Get ready for Chapter Two.
The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy returns to Virginia Beach this week and Newport News in October, after last year’s successful visit.
Poe, born in 1809, is credited with creating the detective crime genre and was renowned for his mastery of horror and suspense. Poe was also no stranger to Hampton Roads and several of his works might have been inspired by his stints here.
The events consist of actors presenting short stories or poems in a dark, barroom setting. Each performance is accompanied by a signature cocktail. The Virginia Beach show will be at Grand Affairs and the Newport News event will be set at the Historic Boxwood Inn.
“The show and the drinks are both quite enjoyable,” said Marvin Lee Fanny, Jr., of Chesapeake, a retired high school English teacher, who attended last year’s performance. He said he liked how the actors’ interpretations were true to Poe’s intent.
“The small, intimate, and yes, dimly-lit performance area really enhanced the already great acting and theatrics.”
Stories included this year's tour include “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “Annabel Lee” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Poe-inspired libations include the Pale Blue Eye, Cocktail of the Red Death, The Nevermore and Edgar’s Twisted Brandy Milk Punch, the latter an homage to Poe and his purported favorite drink.
Creative director Julia Tirinnanzi’s interest in macabre literature and cocktails sparked the creation of the show.
“I thought it would be really cool to have a live show and cocktail pairing,” she said.
Poe was the perfect vehicle; she said it is really special when there are links to Poe and the places where the group performs.
“It’s more personal,” she said, “like a hometown connection.”
Poe was born in Boston but was orphaned after his mother died and his father abandoned him. He was taken in by a family in Richmond and grew up there. He spent a year at the University of Virginia, where he racked up gambling debts he couldn’t pay and had to leave. Poe wanted a writing career but joined the Army to support himself. He was stationed at Fort Monroe between 1828 and 1829 and was familiar with Chesapeake’s Dismal Swamp and Lake Drummond, which likely served as the inspiration for his poem “The Lake.”
Years later, after leaving the military and finding success with his writing, he returned to the area to recite his work, including the former Hygeia Hotel at Fort Monroe. He gave one of his last lectures at the old Norfolk Academy Building on Bank Street in Norfolk. He ended that lecture by reciting “The Raven” at the audience’s request.
During a trip from Richmond to New York in late September 1849, Poe was found sick and disheveled during a stop in Baltimore. He was hospitalized and spent days in and out of consciousness, according to www.nps.gov, talking to “spectral and imaginary objects on walls.” He died on October 7. He was 40 years old.
The Virginia Beach event takes place from Thursday through Saturday. The Newport News event is October 24 and 25. Tickets are $55.
The event benefits the Sallie A. Hunt Foundation, which provides shoes and essentials to underprivileged children and adults.
Visit edgarallanpoebar.com for tickets and more information.