Performed by Martin Niedermair and Barrie Kosky

Original Music by Barrie Kosky with songs by Bach, Purcell and Wolf

Design adaptation Anna Tregloan (Set and Costume) & Paul Jackson (Lighting)

Sometimes what cannot be spoken may still be heard.

A man – a murderer – sits alone on a staircase, pursued by shadows, weeping darkness and imaginary demons. If at first he seems a mass of neuroses, his tics and spasms the symptoms of a terrible guilt, soon enough he is revealed as the dark soul of our age and, eventually, of the state of a theatre trembling on the edge of obsession and madness.

The Tell-Tale Heart is based on the classic short story by Edgar Allan Poe, a writer whose legacy haunts the shelves of our greatest modern literature. Poe is credited with the creation of the detective genre but is better known for his macabre tales of murder and grisly retribution. A chilling thread of soot black humour permeates his tales and this utterly original vision demands a collaborator of equally singular mastery.

Together with Austrian actor and angelic singer Martin Niedermair, Barrie Kosky creates a thrilling voyage into the morbid and fascinating world of the “Master of Horror” with a performance that is sharpened to steely perfection – straight to the heart.

Malthouse Melbourne’s The Tell-Tale Heart is based on Schauspielhaus Vienna's 2004 production, Das Verráterische Herz. Das Verráterische Herz was conceived and directed by Barrie Kosky and performed by Martin Neidermair in German. This production is performed in English, and was reconceived with the original artists, premiering at The CUB Malthouse Workshop for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, 2007.

This production contains occasional coarse language.

Latecomers may not be admitted.

EAT DRINK TALK ART
Tue 20 Jan - Barrie Kosky
Director Barrie Kosky talks with Sydney Festival Artistic Director Fergus Linehan about theatre, art and politics. For more info on the Eat Drink Talk Art series, click here.

Company/production special thanks and acknowledgements.

PHOTO: JEFF BUSBY

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WHAT THE PRESS SAID

“…beautiful in its simplicity, and infuriatingly effective.” – The Sydney Morning Herald – 20 January

"A fascinating Australian artistic mind… a landmark artistic event ... more" - Australian Stage (re Barrie Kosky)

"Sickening then soothing, this is the stuff of fevered nightmares.” - The Guardian

"…it's as if all your fireside Halloweens have come at once. Niedermair's Hannibal Lecter-like slurps morph into a castrati-like rendering of Agnes Dei... It's a deliciously wicked rendering of a dark-hearted flight of self-destructive fancy.” - The UK Herald

"It's one of the most beautifully and effectively lit shows one could ever hope to see. The body and the staircase before us seem to morph. The world seems to tilt, stretch and spin." - Herald Sun, Melbourne

“I can safely say that Kosky and German performer Martin Niedermair are masters of the art and exploit all theatrical elements to pull off this highly compelling one-man soliloquy...more” - The Australianstage.com.au

“Though it was written in 1843, this story still stands the test of time and is just as shocking and tense as it was back when it was published...more” - The Cabinet

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“A carefully contoured musical and theatrical jewel… Martin Neidermair is unforgettable.” - Sydney Morning Herald

“This is theatre that plays in the minds of the audience as much as it does on stage that invites us to come on a voyage into our own subconscious… This is Poe rendered naked, stripped of the rags of gothic melodrama, and it is a terrifying vision.” -The Australian

“Barrie Kosky’s stage adaptation is an enthralling piece. Startling and innovative, especially in its use of music, it remains true to the deranging spirit of Poe’s Story…his show is a ghoulish, haunting experience that plays on every trick of the light and mind – from vertigo to the illusion-making power of shadow.” 

 “[Martin Neidermair] emerges from the darkness like a revenant from an unhallowed grave. The eerie atmosphere recalls the early masterpieces of German expressionist cinema, and fits the material to perfection.” - The Age, Melbourne

“Neidermair gives a stunning tour-de-force performance in an unforgettable journey into the dark side of a scarily human soul…and Kosky to one side on piano, superbly plays a boldly eclectic score…  the whole emotively pitched voyage is conceived and staged with beauty and sensitivity.” -Variety

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