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The Poe Project is an ongoing project to illustrate various scenes from Eric Woolfson's "Edgar Allan Poe" musical using my characters from Ace of Spades. I do it for the fun of it, for the experience, for sharpening my illustration skills, and for the glory and honor of Eric Woolfson. He passed away just as I had begun this project, so it has become even more special to me. Eric Woolfson will always be one of my musical idols and a great source for inspiration. Thank you, Eric!
If you enjoy what you see, please check out the real musical!
So far, only scenes 1-11 have been finished. Keep checking back for more!
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Ace of Spades Performs Eric Woolfson's "Edgar Allan Poe" Musical |
SCENES:
| ACT ONE 1 - Wings of Eagles 2 - Murders in the Rue Morgue 3 - What Fools People Are 4 - Blinded By the Light 5 - Tiny Star 6 - The Pit and the Pendulum 7 - The Raven 8 - It Doesn't Take a Genius 9 - Goodbye to All That 10 - The Bells |
ACT TWO |
Meet the Cast of the Performance
Jump to ACT II
Edgar Allan Poe musical, costumes, etc (c) Eric Woolfson
Ace of Spades characters, artwork (c) me
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1 - Wings of Eagles |
Poe (Ace) tries to pitch his work to the Magazine Owner (Vance), who isn't originally interested in yet another unknown writer at his doorstep. Poe assures him he need only look at the world through his eyes...
POE:
You look through a window and you
You see the rain falling outside
But how do you know what I see
Through my eyes?
Something extraordinary,
Out of the ordinary,
So come take a look at the world
Through my eyes...
Wings of eagles,
Voices like thunder,
Lifting me up to drink from the cup
And fill me with wonder...
...
Look at the stars--
Must be a heaven somewhere,
What can you see?
Who do you think is out there?
I hear a symphony
Arising in the air forever
Out of the blue--
All the choirs in heaven are singing for me...
For me...
Wings of eagles,
Voices like thunder,
Lifting me up to drink from the cup
And fill me with wonder...
Wings of eagles,
Voices like thunder,
Lifting me higher, flame to the fire
Dragging me under...
The Owner reads the work and is completely blown away, and he agrees to publish Poe's work.
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2 - Murders in the Rue Morgue |
Competing with the newspaper articles on real murders, Poe (Ace) writes a piece of short fiction about a serial killer--that isn't even human. This captures the attention of the general public and imaginations run wild.
CHORUS:
Murder, murder, in the Rue Morgue!
Murder, murder!
Murder, murder, in the Rue Morgue!
Murder, murder!
DORIAN:
They didn't force the windows and they didn't break the doors!
CHORUS:
Murder! Murder!
SOFIA:
There's blood upon the ceiling and a razor on the floor!
CHORUS:
Murder! Murder!
MIOKO:
Somebody heard an argument, somebody heard a crash!
CHORUS:
Murder! Murder!
DAWN:
They didn't touch the jewelry
DORIAN:
They didn't steal the cash
MIOKO & DORIAN:
They broke up all the funiture, smash smash smash!
...
POE (as Detective Auguste Dupin):
By the clarity of reason I have come to my decision
Though the facts are unequivocal, they tend to blur the vision
An exit was impossible, the lock had not been fiddled
Though the motive was invisible, the riddle was unriddled
In light of comprehension by a process of deduction
We eliminate impossible and end up with instruction
For, sure as my name is Auguste Dupin
The criminal... was an orangutan.
CHORUS:
Mon dieu, sacrebleu, ORANGUTAN??
...
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3 - What Fools People Are |
Poe (Ace) writes and publishes a harsh review on a rival author's work--and it just so happens to be the Reverend Rufus Griswold (Ed). Griswold is stunned by this new author's arrogance and vows revenge against Poe.
GRISWOLD:
A crime has been committed
I call for justice in the name of the Lord
The truth has been subverted
The instigator must be put to the sword
For the God that we serve is a vengeful God
Let me remind you of that!
As for the perpetrator
I will expose him as a cheat and a fraud
For every word he's uttered
Is a deception for an earthly reward
Will he laugh to himself to his dying day
With his last breath will he smile and say...
What fools people are!
What fools people are!
What FOOLS...
People are!
Griswold then sends his assistant Reynolds (Mioko) to gather as much information on Poe as he can, vowing to keep his friends close, but enemies closer.
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4 - Blinded By the Light |
Reynolds (Mioko) returns to give Griswold (Ed) the information he discovered about Edgar Allan Poe (Ace). Born in Boston on January 19, 1809; his father deserts his family, his mother, a poor, sickly actress, dies in his arms when he is scarcely three years old. He was taken in by the Allan family; he hated Mr. Allan, but loved Mrs. Allan.
