Steve Allen Theater, at the Center For Inquiry West (Los Angeles, CA)
The Steve Allen Theater presents Nevermore, a one-man show celebrating Edgar Allen Poe's bicentennial. Actor Jeffrey Combs stars as the brilliant and tragic author of "The Raven" and "The Tell-tale Heart"; Combs starred in such horror film classics as Re-Animator, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Director Stuart Gordon and writer Dennis Paoli both worked on Re-Animator.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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My husband is from Richmond, Virginia, as was Edgar Allen Poe, so was very familiar with his back story as there is a lot of Poe lore to be found there. He found the character in NEVERMORE authentic to Poe's time in history and to all the stories he had heard about him as a boy.
I had certainly read Poe's poetry and short stories and enjoyed learning about the man behind them and the stylized delivery of the actor. The Steve Allen Theater could be described as a small auditorium; arrive a little early to get a good seat.
Nevermore Indeed.
The comments on this performance are all raves. The show has been extended. It would seem sacrilege to criticize. Sometimes an iconoclast is needed.
I was looking for real insight into Poe and some new angles on his work. What I heard were very familiar works, in fact war horses, a few unimpressive snippets of rather tired romantic verse and a lot of exaggerated stretches of attempts at caricature of a drunk. It did not work. I did not think this was Poe anymore than the character lampooned in Amadeus is Mozart. This focus on drink and clowning did not tell us much about how Poe became Poe or what he thought or did. If this was the real Poe than he was not interesting enough for a one man show and a recital of his works by an expert declaimer would be far better. Some artists should only be known through their art.
If you are thinking Mark Twain Tonight you will be disappointed. There is no commentary on the present to make Poe alive. There is no information on his work you did not hear in junior high except perhaps his petty squabbles with long dead contemporaries. And sad to say, the declamation of the poetry read is not well paced or revealing. The high point is Tell Tale Heart , very familiar of course, but well done capturing the humor and suspense that made Poe unique and ahead of his times. Combs is better at this prose than he is capturing poetry. The Raven is also interesting though with ill-timed pauses. At the opposite end the Bells is a travesty of unhistorical presentation and not even completed.
The wrongness of the performance was not aided by the location. The Steve Allen is a narrow long hall with all the forward seats essentially at the same level If you are not tall either get to the front or settle for a rear seat on the raised platform. There also a few high chairs at the end of some rows.This viewer spent the whole performance positioning and repositioning around restless obstacles in front.
The sad thing is the one paragraph blurb in the program provides more insight than the play. I recommend reading up in Wikipedia and picking up a good recording at the library. My guess is the real Poe was a true psychological drama worth the examination. A rare famous Southern artist before the 20th century who must reveal aspects of the divide then forming and a unique example of America at this stage growing a writer different than any in Europe. Why Poe you may wonder, how did he develop that unique voice and style? No Answers in this Performance.
I read the negative review just prior to mine. Please don't be pursuaded by that review---it is WRONG...in my humble opinion! I mean nothing is perfect but overall you will really ENJOY this one- man presentation about Edgar Allan Poe. The actor is VERY talented and the writing is mostly excellent. And you WILL learn alot that you didn't know about Mr. Poe. I say with all sincerity, you'll rarely see anything as good as this on any stage!
The only people who might not like this play are people who aren't accustomed to the use of WORDS to tell a story and/or haven't developed much of an imagination. Or, another dissatisfied group will be those people who expect TOO MUCH from such a play by demanding and expecting to know or understand "the inner soul" of the subject through the play. The above people will be dissatisfied but....unless you are one of the above types my suggestion is for you to GO SEE IT, YOU'LL LOVE IT!!!
PS: The play is so good you'll forget about the minor seating deficits in the theater with all the seats on one level. Just move to a better seating location plus the actor is mostly standing up so you'll be able to see him in any event.
Great event. 90 minutes of Edgar Allen Poe right before your eyes.
Well written presenting wonderful bits of Poe's stories and poetry while while showing Poe's complex character. Direction is also good and keeps suspense and action flowing.
