Forget about scary movies.
A Carroll Gardens theater company will bring the dark and eerie tales of legendary author Edgar Allen Poe and W.W. Jacobs to life on Halloween night through a free special performance in Carroll Park that focuses more on audio than the visual.
“I wanted to bring people back to a time when they didn’t even have something to see, so that they could just listen and be engaged,” said artistic director Beth Ann Hopkins of the Smith Street Stage, who will put on the debut “radio play” performance inside the playground’s spookily decorated parkhouse with two other actors on Oct. 31.
The three actors in the hour-long “Edgar and Jacobs” show will alternate their roles by doing the voices and sound effects for the 19th and 20th century short stories, which include Poe’s famed “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and horror tale “The Monkey’s Paw” by Jacobs.
“We have a big wind machine and a metal sheet for when there is thunder,” said Hopkins, who added that attendees will get to see the actors making the sound affects. “Everything is created right in front of you — there is no iPod in the background.”
Hopkins said that the performance is for children of all ages, but that the show definitely veers on the scarier side, since there is death and murder in the great writers’ tales. As a huge Poe and Jacobs fan, Hokins said that she did not dare to change a bit of their stories in her adaptation.
“There’s going to be elements of fear, I hope,” said Hopkins, who added that the parkhouse will also be adorned with jack-o’-lanterns and eerie lighting to add to the spooky ambiance.
Since the playground’s Robert Acito Parkhouse is only big enough to hold 30 guests, the performance will be on a first come, first served basis — so get there early if you want to nab a seat to be scared out of.
Smith Street Stage’s “Edgar and Jacobs” in Carroll Park’s Robert Acito Parkhouse [Court and Smith streets between Carroll and President streets, (917) 912-2852, www.smithstreetstage.com]. Oct. 31, 7 pm, free.
