Writers: Antonia Christophers, Noel Byrne and Mark Collier
Director: Mark Collier
Edgar Allan Poe’s tales of gothic horror get a superbly crafted showcase in this new production by Fringe regulars Box Tale Soup. The show features four stories, within the framework of a lecture given by a scholar – an expert on Poe’s works, who has his own dark secret threatening to overwhelm him.
Poe’s strange life (and death) and his shocking themes of murder, delusion and madness are a perfect subject for Box Tale Soup’s signature mash-up of theatre and puppetry. The impassive faces of the masks, and the unsettling way in which puppets can (in hands as skilled as these) engage our emotions as if they were flesh and blood, just add to the otherworldly vibes. As we are drawn in as witnesses to these macabre events, the suspense is accentuated by a gripping original score by Dan Melrose.
Noel Byrne plays the scholar and various protagonists in the stories: haunted, amoral and vengeful characters whose motives are often unclear. For the tormented scholar, ‘conscience is no quiet companion’, and his gradual unravelling is compelling, with a shadowy presence (Antonia Christophers as the ‘saintly soul’ and an ominous bird) pulling at the threads of his sanity. Both actors animate the handcrafted puppets (apart from one that seems to have a life of its own) and the choreography of scene-changes is elegant and precisely synchronised.
The piece was specially commissioned by the Clark Memorial Library at UCLA, and like their scholar, the Box Tale Soup company have immersed themselves in the library’s collection of Poe’s works and archives. Their understanding of their subject shines through this adaptation, and it proves a perfect introduction to Poe’s dark and troubling world. Follow them into the catacombs – if you dare…
Runs until 31 August 2026 | Image: Contributed
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
100%
Gripping Gothic Horror