I think most of us discovered Edgar Allan Poe sometime around middle school. As I sat this past Monday at the Easley Winery watching swirls of smoke waft into the air while the words of the 19th century poet wafted over the crowd gathered on the nippy autumnal eve, I wondered what each person's own experience was with Poe. I devoured it as a pre-teen. It was just spooky enough for a 7th grader to be able to handle. Of course the graphic images in MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE or THE BLACK CAT kept my lights on overnight a few times, but I could not get enough.

The Heartland Actor's Repertory Theatre offered up about a fourth of the master of the macbre's library to a very well "red" and "white" and "pino-ed" crowd. Personally, I was well "warm-spiced-mulled", delicious. As well as the reading of the prose and poetry there was a silent auction benefiting the theatre and did I mention wine?

High points for me were. THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO, for my money one of the less known and fun Poe pieces about a (of all things) drunken wine expert, or so he thinks of himself. Read by Michael Shelton and Ryan Artzberger who interestingly enough just finished with the inebriated Choir Master in IRT's production of OUR TOWN. The nightlight inducing BLACK CAT read by Tim Grimm no better nomenclature for this project. The sad soaring sea song, ANNABEL LEE read by James Leagre. And the surprise of the night, done with humor and energy by Mattew Roland, THE TELL-TALE HEART. Many missed this piece as it was in the 3rd act which opened with THE RAVEN with beautiful billows of smoke. But once the RAVEN was "nevermore" many from the audience were as well; Too bad for them.

My only criticism of the evening was that the choices in some of the readings seemed disjointed. Perhaps a stronger hand from director, Michael Shelton could have reigned in some of the more "out there" choices and the mugging and fidgeting from those not in the scenes, sitting upstage.

I realize this was a single performance. So, why write a review? Well, so the next time you see a "Be Well Red" post for HART at Easley Winery or show by HART you know it's going to be a good bet.