Jeffery Combs is amazing. He is Poe and portrays all the emotions you would expect from such an author. A real treat!
This was an excellent one-person play. Jeffrey gave an amazing portrayal of Poe. The text of the play was taken from actual Poe letters, essays, and reviews and reports of actual appearances.
Actor channels Poe and engages with the audience. Incredible reading (raving) of The Tell-Tale Heart. Physically looks like Poe. Some audience members there had been to see it several times. I recommend the play.
This was a really great evening of theatre. The writing, acting and directing for this piece was great. Even though I was very familiar with Poe's writings, I felt like I had a much better understanding of the man and especially, the poetry after having seen this performance. The structure of the play was original and effective: a loose recreation of Poe's actual public readings of his works. In this way, Jeffrey Combs could speak directly to the audience and give us a very intimate portrait of the man. His readings of "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven" were fantastic. His readings of other works while Poe becomes more and more drunk onstage proved to be especially entertaining. This is great, small, LA theatre at its best.
Incredible one-man performance that touched on Poe the man and Poe the writer, integrating the flaws of the man with the brilliance of his writing.
A tour de force for Jeffrey Combs. A completely fabulous directing and acting accomplishment. The writing was stupendous too!
i absolutely loved this one man show. it was brilliant, heart-felt, an emotional and mental roller coaster from start to finish.
His rendition of The Bells was enough for me to feel guilty for paying so little for my entrance. I would have gladly paid many times over just for that one brief segment.
I've gone twice and hope to go back again before it finally closes.
If you are a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, you will not want to miss this intimate look into the man.
word to the wise, use the facilities beforehand as there is no intermission.
I bet this guy is a talented enough actor, but I did not like the tone of the show at all, and I did not like him in it. He played the drunkenness for a lot of easy laughs, which I didn't think was that funny really. I mean, if you want to get into a time machine and go see Foster Brooks in Vegas 40 years ago, maybe.
And, his readings of Poe's works were, I thought, terrible.
They make a big deal in the program about how, through research, they tried to present an evening with Poe as close to the way it actually was as possible. Well if you told me I could go see Edgar Allen Poe himself -- acting like a cartoony drunk and performing his own works badly - I'd have to pass.
It was a lot like seeing a play on a plane. It was way too hot and stuffy in the theater. The woman in front of me was nodding off it was so hot. I had a kid kicking the back of my seat, checking her phone and giggling throughout the performance, so I have to say I was a bit distracted. The show itself was definitely interesting and worth seeing. I was just too uncomfortable to really enjoy it.
Wonderful. I want to see it again.
First, the staging was excellent. Kudos to the director. I knew Mr. Combs had a range but to watch him transform into the talented and tragically tortured Mr. Poe was a poignant treat. Truly moving. I went home and pulled out my Poe to re-read Annabell Lee and Lenore. Excellent show from one of the most gifted and UNDERappreciated artists working today. I look forward to his next live performance and appreciate Mr. Combs reminding me that, despite his tortured life, Mr. Poe was a gem to be appreciated even today.
Presented from the perspective of an impromptu performance by Poe, it captures the audience so deeply that the 2 hour perofrmance only felt like 20 minutes. I left longing for more and not being able to accurately describe what I had just experienced as "wonderful," incredible," and "amazing" as those words seem so inadequate for not only for Jeffrey Combs' performance, but for the passion and likeness to Poe that he delivered as well. I would love to see this again, but do not have the time unfortunately, but encourage anyone who loves literature and the theater to attend as soon as possible, it's spellbinding!
Jeffrey Combs is amazing - I don't think I've ever seen a character become so "real" onstage, literally right in front of me. The makeup gives him enough of a physical resemblance to intrigue the eye, but it's his embodiment of Poe that pulls you in and convinces you deep down. Solid writing and direction combine with an astonishing performance to create an evening of theater that's not just a diversion but a too-brief evening in the company of a great literary mind and a truly fascinating character.
Some moments were truly brilliant but many fell flat. I left not knowing much more about Poe than when I came and that was disappointing. The problem was in the script not the performance.
