Reviewed by Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move

Feels Like The First Time

Oh what a surprise and I’m grateful for that.  The Poe Show has been making appearances since quite possibly much, much longer than 2013 at Sacred Fools LA as a Late Night Serial Killer and on other stages in one iteration or another.

But this time, Edgar Allan Poe never had it so good.   In a special Hollywood Fringe 2015 presentation, in the hands of the ever demented Brendan Hunt, The Poe Show is back – LIVE from Burbank with very special guests, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr. Frank, Dracula, Emily Bronte, Mary Shelley, Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain.

As a morbidly depressed, David Letterman-style late night talk show host accompanied by an equally obtuse Paul Shaffer-like sidekick, the Raven (voiced by Ed Goodman), The Poe Show’s Infection of the Fringe, delivers what is possible a perfect sketch comedy by a well-versed, on point cast with its strongest lead female, Lauren Van Kurin (an IO West regular and also appearing this Fringe in the award-winning King of Kong: A Musical) providing additional material for this show.

The brilliance of this piece, and why you will be hard pressed to find anything that will quite measure up, especially during Fringe, is just how much is actually unscripted.  The Poe Show follows an “arc” but it is during the pauses and what seem like holes, that the “OMG” realization moment happens.  Apart from the unparalleled bang out commercials, they are often “on the fly”.   The gags are hysterical as is Poe’s insatiable lust for the macabre and exposing some of the follies of his guests. You’re just gonna have to wait for it!

Very Highly Recommended

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