Description

A dark and dreadful night. A woman in white lost within a wood. And the only shelter is a house full of murderers. Mixing funhouse tricks, Grand Guignol and a deadly game of cat and mouse, Murder by Poe is a theatrical reimagining of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous tales of terror—"The Black Cat,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “William Wilson,” “The Purloined Letter,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” As each haunted figure tells a story of crime and mayhem, the woman must solve the puzzle of the house and the riddle of the man who ushers her into its mysteries.




“Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher guides us into the House of Poe, a dark space with as many rooms as there are tales. Doors and cabinets open to reveal corpses, weapons and every detail of the crime scene…These murderers and victims take the stage like figures from our nightmares. They describe and reenact their stories as if the theater were a laboratory and we were students watching humans turn themselves into experiments.” —The New York Times

Credits

Co-Directors
Scenic Design
Lighting Design
Costume Design:
Props Design
Producer
Ensemble
Tech Coordinator
Light & Sound Operators
Set Construction
Tech Director
House Manager Coordinator

Reviews

Murder by Poe is a Ghoulish Delight
- William Harrold, Free Lance Reviewer

LAS CRUCES -- What better way to celebrate the spirit of Halloween than watching some of Edgar Allen Poe’s most famous stories and characters come to life before your eyes?

“Murder by Poe,” currently playing at the Black Box Theatre in Las Cruces, weaves together seven of the famed horror writer’s classic works into a 90-minute play that offers a strong ensemble cast, a well-designed and effectively eerie set, and lighting and sound features that help bring the story to life.

A young maiden is lost in the woods as night approaches, when she comes upon an isolated house that appears to offer refuge. But all is not as it seems in the house, and the murderers and villains who reside there begin to act out their crimes.

Fans of Poe will recognize the stories each of the vignettes portray, from “Murders in the Rue Morgue” to “The Purloined Letter.” We transition from to story to story with the aid of a narrator, inspector Auguste Dupin (played by A.J. Tumminaro), the famous French detective who solved the Rue Morgue murders.

As the stories unfold the bloody mayhem commences; bodies are dismembered, buried under floorboards, cemented up behind cellar walls, appear unexpectedly behind closet doors, and tumble down chimneys. The action is at times comedic, often gruesome, and occasionally riveting, as the story builds toward a surprise ending.

Co-directors Joshua and Bekah Taulbee have assembled a terrific ensemble cast, many of whom take on multiple roles during the production. Atticus Staritt brings a cheerful, manic energy to his role as the murderer in “The Black Cat” vignette, and Rachel Thomas-Chappell combines humor and horror perfectly in “The Telltale Heart.”

Penny Bever takes on the role of two separate murder victims in “William Wilson” and “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and many of the other cast members are delightful in their multiple roles, especially JoseLuis Solorzano and Cassie Galban (who knew a cat could have such a delightful personality?).

“Murder by Poe” continues through October 29 at the Black Box Theatre, 430 N. Main St., Las Cruces, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m., and a Thursday performance on October 26 at 7:00 p.m. Regular admission tickets are $15, seniors and students are $12, and Thursday evening bargain tickets are $10. To reserve tickets call the theatre at 575-523-1223

Seating

No seating plan has been posted.