Eric Woolfson - Edgar Allan Poe: A Musical By Eric Woolfson
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CD Details
Artist: Eric WoolfsonEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2009-09-15
Music Label: Indie Europe/Zoom
Music reviews of Edgar Allan Poe: A Musical By Eric Woolfson
Music Review: Great story. Great Performances. Great show.
Rating: 5 Stars
I was actually at this performance inside Studio 1 at Abbey Road in 2003. The show "ran" for 3 nights, we saw the Thursday and Saturday shows, this DVD comes from the Saturday show.
It. Was. Phenomonal.
No DVD can replace actually being there but this one gets as close as one can. The "book" on the show is tight, by far the best of Eric's musicals. That makes for an engaging story.
The production is quite understated and exceptionally well done. All the characters are dressed in black, except Poe and that motiff carries for the rest of the show. Act 1 begins with Poe trying to sell a magazine publisher on his own work. He then moves on to create grisly stories which help the magazine's sales. He's given an assignment to review a literary compilation by Rufus Griswold, gives it a scathing review and thus earns Griswold's enmity. This sets the stage for the developing artistic story between those two.
Poe's cousin (and eventual wife) Virginia is introduced. Their battles with her frail health and how he copes are amazingly choreographed in one song with some of the female cast members coming across as incarnations of his own internal demons. This results in increasing erratic behavior on his part which Griswold takes advantage of to try and destroy his reputation. He even tries to do this at a recital by giving a reading of "The Raven" and in one of the show's most powerful moments, the actor playing Griswold gives a reading of that famous poem you won't soon forget.
Virginia dies and Griswold insinuates himself into Poe's professional life getting to be his literary executer. This leads into another tour de force performance of the song "Trust Me" with Griswold telling everybody how they must protect Poe's reputation by not saying he's necrophylic, syphylitic, schyzophrenic, etc. All choreographed beautifully with the chorus sitting on chairs with their backs to the audience, then turning around gossiping about Poe, coming together as one great maligning phalanx.
Steve Balsamo's performance as Poe was simply stunning. The end song, "Immortal" was so affecting, my wife was in tears and the only time she's ever been affected by a song in the theater was during "Memories" at the end of Cats.
The supporting cast is equally great. I can't remember the actor's name that played Griswold but was the perfect contrast to Balsamo. And his assistant, the character Reynolds, reminds you of Smithers from the Simpsons.
You don't have to be a fan of musical theater to enjoy this production either. It's got it's fair share of rock theater in it to keep it edgy. And you'll be amazed at Balsamo's voice.
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