New York Fringe Festival: Usher

For all those who never though Edgar Allan Poe’s gloomy prose would make a good musical, boy were you wrong.  Based on Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, the new play composed entirely by students at Yale University, Usher delivers more then your basic high school read of the story.  The two most impressive aspects of this show were the singing and the execution of the tale.  Claudia Rosenthal as Madeline Usher took the stage with her crystal clear melodic voice and was followed closely by the talents of Casey Breves and Ben Wexler, as James Cleary and Roderick Usher respectively.  The simple set and movable “portraits” helped the audience concentrate on the exceptional songs like “Take my Hand” and “Water and Gruel.”  The choices Molly Fox took when writing the book and lyrics played out the best parts of the story and even though we knew the ending, it still felt surprising when it happened.  Unlike the inhabitants of the House of Usher, I found myself happy to be cursed with seeing the musical.   Additional show times are Aug. 17 at 4:15, Aug. 19 at 4:30, Aug. 20 at 7 pm, and Aug. 22 at 10. Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University (at Spruce and Nasssau Streets) $15.