POE: The Raven-Winged Hours
A macabre multimedia fever-dream envisioning the surreal final hours of Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven-Winged Hours is a Gothic horror audio play with art songs and poetry, inspired by the real-life mystery of Poe’s tragic death.
With music by Lawrence Rush and book and lyrics by Blue Bliss, the work is adapted from Poe’s poetry and tales of the grotesque and arabesque. The Raven-Winged Hours blends theatrical storytelling, song, poetry and visual design into a richly imagined multimedia work.
Its audience is anyone who understands the Gothic alchemy: that terror may be beautiful, that love may be haunted, and darkness itself can be lit from within.
The Raven-Winged Hours Audio 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
Poe is played by John Munnelly, Virginia is played by Cara Elizabeith
