Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Scott Shpeley as Edgar Allan Poe in a play by Jonathan Christenson. Photo by Sean McLennan.

Sometimes you find a production that has perfect symmetry. A very rare occurrence where everything melds together to bring you an amazing piece of art that once you have experienced it, you will never ever forget.

This is the case with Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe.  The play is a mixture of poetry, music and dance.  A masterful telling of the maudlin induced, tragically stricken writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe, that will move you emotionally and sensually through its haunted hallways of inequity.  If you are not shaken by its sadness or frightened by its madness than you will be at awe at its brilliant innovation.  The imagery will permeate your senses as the actors serenade you with melancholic lullabies of tragedy and woe.  It is a gloomy sojourn full of powerful, raw operatic emotion.  This is avant-garde theatre at its finest.

The director, writer and composer, Jonathan Christenson, following his great success with his version of Frankenstein in 2006 created this even darker presentation based on the life of Edgar Allen Poe.  Jonathan had been intrigued with the secret life of Poe for a very long time.  Poe seemed to have reinvented himself many times over and would come up with different variations of who he was depending on the situation.  Many of his biographies have been completely fictional as it seems no one has all the factual details on this critically acclaimed, deeply troubled man who gave us such memorable pieces of literature such as the Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven.  As Poe wrote himself, 'you will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.'  Jonathan's journey to learn about Poe's life has obviously taken him down the path where he has been influenced with gothic imagery and melancholy that has helped him to create what I feel is his magnum opus to date.  If Jonathan hasn't also been inspired by Tim Burton then he definitely has the same distorted perceptions that create a creepy, disturbing vision that will stay branded in your mind's eye for a lifetime.

"He was tormented by nightmarish hallucinations and haunted by memories that were no less real to him than the fact of his existence.  Nevermore is a version of Poe's story that unfolds according to the logic of dreams, where the lines between his life and his work remain fluid." - Jonathan Christenson

The production designer, Bretta Gerecke, has an incredible prowess for design as the costumes and the props look liked stunning pieces of sculptured, architectural art.  They were as much a part of the show as the actors themselves.  I was not prepared to see such an exquisite sight as the decadence of the costumes in front of a simplistic, black lace backdrop.  It made the production all the more chilling as you focused on the distinct personalities of each heart breaking character.  Nothing else was necessary as this aided the audience in using the most terrifying tool of all, the horror of our imaginations.  The black and white montage gave the sense of antiquity.  It was any Goths dream wardrobe pushed to the surreal that left you enchanted and delighted with the mix of Victorian, turn of the century, modern gothic attire with a dash of exaggeration.  The amalgamation of different eras seemed to blend together perfectly to create a fantastical world of dreamlike quality.  The fabric caught the many colored stage lights adding to the spookiness of each scene and the clothing seemed to flow with the actors movements creating a fluid pantomime of the macabre.  It was perfectly fashionable for anyone's hallucination.

I don't think I have ever seen a play so well cast.  The singing and acting was of the same caliber as watching a Broadway show in New York.  The entire cast of this show was all extremely talented.  Each person shone on stage and matched each other in giving an exceptional performance.  Not only did every actor portray a character with a strong, tight, over the top depiction but with the exception of Edgar, they all played multiple characters which were all as entertaining as the next.  Each actor complimented the other as they magically danced around the stage in perfect harmony with one another.  It was like a well-oiled machine where everything and everyone worked together so well that there was no separation in any mechanics and no weak links.

I highly recommend this play to anyone who is a fan of musical theatre, dark tales, art and Edgar Allen Poe.  It is a haunting excursion that may be reminiscent of events in your own life just as much as Edgar's which is even more startling.  I know that many audience members were moved to tears as it is a roller coaster ride through life's most wonderful joys and most tragic losses.  I give it yet another standing ovation to the entire production that have made a successful, monumental, living, breathing piece of art which will be a part of my psyche forever more.

The Catalyst Theatre, based in Edmonton, Alberta, has toured internationally with its unique spectacles and has been the recipient of over forty awards.  It is currently travelling across the country to perform their twisted version of the life of Edgar Allan Poe.  It has already been shown in Banff, Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto.  It is currently playing at the Arts Club Theatre from January 21st through February 6th, 2010 in Vancouver as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival before returning to Edmonton for its second run in Catalyst's own venue.   artsclub.com     catalysttheatre.ca

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

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