In accordance with the Halloween season, The Big Read has introduced a literary form of creepy entertainment in Poe’s Tales of Terror. The free production, directed by Sam Arredondo, is being performed at Sanctuary Theater on Oct. 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m., and on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m.

A cast of eight composes the show, acting out 10 of Edgar Allan Poe’s renowned poems, including “The Raven” and “The Cask of Amontillado.”

Entering the Oct. 22 performance, I expected solid material from the writer himself, but was not optimistic about the caliber of the local production. However, the combination of Poe’s writing and the acting talent made for a mildly entertaining evening.

In between poems, Chris Harrelson, portraying Poe, took the stage to tell the crowd about “himself” and his life. His monologues informed the viewers about the background of each poem.

This actor was one of two particularly impressive performers. His appearance, tone and mannerisms enticed listeners and set moods for the various stories to be told. Even from my seat in the audience, I was able to see his eyebrows shift in expression and his eyes gleam, which brought to life the slightly deranged personality of Poe.

Another actor who captured positive attention was Brian Pucheu, whose stage presence always demonstrated confidence and proficiency in his various roles. In “The Black Cat” and “The Raven,” he brought impressive performances as the narrator. Instead of standing to the side describing the events, Pucheu acted as though he were telling the story in the moment itself.

He was able to deliver his lines without any hesitation, and did not sound as though he were simply reciting words from a script. Pucheu was always convincing, even in his extensive monologues. Other actors in the show also performed long scenes with talent, but Pucheu consistently stood out as the best.

In “The Black Cat,” Ashley Hyatt and Kayla Wyllie portrayed the two felines. Their mannerisms fit the roles to perfection, as every movement was consistent with catlike habits: They rubbed their heads against their owner’s legs and moved around the stage convincingly. From watching Hyatt and Wyllie, it was clear that they had spent time analyzing the motions of cats. Their evident effort was certainly beneficial to Poe’s Tales of Terror.

Although merit rested in Poe’s writing and in the talented actors, the show’s positive attributes did not extend much further. I constantly found myself distracted by issues such as disruptive set changes, distorted audio, poor lighting and a number of other minor malfunctions.

While Harrelson was giving monologues as Poe in between scenes, technical assistants appeared onstage to shift the set into its new positions. Instead of executing this task inconspicuously, they casually walked across stage to move around the set pieces. This interference appeared unprofessional, bringing down the quality of the production.

When audio was used for voices, the sound was very low and incomprehensible. At times I was able to work out the words or messages, but it was irritating to have to strain my ears to make sense of the unclear sounds.

Costumes, for the most part, were perfectly adequate, leaving me with no complaints. One mess up, however, ruined a potentially successful aspect. In “The Red Death,” Pucheu portrayed a sinister hooded presence of death, and would have struck a bit of fear within me had his sleeves been a couple inches longer. A stretch of skin revealed the start of his skeleton gloves, spoiling the appearance of bones emerging from the black cloak’s sleeves.

Matters such as these kept the production from emanating an aura of expertise. The accumulation of unprofessional issues outweighed the show’s merits, but understandably so, as it was a free presentation. In the end, the redeeming qualities of Poe’s Tales of Terror made the show a worthwhile experience.

For more coverage of The Big Read events, read the April 16 article, Big Read centers on ‘Fahrenheit 451.’ For more drama reviews, read the Oct. 27 article, ‘Anne Frank’ production rivals professional theater.

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