What I liked
The play is beautifully framed at the beginning and end with the mournful tones of a live cello, opening a path for the audience into an old world where physical perception and emotional experience are immediate, uncomforted by the distractions of modernity. Each of the characters onstage, in each of the vignettes, are confronted with situations which they initially try to normalize through the lens of ordinary experience. As each character finds that lens inadequate (bringing the audience with them), they progress through more curiosity and confusion, slowly grasping just how extraordinary the circumstances really are, ending with a profoundly horrifying realization of what has transpired. The sets, costumes, lighting, timing, movement and music all converge to support the actors leading the audience through these truly frightening journeys.
What I didn't like
Some of the lines were difficult to catch at times in the venue.
My overall impression
Wonderfully creepy pastiche of Poe stories and poems. If you like Edgar Allen Poe, theatrical surprises, Victorian atmosphere, and an intense psychological workout, you will love this show.
