Poe to the People

MILFORD — Eerie, scary, beautiful, and passionate are just some of the adjectives to describe this fantastic Halloween season performance of Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetry and Tales by the American Readers Theatre. The fact that this was performed at Grey Towers on a rainy and darkened night, added to the ambiance of the evening. About 150 people came to two performances to hear this professional group of actors directed by Jeffrey David Stocker. The Readers (Greg Giblin, Memory Contento, Darren Fouse, and Greg Kolvenbach) brought Poe to life and made the audience feel as if they actually knew and understood Poe the man, as well as his work. Graphic presentation and some succinct explanation on a drop- down screen also helped to bring works like “Masque of The Red Death,” “Annabelle Lee,” “Hop Frog,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Raven” to life. Forevermore was the title of this performance. The title alludes to and extends the famous “Nevermore” refrain in Poe’s The Raven. It is extremely appropriate that this literary presentation was part of The Grey Towers Heritage Association’s efforts to continue the Pinchot family legacy of supporting the arts and welcoming the community into their home. Clearly the community loved it and the American Readers Theatre did a splendid job of bringing Poe to the people — forevermore.