Run, do not walk, to see this production. Jeffrey Combs is one of the most brilliant actors of his generation and shame on Hollywood that since the RE-ANIMATOR many,many years ago they did not give him a really major role to prove it. As a stage director, I see many theater performances here and abroad and there hasn't been many performances this memorable. Kudos also to the director who, I am sure is also largely responsible for this pleasurable evening.
The one thing I was not prepared for was no intermission. The acting was very good, although a little slow at times. For Poe fans, this was a nice interpretation. For non-Poe fans, you will be very tired, as my husband was, within 40 minutes. The seating was challenging as most seats did not give you a clear view and the room was pretty hot. Good local theater though and I appreciated the actor's and director's talent.
The play was very difficult to hear at times as the actor did not use a microphone. When he read Poe's works he projected his voice much better than when he was just "being Poe". The room was quite full and it appeared as though the venue added extra seats outside of the normal auditorium which probably contributed to the sound problem. The other members of the group that I was with said that they liked the parts of the play where the actor read Poe's works but found the rest of the play very uninteresting. It was uncomfortably warm most of the time and when the air conditioning did kick on for a few seconds, it was even more difficult to hear. I was looking forward to this play and came away very disappointed.
A tour de force! The premise of Poe entertaining an audience in a one-man show (inside a one-man show) a year after his wife's death (and a year before his own), unable to keep it together and disintegrating into alcoholism, depression, and madness before our eyes was fascinating. Despite the very dark and self-destructive nature of the story, it had many surprising moments of humor. Jeffrey Combs was captivating. Fans of his ReAnimator films may be surprised by the range and depth of his nuanced performance. Also featured Poe's works, beautifully interpreted.
I was inspired to see Nevermore by seeing the Stuart Gordon directed/Dennis Paoli written/Jeffrey Combs starred "The Black Cat" (from the Showtime Masters of Horror series) which was a fictionalized account of how Poe came up with the idea for the story The Black Cat. I was moved by the way Poe was brought to life in that episode, and was happy to see that the team was back together for this tribute to the Master.
I was impressed with this production which was by turns intimate, heartfelt, uplifting and illuminating into the life of Poe. The tragedy of Poe was offset by well placed and impeccably timed humour, along with some superbly ad-libbed responses to unplanned crowd noises, like a seemingly set up nose blowing as Poe regaled us of his "illness" past the neck of a bottle of whiskey.
It is also a real treat to see The Raven and Annabelle Lee (and a riotous send up of The Bells by Longfellow, Poe's nemesis) brought to life by Combs. He easily transfers the terror, longing and sense of loss to the audience.
If you are a fan of Poe, or of the incomparable talent of Jeffrey Combs, the brilliant vision of Stuart Gordon or the ingenious writing of Dennis Paoli, or just enjoy classic literature, then I cannot recommend this show enough.
The only note I have: I was in the front row, and Combs plays to the extreme front of the stage, so you might want to sit in the 2nd row or farther so as to not have to strain when he is standing literally right above you. But the Steve Allen Theater is small and there's not a bad seat in the house. Enjoy, while you can, because according to the calendar on the theater site, the last show is Sun Aug 2!
The actor worked hard, and it was frequently a "hammy" presentation.
A theatre event worth watching. Jeffrey Combs was captivating as Edgar Allen Poe. Suspensful, intriguing, and bittersweet. Combs is a character actor worth watching. The venue was spacious. The seats were very comfortable. You are within two blocks from the local restaurants. It's an easy walk to eat dinner first then watch the play. Overall, my friends and I enjoyed the entire experience.
An absolutely fantastic show. Jeffrey Combs portrayal of Poe is initially low-key, but builds as the show (and his drinking) progresses, culminating in an absolutely astonishing reading of Poe's poem "The Bells". Seriously, I mean astonishing. I've rarely seen a more original and amazing interpretation of a character. I have a subscription to the Taper and I enjoyed myself much more at "Nevermore" than I have at most of the Taper shows of the past two years. Go see it!!
A top notch performance...Jeffrey Combs did an amazing job of drawing the audience into the character.
