For three days in March, the Worcester Mechanics Hall will be transformed into a tribute to one of the most famous poets in the world.
Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy is an emerging cocktail bar that includes live performances by actors reciting four of Poe’s works. Throughout the show, the patrons are served four different cocktails, called each of one of the poems.
The Speakeasy will open to Mechanics Hall on March 13 and will last until March 15. After that, the speaking time in the heart of the Commonwealth will be, Subdo el Raven, “Nevermore”.
A portal back in the 19th century
Julia Austin, the creative director of the representation of the Speakeasy, said that those who attend the event will be transported again to the Victorian era, and the stage of Mechanics Hall is transformed into Poe’s personal study.
When attendees enter the Speakeash, the actors are received, speaking and acting as if they were from the 19th century, according to Austin.
“In the leave, we try to return -to put during the real life of Poe,” Austin told Masslive. “Most of the time, go to see a sanctuary and this has a fantastic incense and you can take a little and try the hand leaving a note for the macabre teacher.”
As they enter the theater space, which are first coming, people will notice lighting and fog on stage, Austin said. On the stage is a desk by a writer, who is supposed to be Poe.
The poems that will be performed in The Speakeasy are “The Tell-Tale Heart”, The Black Cat “,” The Raven “and” The Masca de la Red Red “, said Austin. The actors involved in the production will be fresh throughout the room, with some of them performing the poems. Throughout the show, a narrator will play the historical aspects of Poe’s life, Austin said.
The same Poe is a native of Massachusetts, born in Boston on January 19, 1809.
“During his life, he didn’t have much money,” Austin said. “Certainly, he was a very poor man.”
A macabre medley of mixed drinks
During the show, four different cocktails will be served for attendees. The four cocktails are appointed and inspired by the four poems.
The first drink is the “pale blue eye”, a blue cocktail made of blueberry vodka, fresh lemon juice and pink syrup and topped with the Croix, according to The Speakeasy’s Website. The name of the drink is a reference to a passage to the heart of the story where the narrator describes the “pale blue eye” of an old dead man.
The second cocktail is the “red death cocktail”, called after the poem, the Masca de la Death Red.
The cocktail is made of 100 vodka vodka, cherry herring, Benedictine liqueur, lime juice, pineapple juice and bitter.
The third cocktail, which Austin said it is served during the performance of “The Black Cat”, is “The Punxó de la milk by Brandy twisted by Edgar”.
The website says that the drink is “equal parts that Kentucky Bourbon encounters the French brandy and mixes with vanilla cream, milk syrup and half and half, finished off with star anise”.
Finally, there is “The Nevermore”, a drink that pays tribute to the “raven” of Poe. The black cocktail is made of vodka of orange peach flowers, lime juice and secret spices.
A love for Poe
For Austin, who is in charge of writing the show, The Speakeasy is the result of his love for the poet.
It was to the seventh grade when Austin first read Poe and his work spoke to him so that no other writer did so.
“I always loved the macabre air over him and how he was baptized as a macabre teacher,” Austin said. “I was hit by an agreement.”
The Speakeasy opened in 2023 and has traveled throughout the country, making stops in Boston before, according to Austin. This will be the first time the Speakeasy has opened to Worcester.
“We have been around some of the largest cities, but this is the first time it has arrived in Worcester,” said Austin. “We are excited to be able to expand out of what people can assume is the rule in those big cities in the list on the list you are going.”
Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy opens its doors to those who dare to enter the Worcester’s Mechanics Hall on March 13. Tickets can be purchased here.