Hate is a strong word and totally not the word that I would use to describe how I feel about this show. However, dislike is quite valid. I'm an avid lover of literature and some of my favorite poetry is by Edgar Allen Poe. But this show did not do him justice.
If you're going to see the show, please make sure you brush up on your knowledge of Edgar Allen Poe. The entire time I was watching the show, I was wanting more to happen. I was yearning for symbolism and metaphors before realizing that I was probably missing a lot of references because I haven't read his works in so long. Most of the music is very diabolical, which I loved. It was all written in tritone and it was enjoyable. But the actor playing Edgar Allen Poe did not do a very good job vocally. His voice was very feminine and it was the last thing I was expecting Poe to sound like. Another issue with casting would be that all of the women in the show looked the same. It was a little hard to keep up with the storyline (besides being disinterested) because I kept forgetting who was who. I did enjoy the costumes, but I couldn't decipher different characters. Definitely a poor choice.
In terms of the show itself, it reminded me a lot of the play Machinal. The story's are incredibly different; however, the precision and the synchronized movements reminded me of the other machine-like play. Another difference between the two is that I actually enjoyed Machinal.
Lastly, I understand that Off Broadway shows don't have as much of an income as shows that are on Broadway, but this show's use of minimalism just didn't work. In shows like A Chorus Line the minimal set works, but for this show, I just wanted something more. I don't think the addition of a set would improve my opinion of the performance; however, I think it would definitely add something auspicious.
Overall, this show may be other people's cup of tea, but it didn't have enough honey and sugar for me. Okay- that was corny. But seriously, I know a lot of people who absolutely loved this show. However in my opinion, it would probably be the last thing I recommend in terms of shows this Broadway/Off Broadway season, this would probably be the last show I recommend.
