to the nineteenth century when Poe wrote his tales of romance, crime, illness, torture, and death. In the main lounge, we witness excerpts from such masterpieces as “The Raven”, “Masque of the Red Death”, and “Annabel Lee” (among others) while, in the smaller rooms, we see reenactments of “Ligeia”, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.” These retellings are nicely interwoven with intimate portraits of Poe and his wife Virginia. And during the course of the show, we learn that Poe’s dark stories and poems are usually thinly veiled autobiographical accounts, often with an added dimension of horror: popular with the audience of his time as well as today.

When the fascinating character of Poe greets us all, the audience is immediately taken in by his warmth, genuineness, and charm. Christian Gray, in an astounding performance, enthralls us with his channeling of the famed author in appearance, speech, and mannerisms. His wife Virginia (a/k/a Sissy), played by Erica Bittner, is a fitting companion and confidante who, despite their fourteen-year age difference, is very much his equal. Other actors include Will Burdin, Ian Michael Minh, Dina Monk, Sarah Rachel Schol, Drew Straub, Jillian Patterson, and Noah Villarreal, whose portrayal of the prisoner is both notable and scary.

Terrific directing by Bryan Wakefield makes this production a standout. The splendor of the show is not what we see but in what we don’t see. Wakefield’s directing not only includes how the actors are choreographed within each room but also how they move behind the scenes from one room to another and from one floor to the next. To understand the complexity, consider the workings of a fine watch. We glance at the time but rarely think about the movement. Initially the audience assembles in the east and west sides of the main lounge, and then we are divided into two groups to tour the various scenes within each of the smaller rooms; this means that we all get to see the same action but in a somewhat different order. Later towards the end, the entire group is brought back together. Now for the spoiler alert: The secret behind the split-second timing of the action in each of the rooms is that the actors travel up and down two sets of central staircases within the house. We see the main staircase, which the audience uses to go upstairs and downstairs, but there is also a second staircase that leads to and from the kitchen, which is reserved for the actors. As the audience moves from place to place, we subconsciously wonder what has happened to the other group—and we see how they disappear and eventually reappear at the end. This is the hallmark of good magic!

Playwright David Rice has included a lot of excellent source material—both literary and historical—in his superior script. Yet the ending is strange but perhaps a very appropriate one, considering that we are in the midst of a pandemic; and we can easily make the comparison between the deaths of so many people due to consumption (tuberculosis) during Poe’s lifetime and the 700,000+ deaths in the United States due to COVID today. As in Poe’s time, we ask ourselves the same questions: Why must there be so many losses that we cannot explain and so much unnecessary grief, pain, and sorrow?

Makeup is unusual, ghostlike rather than realistic, so as to portray dead people (like the deceased Virginia) who have sprung back to life for this presentation. Costuming by Rachel Lambert is excellent as it captures the dress from the nineteenth century. Costume changes when they occur are quick and clever. I loved the way that the minor characters pointed the way to our seats in the various rooms and ordered us around when it was time to leave for another scene: “Come NOW!” they might say, as if we too in the audience are being called to our destiny. Sound design is excellent in all of the rooms, thanks to the fine work of Christopher Kritz and Max Martin. If there is any one fault in the show, it is a minor one: We hear allusions to the lost Lenore, but where is the raven perched above the bust of Pallas? It’s prominently portrayed in the picture that advertises the production. Did I miss it? Did it fly away? Is it rapping at someone else’s chamber door?

Just a word of warning. There is a sign just before “The Pit and the Pendulum” room where the audience is informed that there will be moments of complete darkness.

In all, Wakefield’s directing is unrivaled in how smoothly he gets the actors to rotate in conjunction with the audience’s trek throughout the house. Gray’s portrayal of Poe could not have been any better, and it’s amazing when we see him in a room when we least expect it. Note that this is the final run when the 2019 cast will appear at Pleasant Home, a historic venue which works extraordinary well for the staging. Therefore, it is highly suggested that you attend this production, and please do so on or before the 7th of November, well “before each separate dying ember [casts] its ghost upon the floor.” If you wait to see this wonder, if you hesitate or slumber, it will surely be a blunder when the show is nevermore.

“The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story” by the Oak Park Festival Theatre takes place through November 21st, 2021, at Pleasant Home, 217 Home Avenue, in Oak Park.

General admission tickets are $44 each.
Special pricing is available for students, seniors, and groups over ten.

Children 12 and under are not permitted.

Performances are:

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday – 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.

For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, please go to: https://oakparkfestival.com/poe2021/.

For general information and a list of additional offerings by the Oak Park Festival Theatre, visit: https://oakparkfestival.com/.

Due to the close proximity of this immersive experience, proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all ticket holders. Audience members must wear facemasks throughout the performance.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at ” The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story”.