13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene”

Dead Dreams is a surreal, scary treat

Orlando Fringe, Orlando, Florida

From The Orlando Weekly, May 20, 2018

The Pink Venue is home this year to two – yes, two – musical ghost stories featuring unique visual and audio effects. Between 13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene” and The Haunting of Saint River, the former is the scarier and more complete production.

Belying its title, the show is not really about the 13 stories. After all, each isn’t a full narrative but is instead either a musical interlude, an absurdist dream or a surreal nightmare. Sure, a couple of them are quite well developed and truly chilling, such as the tune-filled “Water Under the Bridge” (where secrets are never forgotten) and a frightening tale of a deranged whistle-maker whose final crime is hollowing out human heads so the wind can moan through the skulls. But it’s the linking story that’s the best part: the fact-based account of the “mummy of Sabina, Ohio,” a corpse that went unburied for 35 years and bewitched the sleep of the townspeople.

If 13 Dead Dreams gives you nightmares, blame Erika Kate MacDonald and Paul Strickland. Not only did they create this award-winning show that premiered at Minnesota’s Twin Cities Horror Festival in 2016, but they do just about everything themselves, from singing to narrating to executing the wizard-like shadow and flashlight effects with precision. Their artistry will haunt you.

 

13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene”
Theatre Mobile, Cincinnati, Ohio
13 & Up – Mature Themes
60 Minutes
Pink Venue
Sunday, May 20, 2018, 6:15 p.m.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018, 10:45 p.m.
Thursday, May 24, 2018, 7:15 p.m.

 

© 2018 Orlando Weekly / MeierMovies, LLC