It was during his time with the Allans that he first meets Sarah Elmira Royster (Dawn), and the two quickly fall in love. Griswold imagines the scene as Reynolds explains.
POE:
Sometimes the world can seem a million miles away
Sometimes the moon can turn the night into the day
Sometimes you find a rainbow's end
Right there in front of you
Don't let the moment pass you by
Don't turn away...
For your eyes are starlight
And my eyes are blinded by the light
And your face is star-bright
And my soul is blinded by the light...
Elmira notices Poe's glance and smiles, stepping up to him.
POE:
Sometimes the night can be the dark before the dawn
Sometimes a smile can be the calm before the storm
Once in a while there's paradise
Right there in front of you
Don't be afraid to find your dream
Don't turn away...
Poe takes Elmira into his arms.
POE & ELMIRA:
For your eyes are starlight
And my eyes are blinded by the light
And your face is star-bright
POE:
My soul...
ELMIRA:
My soul...
POE & ELMIRA:
Is blinded by the light...
The two share a passionate kiss. But then Reynolds recalls that their parents did not approve of their relationship.
CHORUS:
Love is blind! Love is blind!
POE & ELMIRA:
Blinded by the light...
Dark figures pull Elmira from Poe's arms, and the two struggle against them in vain. Poe is then left alone, with Reynolds and Griswold watching as he slowly exits.
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5 - Tiny Star |
Reynolds (Mioko) continues to tell Griswold (Ed) his findings on Poe's (Ace's) past as a frail young woman appears on stage. Poe joins her, sitting down, and sets a pillow on his lap. The woman lays down, resting her head on the pillow as Poe tenderly looks upon her.
Reynolds reveals that Poe soon went to live with his aunt and cousin, Virginia (Athena). She was a sickly girl who had inherited the same disease that had killed his mother. Reynolds speaks of Poe's infatuation with her, and his determination to protect and comfort her.
Poe's mother, Elizabeth (Raeya) appears as Poe recalls the lullaby she used to sing to him as a child.
ELIZABETH:
Close your eyes and go to sleep, little one
Close your eyes and go to sleep, my baby
I'll be watching over you, the sandman's on his way
Dream about tomorrow and the games you're going to play
My baby...
The sun is just a tiny star
The moon is not so very far
It's time to say goodnight
Close your eyes, and when you wake,
The world will be all right
The stars will not come out to play
I asked them why, they wouldn't say
Until the break of day
Close your eyes, go to sleep,
Dream the night away
Poe joins the spirit of his mother as he comforts Virginia.
POE & ELIZABETH:
May the Lord watch over you and speed you on your way
Through the dark journey of the night
And if God is listening He'll keep you safe from harm
'Til the dawn embers of the ever-burning, everlasting...
Sun...
ELIZABETH:
Just a tiny star
A moon that's not so very far
So you must sleep and then
Morning comes, dawn will break, the sun will shine again
Morning comes, and when you wake
The sun will shine again...
The spirit of his mother fading, Poe gently gets up, leaving Virginia on the pillow. The doctor (Dorian) meets Poe at the other end of the stage. The doctor claims Virginia is still strong and should be all right, but offers to send a nurse to care for her when he notices how haggard and sleepless Poe looks.
Poe shakes his head, claiming he will be up for much longer, for there is a story he needs to write.
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6 - Pit and the Pendulum |
Poe (Ace) begins a downward spiral as his concern for Virginia's (Athena's) health grows. He is inspired to write one of his masterpieces, "The Pit and the Pendulum" as Virginia silently sleeps.
POE:
I was alone... In the darkness...
Within the walls... Of a dungeon...
They tied me down... I was helpless...
There was no crime... I am not guilty...
There was a pendulum dangling over my head!
A sword of Damacles hanging by a thread!
And I was chained like Prometheus wishing I was dead!
There was a pendulum dangling over my head!
Poe furiously writes, looking increasingly tortured and disheveled.
POE:
And then it moved... A little lower...
And then it swung... A little a faster...
A little wider... A little slower...
A little wilder... A little lower...
There was a pendulum circling over my head!
Eyes like a vulture tearing me to shreds!
And I was staring at disaster wishing I was dead!
There was a pendulum circling over my head...
Poe begins to hallucinate, envisioning women (Sofia, Dawn) who urge him on. They assist him as he gives himself a shot of opium, and after some time he weakly returns to his desk.
POE:
And there's a pit... All around me...
And in the pit... There was darkness...
And in the darkness... There was nothing...
Except the walls... Getting closer...
And burning spears... Growing longer...
As I grow weaker... They grow stronger!
Between the pit and the pendulum hanging on to hope!
Devil in the belfry pulling on the rope!
I was caught in a strangle hold trying not to choke!
