[EVENT REVIEW] Macabre Masquerade
“There were much of the beautiful… much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust.” ~Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death
On the eve of World Goth Day, The Witches Brew and The Raven Societea invited guests to immerse themselves in the Macabre Masquerade; an interactive theater experience of which every aspect was inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Upon arriving at the historical Globe Theatre of Los Angeles, guests were beaconed to don a mask, then whisked into the revels of the Countess Prospero (performed by Vita Devoid) who has invited her guests to indulge in opulence through the night as the ravages of the Red Death strike down those left outside. The Countess had procured the very best pleasures for the night, from unique cocktails to decadent sweets to a feast for other senses in the form of burlesque and musical performances. The glamour was underlined with a hint of the grotesque, as a strange skeletal presence (performed by PhantomRedDeath) began to move through the crowd.
The Countess hand selected gothic vendors who brought custom wares of every artistic medium. Guests could forget the looming skeletal presence in a chocolate-strawberry bite of Vegan Food by Liv’s Tale-Tale Tart, or while adorning themselves in the dreamlike jewelry creations of Sickle and Stitch. Magicians Jeff Black and Micah Cover dazzled as they wandered through the crowd, keeping the thoughts of guests on the festivities, their hearts filled with wonder. Even the Globe itself in its old Hollywood glamour seemed to be vying for its occupants to give in to a lurid abandonment.
Pushing through the classical renderings of modern pop songs, growing louder as the evening progressed was the tolling of an ebony clock accompanied by blasts of cold air directing guests’ attention to a crimson opera box, in which guests could spot Poe (played by Weston Peece) himself! Through the night he and the Countess Prospero would take their audience through the classic Poe story, The Masque of the Red Death. The story progressed in seven sections, echoing the seven rooms found in the original tale and their symbolism for the stages of life.
Each section was punctuated by a corresponding performance; until, ultimately the Countess Prospero recited her final act from the floor of the ballroom as she succumbed to the throws of the sickness. In her last breath, she called for the person who invited the Red Death inside to be sacrificed. The finale act saw entertainer Miss Tosh brought to the stage in full Victorian garb, a hooded executioner on each arm to fulfill the Countess’ last order. In a burlesque sequence involving fire, dancers, and blood, Miss Tosh pulled all the themes of death and indulgence together to conclude the night.
Witches Brew and the Raven Societea have confirmed that the Macabre Masquerade will return this fall!
For a full video detailing the night, please keep an eye on Divergent Dream’s Youtube.
Article by Lauren Rachel Berman
