The Tell-Tale Heart is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous works. The tension between the story’s narrator and the sole other character, an old man with an odd eye, not to mention the overwhelming power of guilt, has captured the minds of young and old for over a century. Truly a staple for the Halloween season, this fall, Pittsburgh playwright Alec Silberblatt has adapted the chilling story in a “Poe meets Pittsburgh” mash-up with his adaptation of A Tell-Tale Heart.
“But why does his heart not stop beating?!”
Though this gothic horror story has been around since 1843, its popularity has remained strong. Poe’s macabre style sticks with the reader long after immersing in his dark, spooky narratives. Because his explorations of guilt, grief, and anxiety are infused with the supernatural, Poe’s stories are the perfect platform upon which to build bone-rattling movies and plays.
The Tell-Tale Heart tells the story of a narrator watching after an older man with an odd eye. The narrator’s obsessive nature drives him in to a neurotic reaction to his ward. As his anxiety and fear boil over, unexpected, even maniacal, thoughts and events occur.
Lurk in the Theater’s Shadows
From October 19 through November 19, guests will explore the depths beneath the O’Reilly Theater for this immersive play experience.
Making Poe a Yinzer
Silberblatt has adapted the story to become a macabre murder mystery where a terrifying cycle of violence threatens to envelop a neighborhood of innocent friends and neighbors. Plus, he places the environment in Pittsburgh, so yinzers can feel right at home.
Silberblatt will perform the production entirely by himself, and a special “Poe Package” is available for purchase that includes priority seating and an exclusive pre-show experience.
This mystery with a Pittsburgh atmosphere is a part of the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Public Unplugged series.
Story by Kylie Thomas
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