CNY Playhouse staff member Chris Lupia fell in love with the script of “Nevermore!” as soon as he read it. There were two other theater productions by the same name, including a musical, but Lupia discovered a more obscure script by Julian Wiles that blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

Lupia proposed Wiles’ script at the CNY Playhouse last year. He will direct the playhouse’s production of “Nevermore!,” a mystery play inspired by the life and works of renowned author Edgar Allan Poe, which opens Friday.

“Nevermore!” answers the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe’s death with a fictitious account of the final, nightmarish days of his life. In the play, Poe faces many misfortunes while on a ship departing for New York City. The show intertwines historical elements of Poe’s life and numerous aspects from Poe’s many works with magic and fantasy elements.

For Lupia, seeing nearly every detail of his vision come to life on stage with a full cast has been a fulfilling experience. In addition to directing the play, Lupia also designed and created the set. Since the play takes place primarily on a ship, the set consists of a ship, complete with rigging, that fills the length of the stage.

Ethan Washburn plays Edgar Allan Poe in “Nevermore!” He said playing one of the biggest literary figures of all time has been intimidating, but also one of the most enriching things he’s ever done. Washburn said he studied Poe’s life intensely while preparing for the role, in order to accurately portray him.

“I had to do a lot more research than before because I can’t just learn the lines and go onstage and pretend that I’m actually Poe,” Washburn said.

The play incorporates Poe’s well-known works, including “The Raven,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Masque of the Red Death,” as well as some of his more obscure pieces, including “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “Hop-Frog.” Lisanne Petracca, who plays Poe’s long-lost love, Annabel Lee, said that she was familiar with Poe’s works from middle school and high school, but this play allowed her to explore some of Poe’s lesser-known pieces.

“It’s dark. It’s macabre. It’s kind of exploring the dark side of the human mind, and I think it’s unique and different and exciting,” Petracca said.

Simon Moody, who plays antagonist Captain Nimrod, has explored a pivotal question about the reality of his character.

“The question about Captain Nimrod is: is he real, or which part of him is real? So much of this play is really the confusion that Poe has, as to what is reality and what is just the figments of his imagination,” Moody said.

Michael King plays Poe’s best friend, Captain Reynolds, in “Nevermore!” King said because he usually does comedy, it has been a challenge to adapt to the play’s dark tone. Though there is some levity in the play, he said audiences should be prepared to laugh and cry at the same time.

King also noted the complexity of the play’s characters, adding that some of the cast members play more than one character because there are so many things going on at once. One of these cast members is David Dean, who plays four different roles, including Viscount Valquez, the brother of Prince Prospero from “The Masque of the Red Death.”

“It’s a nice challenge. It’s the first time I’ve played more than one role. I get to change costumes all the time, switch back and forth,” Dean said.

Washburn said “Nevermore!” differs from other plays because of its combination of history and fantasy — the script is based on a single event that may or may not have happened in Poe’s life.

“Nevermore! Edgar Allan Poe, the Final Mystery” opens Friday and runs through Nov. 17.

Published on November 6, 2018 at 9:01 pm

Contact Mandy: ackrayna@syr.edu | @MandyKraynak