We meet Edgar Allan Poe, the father of the mystery tale and architect of the modern short story, at age 11, about to start boarding school and already precociously calling himself “remarkable.”
He’s “a despot in pre-puberty,” as delightfully described by Nick Ryan and Katie Hartman, the duo known as The Coldharts, who devised and star in the craftily entertaining trilogy of short plays onstage at Fringe ArtSpace in downtown Orlando.
Each hourlong play finds Poe, who died mysteriously at age 40 in 1849, in another stage of his formative years. Really, it’s better to think of each installment as an act of a full-length play. Each segment is unquestionably stronger when viewed as part of the whole — making this residency, the first time the Coldharts have performed all three titles back-to-back-to-back in this fashion, quite a treat.
Ryan and Hartman were inspired by Poe’s story “William Wilson,” about a man who discovers a doppelganger and develops a love-hate relationship with him. The Coldharts took the bones of that story — which is, of course, about more than first meets the eye — and mixed in historical facts about Poe’s life alongside multiple original and engaging songs. They then artfully wove it all together into a provocative and atmospheric tale.
Together, the three plays make a psychological thriller with dark humor and murderous overtones. Sound familiar? Yes, the vibe recalls a good Poe story. That feeling is cleverly echoed in the duo’s vocabulary, with beautiful and descriptive words rolling off their tongues: succumb, tyranny, gnarled, coalescence.
And you hear Poe in the cadence of their speech. As they describe a journey to a far-off dormitory room, one feels the growing tension found in a similar descent into a dank cellar in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Other allusions abound — bird references in this tale of the author of “The Raven” and the appearance of an orangutan, an animal memorably at the forefront of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
The discerning viewer will be left to ponder questions about the choices we all make and how we deal with our nagging consciences as well as our ambition and sense of self-worth. But it’s equally possible to simply enjoy the bravura performances.
Hartman’s cocky exuberance can quickly give way to pain. “Why would he want to be friends with me?” her young Edgar pathetically asks, a stark contrast to the future writer’s usual smug bravado.
Ryan, with his compelling, raspy whisper, conveys an air of repression as unsettling as Hartman’s twisted features as Edgar seethes with resentment.
The first segment, “Edgar Allan,” has a perfect balance of the building tension and darkly comic, almost whimsical details of Poe’s best writing. The second and third, “Eddie Poe” and “Edgar Perry,” respectively, still have humor in the drama, but it’s not always as deftly blended. And on opening weekend, the dialogue didn’t always flow as smoothly in the latter titles.
This is the local premiere of “Edgar Perry,” the concluding work and the newest, and it could use a punchier ending, maybe something from Poe’s playbook that leaves the audience with a gasp or a reason to sleep with a nightlight illuminating the shadows.
But the artistry trumps any minor deficiencies. The performers play trumpet, ukulele, violin, drum and more — sometimes as effective underscore, sometimes through original songs, with the best being the haunting “Why Is the Night So Dark?” and the insightful “Everything Cruel.”
Once again, ArtSpace is beautifully decked out; a hallway of floating candles is particularly effective. And Orlando Fringe has made this an event with a Poe market, specialty cocktails, a photo spot with a creepy mannequin that would be right at home in “The Masque of the Red Death,” and activities including a chance to teach yourself whist, a popular card game of Poe’s era.
“Edgar Allan” was named the best show in the 2016 Orlando Fringe Critics Choice Awards; Hartman won best female performer that year, as well. We’re lucky to have this inventively entertaining piece of theater back in its full-length form.
Poe Triptych
- ‘Edgar Allan’ (part 1): 2 p.m. Nov. 12, 7 p.m. Nov. 16, 9 p.m. Nov. 17, 7 p.m. Nov. 18
- ‘Eddie Poe’ (part 2): 4 p.m. Nov. 12, 9 p.m. Nov. 16, 2 p.m. Nov. 19
- ‘Edgar Perry’ (part 3): 7 p.m. Nov. 17, 9 p.m. Nov. 18, 4 p.m. Nov. 19
- Special ‘Eddie Poe/Edgar Perry’ double bill: 7 p.m. Nov. 13 ($18-$22 ticket includes both shows)
- Where: Fringe ArtSpace, 54 W. Church St. in Orlando
- Cost: $13-$18 per show; discount available for buying two shows
- Info: OrlandoFringe.org/artspace
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