POE: The Raven-Winged Hours
A macabre multimedia fever-dream envisioning the surreal final hours of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe's stories and poems come to life in this moving new operatic melodrama POE: The Raven-Winged Hours. Based on the strange but true story of his mysterious death in a sinister Baltimore hospital notorious for body snatching, this gothic horror romance explores the last hours of the dying poet as he careens between waking torments and delirous dreams.
Poe is haunted by the ghost of his wife Virginia and the terrible guilt of his broken vow to her on her deathbed. Propelled into scenes from his own writings and confronted by characters of his own creation, the nightmare reality of the hospital intertwines with wild hallucinations as he undertakes his final journey to the ends of the Earth, seeking an ultimate Beauty that lies beyond the grave.
With a score that is lush, romantic, dark and intense, composer Lawrence Rush has created an emotionally charged musical experience evoking Poe’s pain and passion. Blue Bliss wrote the book and lyrics, adapted from Poe’s ecstatic poetry and his tales of the grotesque and arabesque. In a story that is touching, humorous and macabre, and a score filled with memorable songs and poetry, POE: The Raven-Winged Hours promises to be an evening of theater that will enthrall lovers of Poe, magic and mystery.
The Raven-Winged Hours Radio Theatre
In collaboration with composer, actor and tenor Lawrence Rush, who wrote the music and performed all the characters. Poe's poetry was performed by Louis Biggie.
1: O Pity Me
While burying their cat in the local cemetery, a man and woman gossip about Edgar Allan Poe, who is known to haunt his wife's grave there. This episode includes a hypnotic induction and the song "O Pity Me."
2: A Dream Within A Dream
Poe encounters the Moon goddess in the form of his own literary creation, Ligeia. While mourning at his wife's grave, he’s attacked by a deranged fan. This episode includes Poe’s poems “A Dream Within A Dream” and “The Sleeper” plus the songs "Here Is The Horizon" and "I Will Fly."
3: Beneath The Cold Moon
Ligeia and Poe conduct a ceremony of Magick and begin a journey to the ends of the Earth. Dream-land melds with the nightmare of his hospital room. This episode includes Poe’s poem “The Haunted Palace” and the songs “Antarctic Dirge” and "All My Spells Are Broken."
4: Deliriously Sweet, Teardrops Fall
In the hospital, a sudden turn of events bleeds into Poe’s secret journey. The Imp of the Perverse takes command, compelling Poe to confess a guilty secret. This episode includes Poe’s poems “To Helen” and “To One in Paradise.”
5: The Pain
A midnight visitor comes tapping at Poe’s chamber door. Poe relives the tragic death of Virginia. He reveals the vow they made on her deathbed, which has tormented him ever since. This episode includes Poe’s poem “A Dream” and the song "O Human Love."
6: The Ray Of Sunken Suns
The Imp of the Perverse mocks Poe’s dream of an afterlife. Poe becomes lost inside a nightmare, where he encounters another monster from his writings. This episode includes Poe’s poem “Dream-Land.”
7: A Dreamer in the Moonbeam
In the library of an old decaying mansion, Poe wakes into a nightmare of Virginia's ghost. In the hospital, his Nurse tries to rescue him from the Doctor’s evil plans. This episode includes Poe’s poem “The Valley of Unrest.”
8: Truth Is A Lie
Poe and Ligeia reach the Antarctic Pole. The Nurse confronts an intruder in Poe’s hospital room. The Doctor reveals his true intentions. This episode includes Poe’s poem “Alone.”
9: In The Deep Sky
Inside the ice cave, Poe finds secret things. But more experiences await him beyond Death. This episode includes Poe’s poems “The Conqueror Worm” (excerpts), “The City in the Sea” and “Spirits of the Dead” and the songs “Thy Will Is Done O Sun” and “The Beyond.”
10: The Raven-Winged Hours
Virginia’s ghost helps Poe's lost soul to recall their life together. He relives the mystery and terror of dying. A new Eternity has begun. The song is “The Raven-Winged Hours.”
Projection art from the stage version
