What could be a better opening date for a play with “murder” and “Poe” in the title than Friday the 13th?
“Murder By Poe” by Jeffrey Hatcher opens Friday, Oct. 13, for a three-weekend run at Black Box Theatre, 430 N. Main St.
"Edgar Allan Poe's horrifying tales and poems are perfect for the stage,” said Joshua Taulbee, who is co-directing the play with his wife, Bekka Taulbee. “In ‘Murder by Poe,’ characters from Poe's stories take the stage and tell their bloody, bloody, stories: ‘The Black Cat,’ ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue,’ ‘William Wilson,’ ‘The Purloined Letter,’ ‘The Mystery of Marie Roget’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’ Axes appear from out of nowhere. Bodies appear in doorways. The perfect play for the Halloween season,” Taulbee said.
The 11-member cast includes Casi Galban – “who is also doing a phenomenal job with the costumes,” Taulbee said – Rachel Thomas-Chappel, A.J. Tumminaro, Genno and Nancy Tafoya, Penny Beaver, Luz Resendez, Lisa Taylor, Atticus Starritt, Dezz Martin and JoseLuis Solorzano.
Cast members “have worked hard over the past month and have amazed us with their skill and professionalism,” Taulbee said. “They have conquered various accents, been stabbed, hidden in the floor and dismembered. It's not all gloom and doom, however. It's hard not to laugh at the outrageous way some of the characters behave. The audience is in store for a hilariously scary good time.”
“Murder By Poe” marks the first time Bekah Taulbee has directed anything longer than a 15-minute one-act play, Joshua Taulbee said, and the two “are so thrilled to work together as co-directors,” he said.
Joshua Taulbee is also the show’s set designer and Bekah Taulbee is the lighting designer.
Performances are 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 22 and 29 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26.
Tickets are $15 regular admission, $12 for students and seniors over age 65 and $10 for all seats on Thursday, Oct. 26.
For tickets and more information, call 575-523-1223. Visit no-strings.org.
