Review: Q Artistry's 'Cabaret Poe'
by Katelyn Coyne
4 Stars
Q Artistry, Irvington Lodge, through Oct. 29.
Q Artistry brings Cabaret Poe to the stage once again, but sadly for the last time. This is the final year of this Irvington Halloween tradition that proffers music and dance as a means to bring Poe's American gothic horror stories to life. The show works, first and foremost, because the production creates an atmosphere the allows the actors to move seamlessly from the kitschy-ness of a cabaret show to the macabre of Poe's dark stories.
But more than that, Ben Asaykwee, the creative genius behind this unique idea, asks that we consider these time-tested stories through different eyes. Most notably, he successfully changes the narrator in stories like "The Raven" to a female perspective. Instead of a man mourning his dead love, a woman mourns her dead child. He also adds a silent element, threading the stories together through the Shadow of Death, brought to life through interpretive dance by Sara Williams. Cabaret Poe has literally everything I could want from a show: songs that stick with your, classic literature and darkly funny direction.
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