One downside was the lighting: there were bright stage lights behind the actor, causing us to squint for most of the performance. Many folks simply covered their eyes. Not sure why it was lit this way but it really detracted from the show.
I took my husband to see Nevermore as part of his birthday gift (since he's a huge Poe enthusiast). It started out a little quiet and slow, but once we got into where the play was going it was very entertaining.
We were both blown away by the intensity that Jeffrey Combs brought to the stage. It was great to be able to hear some classic Poe read and acted out aloud. It really brought another layer to the stories.
I'm so glad the show was extended as we'd missed it over the summer!
Do yourself a favor and check it out.
very intense and entertaining. but, i found the stage light on the side and in my eyes very distracting. i would also recommend any theatre-going to read the most popular short stories of Poe's before going, it will make the dialog easier to follow. DL
I attend plays often and had never been to the Steve Allen theater. The theater was very nice , friendly staff and free parking..woo hoo!
The production was very well acted"Jeffery Combs" was amazng! A very simple stage set up and very, very informative on the tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe!
If you happen to be a Poe fan I highly reccomed this production to you!
Fantastic, don't miss it.
This play can be best described like a first date. The beginning is a bit awkward, but once the alcohol kicks in, it gets better. Same with his play. Beginning was a bit slow, but once Poe starts chugging his juice the actor takes it to the next level. Interesting integration with audience and a way to hear some awesome Poe readings.
GREAT ACTOR! I am also an actor, so I know how difficult is too be drunk on stage without really drinking alcohol. He is mercurial and fascinating. Poe would be proud.
amazing acting and blew me away with his performance of the stories and poems. (He knew them by heart and perfectly). However, i would have preferred to have heard more stories than heard about his biography.
Great Actor!
Outstanding performance. I was familiar with Mr. Combs work and am even more impressed with him now. He is an amazing character actor. His resemblance to Poe was astonishing. Even more astonishing was the journey that we went through with the character. I have not been a fan of Poe but decided that it would be a fun show to see on Halloween. When I returned home, I spent hours researching Poe. I am now a fan. I tried to find some of the beautiful, incredible lines spoken by the character but could not. I hope it gets published some day. Get there early and stand in line for the best seats. You can see the action from any seat, however.
absolutely a tour de force performance and one-man show! a remarkable characterization of poe. i've never seen anything like it. the emotionality and dialogue, the subtle changes in personality are incredible.
Jeffrey Combs is amazing and the theater was cool!
Amazing show -- incredible performance.
Wonderful acting.
One of the best shows I've ever seen.
A tour de force performance by Jeffrey Combs made for a most enjoyable evening. Highly recommended!
Amazing - must see if for yourself!
Jeffrey Combs gave a phenomenal performance with outstanding attention to detail, such as dusty shoes and sipping from his flask, leaving just enough for a few drops. He showed the manic personality and the genius of Poe. His recitation of "Annabel Lee" brought tears to my eyes.
had a wonderful time at the play...the acting and direction were fabulous!
Historical and interesting play. The play was unsettling at times, the drunk Poe not attractive to watch.
excellent theater experience. Any Poe fan must see. Mr. Combs was superb.
Excellent. Have never experienced anything like J Combs portrayal of E.A. Poe. I will never read Poe again without picturing and hearing J. Combs. This is a "must see" for everyone who loves poetry or is learning to love poetry. A DVD should be made and given wide distribution.
I loved this one-man show of Edgar Allen Poe. After many years of teaching Poe to middle schoolers I went in with knowledge about the man and his demons. The acting is excellent as are the readings of the poetry and the Tell-Tale Heart.
One man shows are always hard, in terms of holding the audiences' attention, but Jeffrey Coombs was truly riveting. It helps that Poe is such an underrated and talented poet, and Coomb's portrayal, with its Southern accent and drunken madness, really brought him alive.
I had expectations about this show and was prepared to dislike it. I thought it would be like other portraits I've seen of Poe, but this one took an unexpected tack and I won't spoil it but it was very fascinating and disturbing. Front row is a splash zone. Don't expect to be uplifted.
See this before it disappears!!! It has been extended, so you have a chance....
Combs did a great Poe. My wife and I totally enjoyed this play.
