Poe into the Theatre
- Brandy Bennett
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
This blog post is about The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy (September, 2025) which was a 21 or older cocktail literary interpretive theatre show at The Ritz Theater. A group of Poe historians retold the following Edgar Allan Poe literary pieces: "The Tell-Tale Heart"; "The Black Cat"; "The Raven"; and "The Masque of the Red Death".
On September 13th, 2025 a large line formed to attend the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy at the Ritz Theater. There were many Edgar Allan Poe enthusiasts eagerly waiting to see the show. Many spectators were dressed in their best attire inspired by the idea of fashion straight out of an Edgar Allan Poe story. The color pallet centered around dark clothing, possibly the type one would wear to a Gothic literary celebration if such a thing even existed.
There were many Poe fans dressed in burgundy another color that resonates with Gothic dress attire. After admiring the spirit of Gothic dress the eager crowd waiting in line noticed the doors to the theatre open. The audience from the previous show began exiting the theatre. They were not shy, sharing full smiles while giving a positive review of their experience. The excitement increased as the front of the line ticket holders started entering the theatre. The whole crowded line of guests inched closer to the the theatre entrance door.
The staff for the event ushered in each guest through the doors. Theatre guests were seated every other row of seats before the show began. There were no assigned seats for this show, guests were seated in traditional theater-style seating after entering the theatre. The stage was set up with props that created an aesthetic atmosphere likened to Poe's haunted chamber. The reflective props added a reflective lighting effect that had the right amount of the color red. The blue lighting created the feeling of phantasma on the stage.
After all the guests were seated the staff began to serve the first of four drinks inspired by Poe's literary devices. After all, this was the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy. In order to purchase tickets to this event you had to be at least 21 years old. Yes, this was an adults only theatrical performance with four amazing complementary drinks. The servers hand-served each one of the four drinks before each of the theatrical performances.
The first drink could have been inspired by Poe's "pale blue eye"(Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy 2025). This literary device comes from Poe's story, "The Tell-Tale Heart". Over the loud speaker a deep chilling voice echoed throughout the theatre announcing the show. "Edgar Allan Poe, one of literature's most enigmatic figures"(Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). These words blared from the speakers before the first performance. Then a well-spoken woman in a black dress appeared walking across the dark stage with a lantern in one hand as she introduced the first performance, "The Tell-Tale Heart". This was a personal favorite when compared to the other three performances. The voice tone and dramatic performance appeared natural enhancing the emotional suspense in the story.
There were rest-breaks between acts to allow for empty drink cups to be collected before a new drink was served. The second drink served was said to be "Edgar Allan Poe's favorite, the cat's meow"(Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). This drink included "Kentucky Bourbon" and "French Brandy paired with cream" (Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). The garnish for this drink was one "star anise" (Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). This was a personal favorite drink of the four served drinks. This wasn't "Poe taste"(Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025), rather "Poe's taste"(Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). These are some of the amusing puns from the announcer, and there were plenty throughout the show. These puns centered around the drinks, Poe's historical information, and Poe's literary works.
The act following the "Cat's Meow"(Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025) was inspired by Poe's, "The Black Cat". The interpretation of this short story was portrayed as a descent into madness as the performer positioned his body with the intensity of his voice and performance wordage. This live-action performance brought Poe's story to life. This particular story is not a personal favorite of mine from Edgar Allan Poe. However, the recitation was not overly gory. The lights came back just in time for the third drink service. "The nevermore drink containing orange peach blossom vodka was garnished with a citrus slice" (Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). After the drink service, again the theatre darkened to a a vibrantly lit stage. The show announcer recanted interesting historical facts about Edgar Allan Poe. This was followed by a improv performance of "The Raven". The show goes on like clockwork! The lights are on again and another round of servers started handing out the final drink. "The drink, cocktail of red death includes cherry herring" (Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, 2025). In this drink everyone gets roses as pieces of rose petals garnished this flora fruity tasting drink.
The finale was a performance of, "The Masque of the Red Death" which used various colors of stage lighting to enhance the performance. These performances were not similar to someone reading a literature piece. Although, each performance only had one performer on stage this was much different than a soliloquy. These acts were brought to life through the voice of the interpretive performer delivering a memorable show. Bravo!
Written by: Brandy Bennett September 17, 2025
Photography: Brandy Bennett September 13, 2025
This blog post is written about an event: Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, at The Ritz September 13, 2025 edgarallanpoebar.com
Comments