Poe's tales of despair and terror (Highview Arts Center)

Nevermore: A Night with Edgar Allan Poe Works by Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation by Timber Rosencrantz and Jordan Aikin

Directed by Morgan Schussler-Williams and Jordan Aikin

Review by Erin Hargan

Entire contents are copyright @2025 by Erin Hargan. All rights reserved.

The enduring legacy of the works of Edgar Allan Poe is a rite of passage for many of us, especially for those of us with an interest in the darker side.  Nevermore at Highview Arts Center brought Poe’s chilling tales and haunting poetry to life in a production that showcased the psychological intensity of Poe’s writing.  The production included four of Poe’s stories, presented in a promenade theater style where different stories and poems were presented in different areas of the theater.  This immersive style made the night an engaging and intimate theater experience.  

 The Cask of Amontillado featured Jason Effinger as the calculating Montresor and Mark Merk as the doomed Fortunato. The story begins when Montresor is insulted by Fortunato, and Montresor seeks revenge by luring Fortunato into his family catacombs during a carnival under the pretense of trying a rare amontillado wine. These two actors took the audience from scenes of wine soaked camaraderie to a tense and chilling ending of betrayal and terror. 

 In The Raven actress Heidi Whitlow portrayed  the tormented narrator whose grief over a lost love spiraled into obsession with a mysterious raven who appears both as a symbol and source of growing dread. Whitlow's performance helped the audience to see the blurred lines between the narrator’s sense of reality and distortions of grief as her character slowly succumbed to despair.  

The Pit and the Pendulum is one of Poe’s most suspenseful stories, and Jordan Aikin brought the narrator to life with intense energy that kept the audience on edge. The story of a prisoner trapped by the Spanish Inquisition and facing the fear of impending death came alive through Aikin’s performance, as she pulled the audience right into the narrator’s nightmare. Minimal props were used for this performance, but the technical aspects of lighting and sound effects helped enhance the sense of danger and immersed the viewer in the suspense. 

 The final performance of the evening was the classic The Tell-Tale Heart. The story follows a narrator, portrayed by Brandon Saylor, who spirals into frantic madness despite insisting he is sane. Driven by an obsessive fear of an old man’s “vulture-like” eye, the narrator meticulously plans his murder, with Saylor creating a tense and chilling performance that captivated the audience. 

Nevermore at Highview Arts Center brought Edgar Allan Poe’s stories to life, with his tales of terror and despair proving his works still captivate audiences.  From the obsessive paranoia of The Tell Tale Heart to the haunting of The Raven, each separate story showcased the talent of the actors, supporting actors, and production staff at Highview Arts Center.   

Nevermore: A Night with Edgar Allan Poe September 26, 27, 29, October 2, 3,4 at 730pm September 28 and October 5 at 2pm

Highview Arts Center 

7406 Fegenbush Ln. Louisville, KY 40228

(502) 783-6609 

https://highviewartscenter.com