“A dazzlingly sinister love letter to Poe.”
Fringe veterans Box Tale Soup return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with A Ghost Among the Living, a delightfully macabre tribute to the work of Edgar Allan Poe. Feeling inspired by the classic portmanteau Amicus features, the gothic aesthetics of Hammer Horror, and Vincent Price’s collaborative Poe adaptations with Roger Corman, A Ghost Among the Living is an undeniably creepy treat.
A Ghost Among the Living sees writers Antonia Christophers, Noel Byrne and Mark Collier, the latter of whom directs the production, pay fitting tribute to the gothic genius of Edgar Allan Poe using physical storytelling, handcrafted staging and uniquely original puppetry. With retellings of such Poe classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, Ligeia and The Cask of Amontillado, as well as poems The Raven and Lenore, A Ghost Among the Living is a dazzlingly sinister love letter to the American writer.
Like many, before the literary works of Poe spring to mind, the legendary adaptations of his work from Roger Corman and Vincent Price are summoned, with the aesthetics of these and wider Gothic horror, such as British institution Hammer Films, feeling like inspirations in the performances and aesthetic of Box Tale Soup’s work. Yet this homage feels refreshingly original thanks to the unique visual and storytelling touches.
The Tell-Tale Heart is told with gleefully macabre horror using small puppets and the enigmatic performances from Noel Byrne and Antonia Christophers. The pair are master storytellers, gradually unwinding the tale of the murder of an old man with an unsettling eye and the hiding of his body under the floorboards. As well as puppetry, A Ghost Among the Living brings this to life with compelling music and lighting cues which help it creep further beneath the audience’s skin.
The creativity displayed during the retelling of The Cask of Amontillado is magnificent. Archways are manoeuvred around the stage, crafting a claustrophobic energy befitting of the catacombs, whilst flowing red fabrics and ingenious puppetry help craft the gluttonous, wine-guzzling character of Fortunato. Similarly creative approaches, including the use of coloured fabrics, masked costumes and assertive lighting, bring The Masque of the Red Death and Prince Prospero’s prestigious palace to life as a plague-ridden intruder brings chaos, fear and death.
Byrne and Christophers are both commanding presences, breathing life and devilish energy into these classic tales, both gifted purveyors of the gothic horror and moral tropes at the heart of these nearly two-hundred-year-old texts.
Ligeia feels like a slightly less essential addition, with the pacing dipping in comparison to some of the bolder gothic horror spectacle at the heart of A Ghost Among the Living. However, even this feels absorbing in its use of puppetry, sound and lighting. The looming Raven prop at the centre of the stage, whilst capturing the eternal torment and unrelenting presence of darkness, doesn’t quite get a moment to shine despite looming over the audience throughout the production.
A Ghost Among the Living is an elegantly crafted celebration of Poe that understands both the theatrical and unsettling nature of gothic horror. Box Tale Soup’s inventive puppetry, striking staging and committed performances transform these familiar tales into something visually distinctive, whilst retaining the darkness and moral unease at the heart of Poe’s work. With its blend of macabre storytelling, atmospheric design and devilish charm, this is a fittingly sinister tribute to one of literature’s great masters of horror.
A Ghost Among the Living plays at the Pleasance Dome until August 31st. Get tickets here.
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