One Man Poe is a show of two parts. Presented in rep style, four theatrical takes on Edgar Allen Poe stories, presented in pairs, are performed on alternating days throughout the Edinburgh Fringe month.
Stephen Smith (Apple Of My Eye) is the one man of these interpretations of Poe’s words, and has also self-directed. Appropriately spooky soundscapes have been designed by Joseph Furey and Django Holder.
We begin with The Black Cat, an eerie and evocative tale of a man haunted by the actions he believes he has been tricked into by the eponymous feline. Is this a case of a haunting? Or is the man looking for an excuse for his increasingly heinous actions? It’s for the audience to decide, and, as is often with Poe, no distinctive conclusions are provided.
The Black Cat asks what depths paranoia will plunge us to and how an inability to take responsibility for one’s actions is not an inexhaustible excuse. Smith plays this tale with a northern accent. It’s a deliberate choice to effectively relocate the tale from New England to old. By locating the story closer to us, the terror also feels closer.
The transition to The Raven, arguably one of Poe’s two most well-known stories, takes place onstage. Smith transforms from the almost unrepentant accused to an older, frailer, more sorrowful tale-teller. The physical transformation is fascinating to watch, as is how quickly it is undertaken and its markedness.
The Raven is the infamous poem concerning the narrator’s lost love, Lenore. Here, unusually, the raven speaks, thanks to some incredibly impressive skills from the performer who hits their cues precisely. There’s more than a hint of regret within this interpretation of the poem. There’s also real emotion, in what all too frequently becomes an exercise in speedy recitation.
The Tell-Tale Heart is perhaps Poe’s most famous story, a tale of a man wracked by guilt and insanity. What could easily be a wild-eyed session of ranting and raving is instead reserved and carefully mastered, building an amazing and thrilling conclusion.
We end with The Pit and the Pendulum, and this is Smith’s most masterful performance. Poe’s famously horrific tale of torture has been adapted quite a few times, and Smith immerses the audience into this gripping tale of terror with a little bit of grime and blood, and an awful lot of sweat. Gripping stuff.
For lovers of Poe, these are intriguingly performed renditions of well-known and well-loved texts. Smith’s delivery may cause you to rethink your previous understanding of these bellwether texts. Smith himself is an engaging storyteller, switching from an air of seduction to one of terror in the flicker of a lighting change or the introduction of a soundscape.
Classic, clever and quick, this one-man horror performance is a must-see for genre lovers.
Find out more about future tours of One Man Poe here.
