If you take a stroll downtown in the commercial district of Ocean City along busy Asbury Avenue you will find a little hidden gem. Behind one of these storefront doors is a charming little theater, Ocean City Repertory Theater. On Mischief Night I attended what I thought was to be a reading of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s work.
Left to right: Courtney Sadler, William Gide, Anthony Nicoletto, Dayle Friedman; members of the cast of POE EVERMORE, the Halloween production of Ocean City Repertory Theater.
Jim Kelsh, with a wonderfully expressive voice read ‘The Bells’. ‘Eldorado’ and ‘Conqueror Worm’ were read by Pat Juliano. Aileen McHugh read ‘A Dream within a Dream’ and ‘The Black Cat’, one of Poe’s short stories. Flossi Micciolo, the theaters’ Artistic Director, introduced each reader and gave a little insight into the author. Poe, she said, is one of the creators of the short story format. Lisa Longo read ‘Alone’ and ‘Lenore’. My favorite reading of the evening was last, a wonderfully read and acted ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ with Jim Kelsh reading and acting and Lisa Longo acting. Just delightful.
So, I thought my evening was over. I could smell and hear the coffee brewing in the back of the theater and did detect the slight aroma of some kind of sugary goodie. But I was tricked! We were to have a little play about the life of Poe. What a treat! A very cleverly staged production written by Kathryn Miller and directed by Lisa Longo. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy this innovative performance but received a mini education about Poe’s life. The performance consisted of three narrators, Courtney Sadler, Anthony Nicolleto, and Dayle Friedman who also played various roles. William Gide made a wonderful Poe. The actors never spoke and the effect was mesmerizing. Kudos to all in this production: the writer, the director and the actors. Thanks to all for a most enjoyable evening.
Ocean City Repertory Theater offers some very interesting and comprehensive children’s classes, for ages 4 up thru teenagers. There will be two holiday specials this year: on December 17, Charles Dicken’s classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL will be presented; followed by ‘Christmas Eve Eve Gala’ on December 23.
I am betting they will both be something special.
POE EVERMORE
October 29 – 30, 2010
OC Repertory Theater
813 Asbury Avenue
PO Box 653
Ocean City, NJ 08226
609.399.PLAY(7529)
www.ocrep.org
