Poe Comes to Life At Allaire Village

In the Christ Church Chapel at Allaire Village, a sold out audience filled with  avid Poe followers sat amazed by Helen McKenna’s haunting and intense performance of Edgar Allan Poe's works Friday night.

McKenna gives her performances from memory, though the event is technically known as a reading, said John Curtis, Allaire's executive director. McKenna's thorough knowledge of Poe's work aids in bringing the author and his words to life, Curtis said.

“Helen looks like Poe,” Curtis said. “It’s always great to have her with us every year.”

The lights were dim and candles laid upon window sills of the chapel. The stage was set in an 1800s home fashion as Poe would have had it, with dark walls and old fashioned lights. As McKenna entered the stage, the room of 100 people were silent.

She opened with an introduction on Poe, joking that he came back from the dead to be with the audience at Allaire.

And, McKenna opened with Poe's "Raven," a poem about a man's descent into madness. The hour-long perfomance also featured Poe's "Bells," "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "Annabel Lee" and others. The night ended with a brief question-and-answer session.

Kelly Cain, 40, a homemaker from Jackson attended with friend Helen Joy Walk, 40, an administrative assistant from Howell.

“I like his books. Poe is a classic writer,” Cain said. “She (McKenna) tells a great story. She acted out the feelings. 'The Raven' was intense.”

Walk said "A Tell-Tale Heart" was her favorite performance, adding that McKenna was incredible.

Lisa Dunn, a teacher from Toms River said McKenna was "phenomenal and believable."

“Her phrasing was phenomenal. She really became Poe. I thought she was a man who lived 160 years ago,” Dunn said. “The poetry was chilling, beautiful and haunting.”

Her husband, John Dunn, an insurance agent also from Toms River said that McKenna was realistic. He and his wife are both big fans of Poe.

McKenna said she memorized "The Raven" when she was 14 years old and that her fascination with Poe began in high school.

“I was asked to memorize something to perform and I didn't like any of the female monologues that I was coming up with,” McKenna said. “Someone said I should check out Poe because he’s really crazy and I thought 'The Raven' was a really cool thing to perform.”

In Curtis’ efforts to bring programs to the Village that pertain to the early 1800s, he brought McKenna on board eight years ago and has enjoyed having her back each year. The second performance, also a sold out show, was held on Saturday night.