Music
Press
An Evening With Your Mad Uncle Kane
by Sam Adams
Charleston City Paper June 3, 1998
Spoleto Festival, SC
In the middle of Joshua Kane’s one man show, Gothic at Midnight, the lights go down and he begins his recital of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. To this point you have heard a few grisly tales, been hypnotized by Kane’s deep, rich voice and laughed quite a bit between stories at his friendly banter.
In other words, you are an unsuspecting puppet in the hands of Joshua Kane.
From here on in, I advise you to hold tight to your programs. One audience member, obviously a little rigid with fright, dropped his program, causing it to slither down a few steps and come to rest right behind my seat. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind not to turn and look, for were I to do so, I am positive that instead of the program would have been the old man with his wandering eye or worse still, the murderer and his axe, his stare intent....
The other remarkable aspect of Kane’s The Tell-Tale Heart is the heartbeat that rises very softly during his conclusion. What’s remarkable about this? Doesn’t every production of The Tell-Tale Heart use a heartbeat during the conclusion? No, every production doesn’t. More specifically, Joshua Kane’s doesn’t.
“Sound effects?” says Kane. “We don’t use sound effects.”
And therein lies the magic of Joshua Kane’s Gothic at Midnight. He turns theatre bills into axe murderers and pulls heartbeats from your imagination. And when each story finishes and the house lights come up, he turns that tinge of fear into laughter with jokes about anything from the local wildlife to a late-arriving audience member.
“I took a lesson from Alfred Hitchcock,” says Kane. “You can only scare your audience to a certain point. Then you’ve got to let them rest a moment. It’s like a roller coaster. You have to give them the long slow journey up before you plunge them down.”
To this end, every story in Gothic at Midnight is not intended to frighten. There are fairy tales from Ireland that charm and even a quick recital of poetry to round out the evening. “It is one thing to stretch an audience’s sensibilities,” says Kane. “It is another ting to snap them.”
Which is why Kane introduces the audience not only to the macabre, but to himself as well. He tells amusing tales about his grandmother and grandfather and his Jewish-Russian roots. “The family stuff is a way to let the audience get to know me personally,” says Kane. “If they’re going to spend two hours with no sets and no costumes, they deserve to get to know me.”
The sparse decoration of the stage is no impediment to Kane’s performance. In fact, the open set, consisting of only a table, a stool, a candle, a few miscellaneous items and a sarcophagus, allows the audience to indulge fully in Kane’s resonant voice.
“My show was deigned for the spectacle-weary audience,” says Kane, who nonetheless relishes the dark nature of his performance. “Since I’ve taken the stage at the Emmett Robinson Theatre,” says Kane, “20 old men have been murdered, I have set fire to about 60 people, and about 240 have died.”
It’s not, however, the body count that scares you. The deaths almost come as a welcome relief putting both the tortured character and the suspense-riveted audience out of their suffering. The real fright comes from within. “I rely on the audience to do most of the work,” says Kane. “To fuel the show with their imagination, I provide the skeletons, they flesh out the experience.”
For any fan of gothic tales and gothic horror, Joshua Kane’s show is the Piccolo event to attend. As he says, “I invite my audience to spend an evening in the parlor of a mad uncle.” A very mad and quite funny uncle, who amuses you with his antics, frightens you with his intensity and charms you with his tales of the fantastic.
Joshua Kane will perform Gothic at Midnight: A Tribute to the Masters of the Macabre on June 4 at 11 pm. June 5-6 at 8 pm. $15. $12 for students. The June 4-5 shows will be in the Recital Hall at the College of Charleston. The June 6 show will be in the Emmett Robinson Theatre at the College of Charleston.
- Charleston City Paper
January 6, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
This is an open letter of recommendation for Mr. Joshua Kane. I have had the pleasure of
working with Joshua when he performed his "Tales of Terror" show at the Community Arts
Center in November of 2008. Our technical and marketing staff thoroughly enjoyed
Joshua's professionalism, attention to detail, and indefatigable commitment to his art and
perhaps more importantly to the process. Joshua leaves no stone unturned in his approach to
delivering a truly unique audience experience which he custom tailors to each performance
situation. He is in possession of the rare ability to capture an audience in a moment and hold
their rapt attention throughout the performance. If you are looking for a performance that
creates lasting connections with your audience, I offer my highest recommendation for
Joshua's repertoire.
Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at (570) 327-7653
or rsteele@,pct.edu.
Sincerely,
Robert Steele
Executive Director
220 - Community Arts Center - Williamsport, PA
November 10. 2008
Dear Joshua,
I want to congratulate you on your fine performance and residency here at The Grand Opera House on October 16-17, and to thank you for the investment of your time and creative effort that made the activities a success.
I was particularly pleased with your educational program highlighting the works of Edgar Allan Poe. I have found it difficult over my twenty-plus years of presenting, to find opportunities that are both engaging and rewarding for junior high/middle school students, and this program did the trick. They were engaged both with the work and with you as a performer, and the blending of those two elements held the rapt attention of a challenging age-range of audience members. I would not hesitate to enthusiastically recommend this to any educational program, as a literature and performance-based event.
The evening show, “Tales of Terror”, was equally satisfying. I especially appreciate your rapport with the audience, which many artists take for granted and which I believe to be a tremendous plus in an atmosphere as intimate as the Grand Opera House. I felt the audience was tremendously engaged, and might have given you an extra 30 minutes for some of the works “left out” because we only had a couple of hours!
Most important, I am appreciative of your work behind the scenes. Your willingness to work with us on promotional spots, study guides, advance interviews, and your creative input into ways to promote these events was most helpful.
