Last year, The Coterie, took on the challenge of presenting live theater to audiences during a pandemic and produced Electric Poe outdoors at Union Cemetery. I, like most in attendance, was so impressed by the perfection of the setting, the creepy ambiance, and the chilling performance, I left thinking that this should have always been an autumn tradition in Kansas City. Thankfully, that is just what it's become!
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
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Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
The work of Edgar Allen Poe, lit's master of the macabre, is so perfectly suited for a Halloween performance in our city's oldest cemetery (established in 1857), we are thrilled that after last year's success, it is becoming an autumn tradition. The setting, the material, the performers, the costumes... it's all so idyllic for a brisk autumn play... it's as though the show was always meant to be.
This year, The Coterie presents Electric Poe with a new selection of material, so audiences who enjoyed the original performance will be thrilled to return and experience a brand new telling.
This year's stories are: The Pit and the Pendulum - a man is sentenced by The Inquisition to various unspeakable tortures in a diabolical chamber of horrors. In The Tomb of Ligeia, we have Poe's twist on reanimating the dead.
The show is acted out masterfully by Edgar Allen Poe buff, R.H. Wilhoit, and actress Alissa Lynn. The show is accompanied by atmospheric electric guitar, played by Rex Hobart, underscoring in front of the “Holding Vault,” circa 1857.
The atmosphere is perfect for these two ominous tales...
Union Cemetery, photos by Kristina Light
The Show:
The show is staged in front of a holding cell at Union Cemetery. The room built into a hill appears to be an old crypt, but we learned it was actually a place to hold caskets for those who passed away in winter months when the ground was too cold and frozen to dig. Once it was warmer, they would be placed in their permanent locations. The mystery behind the cell and its setting offered a perfect backdrop for such haunting tales.
R.H. Wilhoit and Alisa Lynn perform both stories in first-person interpretation with Rex Hobart on the Electric Guitar providing a spooky and sometimes spine-chilling accompaniment.
Alisa begins the performance with a poem about the life of Poe, setting the scene for the stories you're about to witness.
Then, Wilhoit performs the first tale, The Pit and the Pendulum recounting the horrific tortures of an incarcerated man during the Inquisition. With creepy puppetry and pantomime, Alisa, disguised as a ghoulish warden, tortures our victim with rats, and the eery threat of death. Wilhoit is a master of suspense as he recounts the tortures of the chamber and the time slowly running out as the pendulum swings. The guitar music effectively wales in the background with the audience easily imagining the horrors of the torture chamber.
In the second tale, Wilhoit is married to his beloved Ligeia, a woman who is brilliant, articulate, and perfectly suited to her husband. Once he is widowed, he imagines Ligeia returning to life, as a corpse. The tale is sad, romantic, and haunting all at the same time and concludes with a surprise ending...
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J Robert Schraeder
Coterie Theatre
The Coterie Theatre, named "One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences" in the U.S. by TIME magazine, provides unique theatre experiences for families and young audiences.
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Both tales are spooky and mysterious and the actors transport the audience into the eery world of Poe.
If your family enjoys macabre mysteries and live theater, you'll thoroughly enjoy this hauntingly good performance.
Tickets / Plots / Masks / and Details:
The Coterie’s Electric Poe will run approximately 45 minutes, followed by an optional Q&A with performers and a Union Cemetery historian. Electric Poe will be best appreciated by families with ages ten and older. This is also an excellent show for teens and adults. The Coterie is funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council, ArtsKC Fund, and Theater League. Adapted and directed by Coterie producing artistic director, Jeff Church, Electric Poe will have performances Thursdays-Sundays at sunset September 16-October 31, 2021.
There is no late seating and guests are encouraged to arrive early, with seating beginning thirty minutes before showtime.
Patrons must be masked to enter and exit, but masks may be removed once seated. You will find signs with a QR code to read the show program or donate to the Coterie.
NEW THIS YEAR:
- Tickets are sold on an individual basis and not as plots.
- Bring your chairs (blanket seating is not available) -- or leave the chairs to us and Purchase Reserved Seating!
- At this time, based on CDC Guidelines, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND that ALL patrons and staff wear face masks covering their nose and mouth when not seated. CLICK HERE for important safety & ticketing information for patrons.
- Should a decision be made to cancel a performance due to inclement weather, a notice will be emailed to all ticket holders and posted on The Coterie’s Facebook page.
- Union Cemetery Guided Tours: Learn all about the historical significance of Union Cemetery and the many important figures in Kansas City history that are buried there with a guided pre-show tour with a member of the Union Cemetery Historical Society (UCHS). Limited space is available for tours on September 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, and October 3 only. Simply select a show and tour combination ticket when purchasing and $15.00 of each ticket will benefit UCHS and their efforts to preserve Kansas City's oldest public cemetery. Tour participants will meet 90 minutes before showtime. Each tour will last approximately 60 minutes.