NYMF 2016 // A THEATRE REVIEW OF "A SCYTHE OF TIME"

BY MATEO MORENO

Edgar Alan Poe is widely known for his macabre stories and sinister morality tales. From The Raven to The Tell Tale Heart his work is full of dark twist and horrifying turns. In addition to his sometimes pitch black tales, he also wrote some very funny (and still dark) short stories, two of which are the basis of the new musical A SCYTHE OF TIME. The plot, loosely based on Poe's stories A Predicament (originally titled The Scythe of Time) and How to Write a Blackwood Article, follows Signora Psyche Zenobia (Matilda's Lesli Margherita), the editor of a small London newspaper called The Bluebatch. P.J. Griffith plays Blackwood, a sinister editor for "The Blackwood Articles" and a man who wants to control all of the news throughout London. As one of her own writers comes in to put in his notice, she discovers that Blackwood is commissioning hopeful authors to write their own suicide and finally their words can be printed in "The Blackwood Articles." So men and women begin to one by one, accepting the gory fate that will await them after they turn in their article, knowing they've finally been published. So Zenobia also decides to take up Blackwood on his offer, but plans to not actually die after the published article. However, this being Edgar Alan Poe, things don't quite go to plan.

Balancing the dark with the bold, broad comedy is no easy feat, but the writers balance it quite well, especially for a show this early in the stages of development (the book is by Alan Harris and Music/Lyrics are by Mark Alan Swanson).David Albert's direction is strong, fluid and simple and the cast themselves are all dynamic. Margherita, a scene stealer both in Matilda the Musical and Dames at Sea on Broadway, is wonderful. Her comic timing is (as always) pitch perfect and her stellar voice makes many of the songs simply soar. Her nemesis P.J. Griffith has a bold and powerful vocal quality that seems to intensify with every new tune. Danny Rutigliano, as Zenobia's faithful servant, is very quick witted and a great companion for Margherita. Lastly, the entire ensemble, from Emily Claire Hughes to Matt Dengler, all have strong moments to shine and are all a powerful backboard to this zany, nutty little musical. There is room to grow still, to sharpen. The introduction of Blackwood is a bit static and immediately leads to an excellent scene with Margherita. After that, it seems to find its footing, but after some small tweets this show will really sing. There seems to be a strong future for this darkly funny tale, and one that will serve to be even stronger with each fresh coat of blood. I mean PAINT.

MATEO'S GRADE: B+

Book by: Alan Harris Music and Lyrics by: Mark Alan Swanson Based on the short stories of: Edgar Alan Poe Directed by: David Alpert Starring: Lesli Margherita, P.J. Griffith, Danny Rutigliano, Matt Dengler, Blair Alexis Brown, Brandon Brune, Emily Claire Hughes, Lance Olds, Alex Syiek  Playing at The June Havoc Theatre as part of the 2016 NYMF For More info: http://nymf.org/festival/2016-events/scytheoftime/

MATEO MORENO is an actor, writer, and a playwright. His plays Happily After Tonight,  Within Our Walls, Bohemian Valentine and Paper Airplanes have been produced in NY and beyond. He most recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play City of Glass at The New Ohio Theatre and appeared in the workshop of Hamlet, or I Shall Mourn The Rivers at The Brick Theatre. He is currently workshopping his new play Fairground Attraction as part of Athena Theatre's 2016 Playwrighting Group. He lives in Brooklyn.