Spooky show returns to Hobnob after 11 years
An upcoming play at Hobnob Theatre Company will take audiences into stories familiar to many thanks to a director who is taking his face to the other side of the stage.
After 11 years, Hobnob is bringing back an original play in “Edgar Allen Poe Tales of the Grotesque,” which is written by Eric W. Cooke and based on the life of Poe and some of his most famous short stories.
The story will be familiar to people who saw the play when it was first performed in 2014. Justin Anderson starred as Poe in that production; and this time is directing actors in, what he said, is a production that is more intimate than the last one. Considering it is going from a stage at Butler County Community College to Hobnob’s black box theater studio on Butler’s Main Street, the production will have an entirely new feel.
“We did it back in 2014 … It was done on the Succop Theater stage on a much larger scale,” Anderson said. “I am enjoying the intimate version of this show. It’s a lot different than working on the big stage. We had to change some of the blocking, sets — things of that nature.”
The smaller-scale stage does not mean the play will hold back on any of its thrills or frills. The black box theater style allows for creative lighting and some up-close-and-personal opportunities between the actors and viewers, which will make the experience even more immersive, Anderson said.
The play is about Poe being taken on a tour of some of his most famous short stories by a “mysterious character” whom Anderson did not want to explain too much about. The stories featured in the play are “The Raven,” “The Tell Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Masque of the Red Death.”
The role of Poe is portrayed by Kevin Vespaziani, with Daniel Williams portraying the mystery character who takes Poe on a journey through his stories. There are 10 actors in the cast, some of whom play more than one character to round out the necessary roles. The rest of the cast includes Logan S. Andres, John Henry, Molly Miller, Jeff Myers, Cory Phafo, Elizabeth Smith, Gail Suhr and Sam Thinnes.
Anderson said that although he considered going for the role of Poe once again, he is happy to have ended up taking the director’s chair, because the new Poe and the rest of the cast bring their own flair to the script.
“It's really cool because I played the role of Poe, but it's fun to see other actors have their own take,” Anderson said. “I get to have a different point of view behind the chair.”
Anderson added that although the show is specifically meant to be performed around Halloween, he does not see the scares as being too intense for the average viewer. Overall, the show aims to provide an eerie atmosphere wrapped up in an interesting mystery to get viewers into the spooky spirit.
“It’s not your modern-day scary movie and it’s interesting scary things that we bring to life when it’s Edgar and this mystery character,” Anderson said. “It’s serious and with some levity in it.”
“Edgar Allen Poe Tales of the Grotesque,” shows at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 through 26 and Oct. 30 through Nov. 2. For tickets, visit hobnobtheatre.com.
The show runs about an hour and 40 minutes, which includes a 10-minute intermission, according to Anderson.