Beneath the pit and the pendulum I will come
Tumbling down, tumbling down...
...
Tumbling down, tumbling down...
Tumbling down, tumbling down...
Woahh-aahhhhh!!...
Poe collapses on his desk. The women disappear.
The Magazine Owner (Vance) walks in and sees Poe in a disheveled heap. Before Poe has a chance to explain, he is fired from the magazine. The scene fades to black.
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7 - The Raven |
Griswold (Ed) holds a poetry recital, mentioning Poe's (Ace) latest poem "The Raven" in passing. Just as he is about to read his own poem, the crowd cries out to hear Poe's poem instead.
GRISWOLD:
Ah yes, "The Turkey"!
REYNOLDS:
"The Raven"...
GRISWOLD:
...Yes.
Griswold clears his throat and chuckles to himself, thinking for sure the audience will hate the poem.
GRISWOLD:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,--
Reynolds (Mioko) stomps his foot on stage while pretending to knock on an invisible door. Griswold pauses, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
GRISWOLD:
...As of some one gently rapping,--
Reynolds taps his foot lightly, knocking much gentler this time. Griswold is notably annoyed as Reynolds continues to act out the poem as he reads with still a lighthearted air.
GRISWOLD:
...rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door
Only this, and nothing more."
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden--
REYNOLDS:
Lenore is his lost love...
GRISWOLD:
WILL YOU BE QUIET??!
Reynolds timidly retreats to the corner of the stage. Griswold returns to the poem, speaking now much firmer and more serious.
GRISWOLD:
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked upstarting
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted ... nevermore!
The audience uproariously applauds, standing in ovation. Griswold stands utterly shocked, silenced as he realizes the worth of Poe's poem.
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8 - It Doesn't Take a Genius |
Griswold (Ed) reveals his displeasure at how Poe (Ace) and his works are being received--even after Griswold replaced him at the magazine. He tries to convince his close friends, with the "help" of Reynolds (Mioko), that Poe is not as great as he may appear.
GRISWOLD:
It doesn't take a genius to make us feel egregious
By rhyming words like "nevermore"
REYNOLDS:
With "four" and "score" and "chamber door"
And "days of yore" and "more and more"...
GRISWOLD:
Etcetera, etcetera
ALL:
Etcetera, etcetera
GRISWOLD:
You wouldn't think a plagiarist would be so unoriginal
It's more than just offensive,
REYNOLDS:
Why it's positively criminal!
GRISWOLD:
So nevermind the premature, let's get on with the burial!
REYNOLDS:
We've heard it all before!
ALL:
We've heard it all before!
GRISWOLD:
If some felon steals your jewelry you'd want him locked away,
REYNOLDS:
He's a criminal! He's a criminal!
GRISWOLD:
But if he steals your words and makes a fortune from the play,
REYNOLDS:
He's no genius! He's no genius!
GRISWOLD:
Integrity is all I ask, the jury has a simple task
Reviewing all the evidence, there really can be no defense,
REYNOLDS:
He doesn't have the common sense to be a genius!
GRISWOLD:
A genius.... a genius...
A genius is somebody expanding our philosophy
REYNOLDS:
Issuing mediocrity!
GRISWOLD:
Avoiding all verbosity
ALL:
Avoiding such verbosity
REYNOLDS:
Poe writes of an orangutan who carries out a fiendish plan
GRISWOLD:
Such animal could write the book itself it seems to me!
REYNOLDS:
I've discovered a long-lost continent!
GRISWOLD:
You're a genius! What a genius!
REYNOLDS:
I've decided to run for president!
GRISWOLD:
You're a genius... he's an idiot!
And so my friends we'll all agree this only proves my theory
It doesn't take a genius to be a genius!
ALL:
No it doesn't take a genius to be a genius!
GRISWOLD:
There really is no doubt at all, he doesn't have the wherewithal
The inspiration,
REYNOLDS:
Application,
GRISWOLD:
Concentration!
REYNOLDS:
Education!
GRISWOLD:
Innovation!
REYNOLDS:
Reputation!
GRISWOLD:
Dedication!
REYNOLDS:
Perspiration!
ALL:
Of true genius!
Proud of himself, Griswold shoves Reynolds aside and grins craftily.
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9 - Goodbye to All That |
As Griswold (Ed) is scoffing about Poe (Ace) and his fame, Reynolds (Mioko) announces that Poe is getting married. He has decided to marry his ailing cousin Virginia to better protect her from the evils of the world, and so that no 'marital' demands of a less understanding husband can threaten her fragile health.
Griswold decides to send Reynolds to the wedding with a gift--a bottle of wine--knowing well of Poe's own delicate balance with addiction. The scene then changes to the bride and groom preparing for the wedding.
