Looking for a local theater with impressive talent and eye-catching excitement? The Cumberland Theatre, located in Cumberland, Maryland, will capture your attention and hold it tight with their performances. 

I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to “Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” on Oct. 27, before the last show. The theater will be rearing back up with “It’s A Wonderful Life,” beginning Dec. 5. With an array of talented actors and committed crew, I am confident in The Cumberland Theatre’s ability to take any musical and knock it out of the park.  

“Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” at the Cumberland Theatre was expertly directed by Sam Little. The cast was small with only seven actors, who took on multiple roles at an impressive pace. Each of these actors were phenomenal, completely committed to each role and confident on the stage. 

Jarrett Bloom, who played Poe, captured his melancholy essence readily, encapsulating the true sadness of Poe’s trauma from his lackluster childhood to his untimely death. 

Keith Peterson, Katie Zimmerman, Katie Davis, and Sarah Friedman played Players Three, Four, Five and Six with undeniable talent. The actors worked well together and riffed off each other. 

“With a cast of only seven people, you get really close. Every performance, we were learning something new,” Davis shared about the cast.

My favorite part of the entire whirlwind that is “Nevermore” was the singing and music. In solos, each actor had a strong, clear voice, pleasant to listen to and undoubtedly impressive. Together is when they really shined, each voice smoothly harmonizing with the other without fail. 

My favorite song was “The Raven,” the lyrics from Poe’s poem put to music and sung by Bloom, accompanied by the rest of the cast. This song had lots of different elements, actors singing different parts at the same time as others, but it went well together, and I appreciated the incorporation of Poe’s real work in the soundtrack.

The Cumberland Theatre puts on quite a good show with their production of “Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe.” Each actor embodies their role and commands the stage, keeping up with the rapid pace of the musical flawlessly and making it look easy. The singing and dancing are impressive and unique, one of a kind to this particular cast. If you are a fan of musicals, The Cumberland Theatre will impress and enrapture, with the benefit of supporting a local business and actors.

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