Back in May, when Fantasia Fest was just beginning to announce all the cool things it had in store this summer, I mentioned that Jeffrey Combs and Stuart Gordon would be bringing their one-man play about Edgar Allan Poe there, it’s first international performance. Well, that time is finally upon us, kids! Unfortunately I’m not going to be in Montreal for either of the two performances, but this thing has shown real legs since its premiere last summer, so hopefully it’ll make it s way to New York at some point this year.
Award-winning filmmaker Stuart Gordon, beloved for such films as RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND and STUCK will be returning to Fantasia (after gracing us for the CDN premiere of EDMOND in 2006) with his staple star Jeffrey Combs and regular writing partner Dennis Paoli to stage their acclaimed one-man play NEVERMORE: AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE, which features Combs in a breathtaking performance as the legendary author. It should be noted that Gordon was a celebrated theater director for many years before turning to cinema. Among his many impressive credits, the future filmmaker founded Chicago’s Organic Theater in the ‘70s and was the first to stage a play by David Mamet, whom he continues to collaborate with every now and then.
A spellbinding recreation of the public recitals that Poe regularly performed in the years before his death, based on reviews and reports of his actual appearances, NEVERMORE premiered in Los Angeles in July 2009 and was originally slated to run for four weeks. Critical raves and mass audience draws saw the run extended to nearly six months. Combs’ performance is so captivating and mercurial that many critics have championed him as “the definitive Poe”, a claim that we can fully agree with. This pair of Fantasia shows marks the first time that the play will be performed beyond U.S. borders.
2010 also happens to be the 25th anniversary of RE-ANIMATOR, and in celebration of this, Fantasia will be screening an uncut 35mm print of the cult classic, hosted by Gordon, Paoli and Combs.
For more FantasiaFest info, click HERE.
NEVERMORE: AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE will be performed July 17 and 18, 8PM at the Rialto Theatre, 5723 Avenue Du Parc. If you can be there, be there!