John Astin Brings Literary Genius to Poway Stage
by Ruth Lepper

The life and times of Edgar Allan Poe will be revealed on stage when John Astin brings his one-man show to the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

Astin helped to develop "Edgar Allan Poe — Once Upon a Midnight" with writers Paul Day Clemens and Ron Magid, combining Poe’s own words with a biographical sketch of his life that spanned four decades from 1843 to 1883.

"Some time back I decided that I was going to do nothing just for money," Astin said during a telephone interview from his home in Baltimore, Md. "I was going to do what I wanted to do. Let the chips, as they were, fall where they may... I decided I had to do a one-man show and I wanted to choose either a historical or literary figure."

Astin opted to look for a literary figure.

"A friend approached me with a one-man show he and his partner had written. I read it, optioned it and went to work with them on the script. After some time, we did a few try-outs and did some more rewriting, and eventually we brought it to the public."

Poe was considered to be a pioneer of science fiction and the father of modern detective fiction. He also was called "a misunderstood genius."

Astin’s narration is expressive of Poe’s writing style, in particular when he recites Poe’s classic poem, "The Raven."

Astin rushes through the rendering in short order as if recalling his own words instead of those of the poet’s.

"Originally, it was barely in show," he said of "The Raven."

But after he had occasion to perform the poem in its entirety with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, Astin made the decision to add it to the show.

"It seems absolutely essential to the play now," he said.

"And on that aside, just the poem itself is so rich. I don’t think there’s a comma out of place in it. Everything in it is meaningful. It’s a brilliant piece of work."

When not on the road with the Edgar Allan Poe play or at home in Los Angeles, Astin and his wife, Valerie, live in Baltimore where he teaches theater arts at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University.

Astin has been touring with the show, under the direction of Alan Bergman, for the past four or five years. His appearance in Poway, however, is not part of the tour.

With time off from his teaching position, Astin knew he would be back on the West Coast in January.

"We’re coming to Poway because we knew we’d be in the area," he said. "This will be the only show, just Poway."

Astin’s early training was in Shakespeare and other classical dramatists. He received his degree in drama from Johns Hopkins University and did graduate work in English literature at the University of Minnesota.

He is well known for his role as Gomez on the long-running ABC television series, "The Addams Family." He was nominated for an Emmy for his voice characterization for Gomez in the cartoon version.

He received an Academy Award nominated for "Prelude," a short film he wrote, produced and directed, and also was nominated for an Ace Award for his work on "Tales from the Crypt."

Astin will perform "Edgar Allan Poe — Once Upon a Midnight"at 8 p.m. on Jan. 10 for one performance only at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road. Tickets are $30 and $35, with $18 for youth under 18. For reservations and more information, call the box office at (858) 748-0505.