Hobnob Theatre Company revives a chilling ‘Tales of the Grotesque’
Hobnob Theatre Company in Butler has brought back one of its most beloved spooky season productions: Eric W. Cook’s “Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of the Grotesque.” This revival is a triumph of atmosphere and ensemble and a testament to Hobnob’s continued ability to make the dark delicious.
Cook’s script reimagines Poe’s world through a timeless premise: To save his young wife, Virginia, Poe must tell stories to Death. It’s a conceit as old as Scheherazade but perfectly suited to Poe’s blend of dread, wit and fatalism. The play moves between a New York City tavern in 1839 (the same year that Poe’s “Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque” was published) and the haunted corridors of Poe’s imagination, dramatizing some of his most famous tales, including “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The script’s structure, composed of stories within stories, feels organic and fluid, aided by sharp pacing and a dark, playful tone that never slips into parody.
Director Justin Anderson, who himself played Poe in Hobnob’s 2014 production, brings both familiarity and fresh insight to this revival. Anderson’s vision and the precision of his cast and crew create an immersive effect, and the audience feels as though they’re sitting just a few tables away, eavesdropping on the doomed poet’s bargain.
Ken Smith’s lighting and sound design are exceptional. Strategic slashes of light isolate moments of revelation or horror, while other areas remain submerged in shadow, emphasizing an imagination flickering in and out of focus. During “The Masque of the Red Death,” Smith’s use of strobe effects leaves the audience with a sensation of being trapped inside a moving painting. The crew of Anthony Closkey and stage manager Alyna Sanchez keeps transitions smooth and dreamlike. The minimalist set amplifies the tension; with nowhere to hide, every movement and line must land cleanly, and they do. Elizabeth Smith’s costumes add verisimilitude to the production. Every waistcoat and frock feels lived-in and of its era, helping to materially root Poe’s flights of fancy as the show toggles between realism and nightmare.
This is an ensemble piece, full of doubling and tripling of roles, yet the cast never loses clarity or cohesion. There isn’t a weak link as each performer commits fully to the shifting tones of the script, from gothic melodrama to quiet tragedy.
Kevin Vespaziani anchors the show as Poe. Bearing a resemblance to the famous 1849 portrait, Vespaziani’s Virginian-tinged timbre and gaunt frame give real weight to the poet’s despair. While Daniel Williams as Death/Mr. Toller is, by turns, seductive and menacing, a wheedling trickster whose vanity and hunger for attention make him as compelling as he is chilling.
John Henry Steelman’s intuitive performance style makes him a pleasure to watch in any context, and here he shines as Prospero in “The Masque of the Red Death” infusing the role with decadent arrogance. Sam Thinnes delivers two standout turns, first as a ferocious, physical and silent Death in “The Masque of the Red Death” and later as the deranged narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” where, as his hair and gestures become increasingly untamed, his descent into madness is riveting.
In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Logan Andres’s Madeline Usher is an ethereal, haunting presence, floating and moving with ghostly grace. Cory J. Pfahl, as George Ainsworth, brings warmth and unease to the same story as his character attempts to balance reason against the encroaching madness.
Molly Miller reimagines Virginia Poe not as the fragile victim of popular imagination but as a strong-willed 17-year-old, while Elizabeth Smith as Virginia’s mother, Mrs. Clemm, grounds the domestic scenes with deep compassion.
Jeff Myers adds bluster and humor to his roles as Graham and The Detective, and Gail Suhr’s expressive turn as the nosy, gossipy neighbor in “The Tell-Tale Heart” adds a touch of everyday humanity to the horror.
Hobnob’s “Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of the Grotesque” is a spooky, stylish and unexpectedly moving Halloween treat. The production is a reminder that you don’t need elaborate effects to summon the macabre power of Poe’s imagination: just strong actors, smart direction and respect for the text.
The show runs 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission and completes its run with 7:30 p.m. showings Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 and 2. Though the production is sold out, a waitlist is available at hobnobtheatre.com.
