Fantastic terrors never felt before

Posted on 8th October 2022

The latest production from the Common Ground Theatre Company sees them venture into ambitious territory, taking on both the biography and stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven uses a recital by Poe as a framing device around which four of his best known tales were told. By introducing Poe’s fragile mental state, the audience also got a potted history of the man’s troubled upbringing and the penury he suffered as an adult.

Company stalwart Julian Harries stepped to one side, providing supporting characters for Richard Galloway’s excellent portrayal of the author. Matthew Rutherford and Emily Bennett were just as strong, filling out the cast list that ranged from stepmother to Charles Dickens. Together, they acted out Poe’s tales in a diverting variety of styles. The whimsical approach to The Cask of Amontillado contrasted nicely with the outright weirdness of Ligeia, while The Fall of the House of Usher deftly weaved biographical detail into one of Poe’s best known stories. The latter work showcased one of the great pleasures of a Common Ground production – they are always fun, but they are often educational as well. A huge amount of research clearly went into constructing the complex narrative of this dramatization, bringing to the fore parallels between his work and life I hadn’t previously considered.

As a consequence of the telling of tales, the play was punctuated by fewer songs than we’ve come to expect, but Emily Bennett was in fine voice when called upon, backed by the multi-talented cast. A special mention, too, for Julian Harries’s handsome set design, and the haunting filmed passage that added an extra dimension. Best of all, however, was the play’s conclusion. I wonder if Pat Whymark had in mind Amicus’s portmanteau films when writing a twist in the tale I imagine would have garnered Poe’s hearty approval.