Location:
Metro Studio Theatre
(Fringe Venue 3)
1411 Quadra Street
Remaining Performances:
Aug 25 08:15 pm
Aug 28 05:45 pm
Aug 30 10:45 pm
Aug 31 09:30 pm
It’s very rare for me to get to see Nevermore put on by different theatre companies. It was first performed back in 2009 by Catalyst Theatre in Alberta and since then, other versions have popped up. Both gained accolades. Back in 2011, Urban Arts (defunct now) offered a Halloween thrilled spectacle recounting the life of Edgar Allan Poe. This company got permission to perform in the old courtroom in Bastion Square–the oldest part of Victoria–to give this show a special ambience different from a stage production. Because of the set, the life and times of this seminal poet, madman and architect of the macabre was center stage; audiences had the freedom to be either courtroom visitors watching or jurors waiting to cast a verdict on this person’s life.
At Intrepid Theatre‘s Metro Theatre, the 2019 Victoria Fringe Festival version has the benefit of proper stage lighting and a misty setting to give the performance a different vibe. It was more gothic. This version by Hapax Theatre stars Elliott James as Poe, Sasha Moriarty-Schieven as the Mother, Keeley Teuber as Muddy, Lara Hamburg as Elmira, Abby Corpus as Virginia and Ingrid Moore the Whore. Watching the ghosts this author faced as they descended upon him was thrilling. This setting gave a different point of view; we are looking through the looking glass at what Poe faced. Torment came at him in many directions, including us as one spirit appeared mid-audience and descended onto the stage. The people he saw were indeed etheric.
Continue reading “[VFF2019] Quoth the Raven, Nevermore! The Musical Returns to Victoria”
Location:
Location:
August 21 to Sept 1
By Ed Sum
By Ed Sum