←Recommendations of EDGAR ALLAN POE'S THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

I love a tight adaptation. And Monica Cross delivers a fantastic take on Poe’s classic. It carries with it every bit of dread from the short story, but in today’s pandemic world, it is a biting commentary on the excesses of a society that believes themselves untouchable by the plague.

Monica Cross has written a brilliant adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's famous short story. Considering the original has exactly one paragraph of spoken text, she had to do some heavy lifting to convert the all-descriptive prose story into a stage play. The result is a seamless retelling that adds some clever humor to a horrifying and (sadly) relevant tale that still resonates today.
It's also a dream assignment for a set designer, lighting designer and makeup artist. Someone get this on a stage near me!

What a swell party this is!

A tight adaptation that's also a sharp critique of how entitlement blinds the privileged to profoundly destructive acts of nature. But how sorry can you feel for people who can't be bothered to avoid a plague like it's a plague!

Blithely funny then bone-crawlingly creepy, this play is great for virtual theater (how I saw it), would be doubly effective on stage, and perhaps exponentially effective as an immersive experience! (Somebody, do that!)

Cross has allowed for great freedom in casting, so go to town! Oh wait, you can't! There's a plague...

Cross both presents the strange opulence of the original short story faithfully, while also including details and images to fit it well to the stage. And what a perfect story for the stage this year. The extravagance of the aesthetic, in itself a kind of mask to hide the characters from reality, blends with the bloody violence of the end in perfect fashion. A chilling reminder, and a wicked good time.

An atmospheric piece that successfully builds suspense until nearly the final moments, this adaptation captures the twistiness of Poe's original: we know something horrible (and perhaps well-deserved!) is going to occur but the arrival of Death is somehow even more chilling than we imagined. The reveal that the mask cannot be removed is also perfectly timed - sure to elicit a gasp from the audience (it certainly got me!). I always admire Cross' ability with literary language and this is a gorgeous example - I found myself sinking into the dialogue from the first moments. Highly recommend!

A delightfully fun adaptation of Poe's classic story with the pitch-perfect level of creepy, Cross' tight script will hypnotize and transfix audiences of all ages. The timeliness of the play is undeniable (unfortunately), a solid reminder that disease is unfeeling. Without precaution, sometimes even with, it will find you. A better example of some old-school horror will be hard to find.

A fun take on Poe's story! It's clear Cross had a good time crafting the scene and characters and that good time will be given to the audience even with the ending being obviously not so happy.