The ladies of the cast dress Virginia (Athena) in white adornments as they sing.
LADIES:
From this day on you will be together
From this day on you will live as one
A band of gold that will bind forever
A harvest moon on a rising sun
The tom-boy days, the tit and the tat
Goodbye to all that, goodbye to all that
The maiden's prayer, the bachelor hat
Goodbye to all that, goodbye to all that
They hurry her off the stage as the men of the cast lead Poe on while they adjust his coat and hat.
MEN:
From this day on you will sing together
The nightingale and the columbine
A dance of love that will last forever
The tangled briar and the rose and wine
The pretty girls you used to look at
Goodbye to all that, goodbye to all that
You turn your head, there's bells on your hat
Goodbye to all that, goodbye to all that
The procession soon turns into a dance as the bride and groom are ushered back together.
ALL:
You're the one, yes you're the one who'll marry the farmer's daughter!
You're the one, yes you're the one who'll run away with a pauper!
You're the one, yes you're the one who'll marry the sargeant major!
You're the one, yes you're the one who'll run away with a stranger!
Danger! Danger!
Goodbye to all that, Goodbye to all that
Goodbye to all that, Goodbye to all that...
POE & VIRGINIA:
From this day on we will share together
A single coin in the wishing well
A way of life that is changed forever
A different ride on the carousel...
ALL:
And as for all the chit and the chat
Goodbye to all that, goodbye to all that
The Mardi Gras, the carnival hat
Goodbye to all that, goodbye to all that
Goodbye to all that
Goodbye to all that...
...
Poe and Virginia are married and the cast happily lead them in a dance. Virginia must stop to catch her breath, but she quickly smiles and continues with her new groom.
Reynolds catches Poe and presents him with the bottle of wine from Griswold. Poe immediately becomes pale.
"I'm afraid I... must be careful... alcohol disagrees with me..."
"But on such a day!"
"I must be careful... please excuse me..."
Poe exits while Reynolds holds the bottle almost disappointedly. He sets it aside as the sound of bells begins to rise.
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10 - The Bells |
The joyous sound of wedding bells begins to fill the air, and Virginia (Athena) smiles as she hears them, stepping forward as she sings.
VIRGINIA:
Hear the sledges with the bells - Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, in the icy air of night!
LADIES & VIRGINIA:
While the stars that oversprinkle all the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells -
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
Virginia goes to Poe, looking a little tired but happy to be in his arms.
LADIES:
Hear the mellow wedding bells - Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night how they ring out their delight! -
From the molten - golden notes, and all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats on the moon!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
How it swells! How it dwells! On the Future! - how it tells
Of the rapture that impels to the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells -
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells -
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
The men begin to sing as Virginia slowly grows weaker and Poe begins to worry.
MEN:
Hear the loud alarum bells - Brazen bells!
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night how they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek, out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher, with a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavor now - now to sit, or never,
By the side of the pale - faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells! What a tale their terror tells of Despair!
How they clang, and clash and roar! What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear, it fully knows, by the twanging, and the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows;
Yet the ear distinctly tells, in the jangling, and the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells,
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells -
Of the bells -
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells -
In the clamor and the clanging of the bells!
The action at the front of the stage seems to freeze as a gravekeeper and his new assistant take to the stage, with the gravekeeper explaining the ways of burial--which includes a small bell tower to be set on the gravestone with a string that reaches into the coffin.
The assistant doesn't understand, and the gravekeeper explains that with so many people fearing of premature burial--scared thanks to the stories Poe has been writing--the alarm bell towers can signal that someone within the coffin is still alive.
DORIAN: So they can ring the bell?
VANCE: Yes--they ring the bell!!
The chorus returns and sings, but Virginia falls ill and is quickly swept out of Poe's hands as she is cared for. Poe tries desperately to reach her but to no avail. He stumbles upon the bottle of wine left to him by Griswold, and with his mind growing more troubled, he takes a drink.
ALL:
...
And he dances, and he yells; keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the paean of the bells - Of the bells:
Keeping time, time, time in a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells - Of the bells, bells, bells: -
To the sobbing of the bells - Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells, in a happy Runic rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells - Of the bells, bells, bells -
To the tolling of the bells...
Poe staggers back into the chorus as they wave their arms and hold chairs around him, creating a chaos as if to mirror what is inside of Poe's head.
CHORUS:
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells,
To the moaning...
And the groaning...
Of the bells... BELLS! Bells!
OF THE BELLS!
The scene quickly goes black. End of ACT I.
Edgar Allan Poe musical, costumes, etc (c) Eric Woolfson
Ace of Spades characters, artwork (c) me
Artwork (c) Jill "Ace" Singletary 2004-2010
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