NOVEMBER 19 - DECEMBER 2

MALTHOUSE THEATRE PRESENTS

THE TELL-TALE HEART

ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY BARRIE KOSKY
AFTER EDGAR ALLAN POE
PERFORMED BY MARTIN NIEDERMAIR AND MICHAEL KIERAN HARVEY
ORIGINAL MUSIC BARRIE KOSKY
DESIGN ADAPTATION
ANNA TREGLOAN (SET AND COSTUME)
& PAUL JACKSON (LIGHTING)
RETURN SEASON DIRECTOR MICHAEL KANTOR
SONGS BY BACH, PURCELL AND WOLF

A man - a murderer - sits alone upon a staircase, pursued by shadows, weeping darkness and throwing up demons. If at first he seems a mass of neuroses, his tics and spasms the symptoms of a terrible guilt, soon enough he is revealed as the dark soul of our age and, eventually, of the state of a theatre trembling on the edge of obsession and madness.

The Tell-Tale Heart is based on the classic short story by Edgar Allan Poe, a writer whose legacy haunts the shelves of our greatest modern literature. He is credited with the creation of the detective genre, but is better known for his macabre tales of murder and grisly retribution.

In 2007 Barrie Kosky created a thrilling voyage into the morbid and fascinating world of the “Master of Horror” with Austrian actor, and angelic singer, Martin Niedermair. The performance, sharpened to steely perfection, was a hit of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Since then we have toured this acclaimed production to the Edinburgh International Festival and Sydney Festival.

Malthouse Theatre re-stages this chilling work with Niedermair and, multi-award winning Australian pianist, Michael Kieran Harvey. Playing only ten performances in its original Melbourne season, we were besieged with requests to bring the production back… As the final production in Michael Kantor’s artistic programming for Malthouse Theatre, we listened, and hope you enjoy this very special performance.

“THIS IS THEATRE THAT PLAYS IN THE MINDS OF THE AUDIENCE AS MUCH AS IT DOES ON STAGE, THAT INVITES US TO COME ON A VOYAGE INTO OUR OWN SUBCONSCIOUS…THIS IS POE RENDERED NAKED, STRIPPED OF THE RAGS OF GOTHIC MELODRAMA, AND IT IS A TERRIFYING VISION.”

THE AUSTRALIAN