The company of Nevermore at Stray Dog Theatre. Photo by John Lamb.
“Yes, Heaven is thine; but this
From “Israfel,” by Edgar Allan Poe (1831)
Is a world of sweets and sours;
Our flowers are merely—flowers,
And the shadow of thy perfect bliss
Is the sunshine of ours.”
“And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
From “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
Shall be lifted—nevermore!”
Poe: the great doomed romantic of American literature. What better subject for a musical?
Anyone who passed high school English knows the basic beats: Poe is the godfather of American gothic literature and the creator of detective fiction. He’s often portrayed as a tormented artist, underappreciated in his own time, who experienced a string of personal tragedies. No doubt these inspired his macabre stories and meditations on grief and loss. Oh, and he married his 13-year-old cousin—icky today, but not unusual in the 1800s.
Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe tells the author’s life story with some creative and gothic flourishes. Each act features 11 scenes of music, poetry, and narration, mostly delivered in rhyming verse. The storytelling is enhanced by gloomy lighting, bursts of fog, monstrous puppetry, and creepy costumes in the shape of a certain corvid. No matter how deep your knowledge of Poe, you’ll leave the show a superfan of Edgar Allan Poe.
Act I begins with Poe (Drew Mizell) lost, confused, and seeking shelter from the rain. He has a chance encounter with a troupe of actors (Michael Cox, Kevin O’Brien, Stephen Henley, Dawn Schmid, Heather Fehl, and Sarah Rae Womack). Poe does not recognize them, but the actors know him very well. They begin to tell Poe’s life story—one of “desperate hope”—to the audience.
The players take on the roles of the family Poe: his out-of-reach actress mother, who could not reconcile her love for her children with her love for the stage; his bitter, jealous father; his brother and sister, who would be tragically separated from Poe for most of their lives. Later additions include Poe’s stern adoptive father, who fiercely disapproves of his chosen career; his first love, Elmira; and his cousin/bride, Virginia. The actors skillfully take on multiple roles, changing wardrobe and voices several times in each act. Even minor characters are invested with wit and personality.
The pace of Nevermore is incredibly brisk. You won’t hear any of the abrupt, artificial bursts of song that turn so many people off of musicals—Cats, this ain’t. The songs and poems push the narrative forward and feature a variety of styles—much like Poe’s own catalog. Some numbers, like the haunting “Israfel,” are adapted from Poe’s own work… and yes, of course there’s a musical version of “The Raven.” The narrative is enlivened by well-done costuming (with Sweeney Todd gothic vibes) and clever practical effects. Poe’s nightmare vision of a demon horse is brought to life by shadow puppetry; the hallucination that torments his aunt is a diabolical marionette.
Nevermore will be performed at Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Ave.), owned and operated by Stray Dog Theater, from now until November 2nd. With its pews and stained glass windows, the Abbey is the perfect setting for this somber tale. The curtains will rise and hopes will fall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM. Tickets are available at $30-35—except for the $10 Halloween special. Take wing and hear the raven sing: “NEVERMORE” | Rob Von Nordheim
I’ve discovered that Edgar Allan Poe’s public claim to “The Raven” was merely a scam, akin to today’s “identity theft” scams. He had nothing whatsoever to do with writing it, or with its premiere publication. I’ve identified the real author as Mathew Franklin Whittier, younger brother of the famous Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Mathew would have written it based on real-life circumstances in December of 1841, nine months after the death of his beloved wife, Abby Poyen Whittier.