This was an altogether entertaining performance. I found it a bit tragic that so many audience members found humor in Poe's excessive drinking onstage (although, admittedly, SOME- but not ALL of it was played for laughs). Poe's alcohol problems contributed to his woefully early death. The renditions os "Annabel Lee" and, of course, "The Raven" were truly outstanding, and worth the price of admission alone.
Great. A lot of fun and a fine performance.
Very well done. Interesting interpretation of Poe's works.
I would really love to see the wonderful Mr. Combs perform Edgar Allen Poe AGAIN!! At one point I was moved to tears. It was exhilarating!
Marvelous and well done!
A real tour-de-force performance that's an amazing value even without the Goldstar discount. See it now before it goes into a bigger venue with higher prices.
Every person interested in acting should see this man! A large section of this show includes the performer getting drunk, which is always a tricky thing to do since most real drunks work hard to appear NOT drunk! This is such superb acting that my two friends and I who saw it together spent most of the next morning on the telephone to each other discussing what a great thing we had seen. And as has been stated in another review, you have never heard The Raven until you hear it here! Don't miss it!
If you are an avid fan of Edgar Allan Poe as I am, you will thoroughly enjoy this show if you accept the fact that dramatic plays need wonderful scripts -- and not necessarily factual ones -- to enthrall the audience. Pro: Jeff Combs gives an outstanding performance. It is thrilling to see glimpses of what Eddie might have been in real life. Con: But he probably wouldn't have been drinking continuously throughout a public reading to his always rapt audiences - the real Eddie got great reviews from attendees. Still, it is a thrill to see "Edgar" deliver "The Bells" with giddy disdain here, and cry during the actor's brilliant reading of "Annabel Lee." You could have heard a pin drop in the audience. See this show.
excellent performance, well worth your time and money, actor was well rehearsed and wowed the audience.
Highly recommend! A tour de force performance. The actor is able to make you appreciate the works of Poe, even of you were not a fan of the the writer or had not read his works since high school.
Combs was terrific. I've seen John Astin's Poe and while very enjoyable, this is different and frankly feels more authentic. Given the setup (an actual contemporary Poe public reading/performance near the end of his life )...it would be difficult to incorporate much more Poe biography, one of the few criticisms in the other reviews here. But for what it is this was one of the best nights of small theater I've been to in a long time.
Strongly advise you sit near the front, as Combs plays to that portion of the theater more and the theater seats are on a flat floor, no gradual incline except for a riser at the very back. And again, Combs is marvelous..not hammy at all..only appropriately so when Poe is blustering a bit. Playing drunk on stage can be very difficult to do without overdoing it and Combs really does pull off someone trying to keep it together while becoming far drunker than he realizes. The makeup is also terrific..in fact I thought "oh, crap, an understudy" when he came on, until I recognized his voice. Another good sign...when it was over I didn't realize it was as long as it actually is..the time flew by. Highly recommended.
I took my sons and we thought it was great. I truly felt as if I was in 1848 and watching the rock god of his time. Get there early to sit as close as possible. We were in the front row and it was amazing!
Excellent acting! Try to sit up front to fully appreciate this one man show.
The Steve Allen Theatre Set Up is not the best, especially for the size of the crowd that showed up. Never the less Nevermore is a great take on Poe. While I knew the New England Brahamans were not impressed with his work, I never how bitterly personal it had gotten. I would definely recommend this top my friends.
Combs as Poe is just Amazing. Enjoyed every minute of it.
Jeffrey Combs was fantastic as Edgar Allen Poe. The performance was engaging the whole time, and it was definitely worth the $5 GoldStar price several times over. Whether you're a fan of Poe, Combs or great theater in general, I highly recommend catching this show.
As an English teacher (and former drama teacher), I was very impressed by Jeffrey Combs' performance. He fully embodied Poe's character, and he was fascinating to watch. I did think that the show was a bit too long, especially without an intermission.
Jeffrey Combs was amazing! Fervent and passionate. It was a wonderful piece of theatre.
