Duffy Hudson's Edgar Allan Poe Show at the East Dubuque District Library

On November 3, 2009, Duffy Hudson appeared at the East Dubuque District Library to present his one man show, Duffy Hudson as Edgar Allan Poe. From the moment Hudson's Poe staggered into the performance area until the end of his program, the audience was treated to a rare blend of history, literature, and drama mixed into a cohesive whole that never felt overdone.

I went into this dramatization an Edgar Allan Poe fan, but only to a light extent. I am familiar with many of his works on the surface level, but no one would ever call me an authority. However, takes on the works of Edgar Allan Poe have always been a favorite if mine and none more so than many of the shorter features produced starring Vincent Price. With so many talented people having tackled Poe, I was curious to see how Duffy Hudson would present not only Edgar Allan Poe the man, but Edgar Allan Poe's body of work.

On both counts Hudson did a stellar job. As noted above, his performance of Poe was delivered from beginning to end. There were no odd moments when the spell connecting the audience members to the past was broken.

The show opened with Duffy Hudson, in character as Edgar Allan Poe, staggering into the room to address a Literary Society. Poe spent a few minutes discussing his early life in a sporadic manner before launching into the purpose behind his visit, to present his literary works to the members of the society. With that comment, he began a forbidding telling of the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart."

The remainder of the program followed a similar pattern with more biographical asides being presented before a moving presentation of "Annabel Lee" and an intense performance of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous piece of poetry, "The Raven."

At odd moments in his performance of Edgar Allan Poe, Duffy Hudson's voice would rise, would fall to a whisper, or escape from his mouth at a frantic pace. It was a method of performing that fits well with what we know of Edgar Allan Poe's life and behavior. Hudson's mannerisms and movements added much to the overall effect.

His physical presence is dynamic during the 45-50 minutes his show takes, and the voice he has crafted to present the character of Edgar Allan Poe makes his performances of Poe's classics feel as if they are spilling from the author's own mouth. Duffy Hudson's Edgar Allan Poe program is a must see if you have the opportunity.