As a child with a dark streak, I was fascinated by Edgar Allan Poe's meditations on murder and madness. In Nevermore, Shakespeare by the Sea has brought four of my favourites to the stage: "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Raven" and the "The Tell-Tale Heart". Of the four, I was most chilled by "The Raven," which benefits greatly from Sébastien Labelle's compelling and creepy intensity, and "The Tell-Tale Heart" which is made edge-of-seat gripping by Rhys Bevan-John's ability to convey both a sunny charm and homicidal madness. The show is quilted together with tidbits from Poe's work that offer lighter moments and an opportunity for Labelle and Bevan-John to comically kibitz. An effective array of projections magically transforms the Park Place Theatre into everything from a dank catacomb to a Victorian chamber. Scary and fun.
Park Place Theatre, Point Pleasant Park (bottom parking lot), To Oct 28 Thurs, Fri, 8pm, Sat, Sun 2pm and 8pm; Oct 31-Nov 31, 8pm
