Poe 2000 Review
MEAT & POTATO THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS POE 2000
Oct 1, 2005, MetroHerald
In Poe 2000, adaptor/director Tobin Atkinson explores the dark and mysterious world of Edgar Allan Poe in a new production full of murder, mayhem, and twisted humor. Using seldom-employed theatrical techniques, Poe’s classic works—including The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Cask of Amontillado, The Bells, and Annabel Lee—are brought to life in new and exciting ways.
While the production explores the outer-edges of theatrical expression and literary form, so too does it explore the relevance of Poe’s works to audiences today. Several of the pieces take place through varied eras of the 20th Century. For example, The Tell-Tale Heart has been updated to a horrifically stylized vision of 1950s sunny suburbia, while The Pit and Pendulum takes the audience on a nightmare- inducing journey into the heart of the Iraq War. Other pieces explore Poe’s dark themes against the disparate backdrops of the roaring 20s and the rise of hip-hop culture, featuring an original score by local hip-hop artist and composer John Coulter.
Just in time for Halloween, Meat and Potato invites Washington audiences to enjoy an intimate and engaging night of theatrical wonder-making; with all the thrills and chills one would expect from the master of the macabre. Fresh off their successful debut production, the world premiere of Atkinson’s Infantry Monologues, Poe 2000 will continue to establish Meat and Potato as one of Washington’s freshest and most engaging young theatre companies.
Director and Designers:
Tobin Atkinson (Adaptation/Direction)
Rob Ross (Lighting Design)
Jamie Hill (Costume Design)
John Coulter (Composer/ Poem Adaptation)
EnidAtkinson (Assistant Director)
© 2008 Meat & Potato Theatre