Fantastic depiction of Poe and brilliant presentation of his classic works. I wasn't expecting to laugh as much as i did. Passionate, tragic, funny... a truly unforgettable performance.
Incredible performance by Jeffrey Combs. Unpredictable and the transformation is brilliant.
This show is great!
Jeffrey Combs is Edgar Allen Poe.
I'm going back to see it again.
Nevermore is a brilliant night in the theater. If you are not familiar with the life and works of Edger Allan Poe it’s a wonderful introduction to this early American Genius. If you are familiar with Mr. Poe and his works, this evening will deepen your appreciation of his gifts in ways that you cannot possibly imagine. Mr. Combs as Poe gives a world class performance. Mr. Gordon’s direction moves the evening along with simple grace and elegance. The technical achievements, especially make-up, are all first class. Don’t miss this show.
Great show in a very intimate theatre space. Funny, touching, dark, and ultimately touching. Jeffery Combs gives a wonderful and layered performance as Poe...
An unforgettable evening of theatre. Nevermore is an example of what theatre should endeavor to be and too rarely is (particularly in LA). Thank you to Jeffery Combs and Stuart Gordon for the experience.
A delightful performance that builds to climax. I was enthralled with the passionate recitations and Comb's embodiment of Poe.
This was an engaging, funny, quirky portrayal of Edgar Allan Poe. I was particularly impressed by his recitation of The Telltale Heart. The Raven was another highlight. At times I was hoping for more volume as it was difficult to hear in the more quiet moments. There was a heckler in the audience, and I wasn't sure if he was a plant or not. In any case, Combs used the man's interjections to his advantage.
Jeffrey Combs really embodied Poe and took the typical one-man show to a whole new level with his performance. I was in the frotn row and was lucky enough to "interact" with his stellar performance!
The acting was amazing. And the director did a good job in allowing us to get to know "Poe". But typical of a dramatic work like this there were a few places where it drug on.
Great performance. It was as if I was in the presence of the real drunken Edgar Allan Poe.
Jeffery Combs brought Poe to life! Unbelievable job!
This was an amazing show. When the lights go up, it isn't Jeffrey Combs, it's Edgar Allen Poe standing before us. I was never a fan of the poem "Bells! Bells! Bells!", but seeing it on stage was a completely different experience.
Jeffrey Combs was excellent as Edger Allan Poe. Incredible one man show!
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Website: http://www.steveallentheater.com/nevermore
Film and television star Jeffrey Combs will be performing “Nevermore” a live one-man show as the brilliant but tragic poet and storyteller Edgar Allan Poe in honor of the bicentennial of the author’s birth. He will recite Poe’s most famous poem “The Raven” as well as other selections including “The Tell–tale Heart”, “Annabel Lee”, and “The Conqueror Worm”.
“Nevermore - An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe” is a dramatic recreation of the readings that Poe performed during the final years of his short life. Set in 1848, a year after the death of his beloved young wife Virginia, and at the height of his fame as the author of “The Raven”, we watch as he is undone by his own self-destructive tendencies, or in his words: “the imp of the perverse”.
Combs and Gordon began their collaboration in 1985 on the cult film classic “Re-Animator” and have worked together on many movies since including “From Beyond”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “Fortress” and most recently “Edmond” based on David Mamet’s play. Jeffrey is also well known to audiences for his frequent television appearances on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”, “Enterprise” and “The 4400”.
In 2007 Mr. Combs, Mr. Gordon and Mr. Paoli collaborated on an original adaptation of Poe’s “The Black Cat” for the Showtime series “Masters of Horror” in which Combs played the story’s tortured protagonist as Poe himself. The wrenching details of the writer’s life were interwoven with one of his most famous tales to great effect. Mr. Combs was the very image of the famous writer and captured the essence of Poe and his desperate struggle with poverty and alcoholism.
“An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe” will be touring the east coast this fall as part of the Poe Bicentennial Celebration.
at Steve Allen Theater, at the Center For Inquiry West
on November 24th
on November 23rd and 1 more date
on December 6th
on November 28th and 2 more dates
on December 20th
Steve Allen Theater, at the Center For Inquiry West
on December 3rd