Pictured: Julia Tirinnanzi serves as host and historian for a night of custom cocktails and Gothic drama. Photo courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy.

Is that chill in the air merely a cold front or does it portend something more sinister and supernatural amiss? With the imminent arrival of the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, all signs point to the latter, as the spirit—and words—of the famed author come to haunt the Charles Ringling Mansion for three nights of spooky storytelling and cocktail consumption.

A traveling show dedicated to celebrating the works of America’s most gothic of authors, the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy brings four of Poe’s short stories—The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death and The Black Cat—to the stage as macabre monologues by costumed performers, pairing each act with a custom cocktail created for and inspired by that story. In between performances, the resident “Poe-storian” takes the stage (also in Victorian dress) to set the scene by sharing details about Poe’s life and the greater historical context of the next tale.

“It’s a fun way to pay homage to Poe and his craft,” says the show’s writer and Poe-storian, Julia Tirinnanzi, who not only selected the four stories that comprise the show but was also faced with the daunting—and perhaps blasphemous—task of editing them for solo stage performance. “And you’d be surprised at how long a lot of his short stories really are,” she says with a laugh. “But if your favorite line is missing, I have the pleasure of taking the blame.”

Before each short story is performed, audience members all receive an 1800s-inspired cocktail delivered to their seat and somehow connected to the upcoming story, either in name or ingredient or even by dint of being a version of Poe’s very own drink of choice. Most are vodka-forward with a fruity twist, such as the Pale Blue Eye and The Nevermore, but it’s Edgar’s Twisted Brandy Milk Punch—a quixotic blend of Kentucky bourbon, French brandy, vanilla cream, milk syrup and star anise—that tends to give audiences the biggest surprise, says Tirinnanzi. “It sounds bizarre,” she admits, “but it always becomes a favorite.”

An operation in atmosphere, audiences are encouraged to dress up in their Victorian best to attend, all top hats and tails, lockets and lace. And lest anyone get the wrong impression of what a dramatic reading of Poe’s work might look like, it’s not the staid and stoic affair one might imagine, according to Tirinnanzi. “Sometimes you’ll get a chair thrown,” she says. “It’s whatever the actors feel moved to do in the moment and no two shows are the same.”

Performing at the Charles Ringling Mansion for three nights only, the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy runs January 25-27. Tickets are currently on sale at $55.

For more information or to purchase tickets, follow the link below.

Pictured: Julia Tirinnanzi serves as host and historian for a night of custom cocktails and Gothic drama. Photo courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy.

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