I’m looking forward to our next project, whether it be a return of Poe, a visit by Shakespeare’s madmen and kings, a psychic adventure for donors, or perhaps a combination of the above!
Joe
Joseph A. Ferlo, Executive Director
Oshkosh Opera House Foundation, Inc.
Administrative Office- 222 Pearl Avenue, Oshkosh
The Grand Opera House- 100 High Avenue, Oshkosh
(920) 424-2355 (920) 424-2357 fax
PO Box 1004, Oshkosh WI 54903-1004
joef@grandoperahouse.org
www.grandoperahouse.org - Grand Opera House, OshKosh, WI
DENISE NELSON NASH
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT
FOR PUBLIC EVENTS
January 8, 2009
Dear Joshua,
It was a pleasure to welcome you back to Caltech for your appearance in Joshua Kane performs
Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Terror. As anticipated, your performance was technically brilliant,
expressive, and thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.
I also want to thank you for taking the time to meet with the high school students we brought to
campus for your program. The talk prior to the show was an inspiration to them and the insights
you shared helped prepare them to fully appreciate the language, motivation, and provocative
nature of Poe’s work.
Again, thank you for a wonderful performance.
Cordially,
Denise Nelson Nash
Assistant Vice President for Public Events - California Institute of Technology
December 2, 2008
Dear Joshua Kane,
I would like to express my gratitude for your riveting recital of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tales of Terror” on October 11, 2008. Your performance was the inaugural touring event at the newly renovated Historic 5th Street School. The city of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs and its patrons could not have opened the facility with a better act.
Thank you for enriching our performing arts series by delivering such a captivating performance for us and our guests. I have received nothing but positive comments and feedback. The audience raved over your powerful voice, your knowledge of Poe, and your overall friendliness.
Joshua it was a privilege to work with you from start to finish. Your passion, graciousness, and enthusiasm is contagious. From the moment we started talking with each other, through the closure of your show, you displayed professionalism, and a level of excitement that was truly appreciated by a presenter opening a new facility. I appreciated your willingness to do all of the small and extra things to make the experience a rewarding one for all involved.
Joshua Kane’s recital of Edgar Allan Poe’s, “Tales of Terror”, will be a hard act to follow as the city strives to program similar events at the Historic 5th Street. Without hesitation, I would recommend Joshua Kane to other performing arts venues.
We look forward to working with you again in the future.
Sincerely,
Brian M. Kendall, Program Coordinator
City of Las Vegas
Office of Cultural Affairs
- City of Las Vegas, Office of Cultural Affairs
Monday, October 13, 2008
EDGAR ALLAN POE'S TALES OF TERROR
by ed bruce edbrucevegas@yahoo.com
Tonight's performance will include selections from the following:
TELL-TALE HEART..
THE RAVEN..
CASK OF AMONTILLADO..
HOP-FROG..
MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH..
ANNABEL LEE..
SHADOW-A PARABLE..
ET ALIA..
That was the lineup on the program for the first show at Centennial Plaza/Historic 5th street School in downtown Las Vegas, fourth and Clark.
What a deal.....only the third time in my life I have had access to interpretations of Poe, first in 1975 at Northeast Missouri State University with Vincent Price doing the Tell-Tale Heart, the second in 1983 on the Tonight show with Jack Palance doing Annabel Lee (these dudes set the bar high).....now the fabulous Joshua Kane and his one man show here. Kane did not let me down.....the next generation of this is in good hands.
Shakespeare quality elocutionist with all the trimmings.... rose, cognac and black suit-yellow tie.
Boy was this guy great.....3 minutes late killed his perfect score but the readings, story telling and question answer period were better than perfect. The story of Poe and his work as Kane said nearlly forgotten today, but well appreciated by this group of 150 on this night.
Kane used a 24 by 12 enormous book on his podium as a prop and told us not to be bothered by the turning of the pages....that he actually has all the works memorized....you can be damn sure of that......what an actor.....knew his lines and delivered them with lots of panache !
Gee..... this was one of the best things I have seen all year and the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs is to be saluted for this and the many works they provide for the citizernery.........thanks to program Coordinator Brian M. Kendall who carries the load and always provides snacks. Brian organizes the Third Friday entertainment show at the Federal Building with the same quality and professionalism as this Poe show (next up Friday at noon October 17).....Brian, I think you are ready for the Hall of Fame on this journalists list.
I wonder often how much the city can pay some of this four star talent like Kane and Mark Nadler, especially with the cheap ticket prices.....whatever it is it sure fills the bill for the public on cultural needs.
Don't get better than this......A+ 97
POSTED BY ED BRUCE AT 7:29 AM
- Vegas Entertainment
Discography
Gothic at Midnight - A Tribute to the Masters of the Macabre
A Date with the Devil - Alll the voices of Satan From Mark Twain to Milton.
Photos
Bio
It has been suggested that if you dropped Orson Welles, Artemus Gordon and the Count of Monte Cristo into a blender, the inevitable result would be Joshua Kane. Raised in an illegal boarding house and obsessed from an early age with books, magic, spoken word, fire-eating and the theatre, Kane was destined for a career on the stage, or as an international spy.
A classically trained actor, Kane has studied with Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, the National Shakespeare Conservatory & Marcel Marceau. A member of Actors Equity Association, Kane has toured internationally with a series of one-man shows and played limited runs at off-Broadway’s historic Lambs Theatre and the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Since 1991 Kane has run his own theatrical production company that exclusively produces events that shamelessly feature Joshua Kane. In his unique one-man shows, Kane brilliantly blends the power and dramatic sweep of solo theatre with the ancient art of storytelling, creating compelling and provocative performances.
Kane’s original works include the award-winning Tales of Terrror - An Evening of Hilarity and Horror (formerly Gothic at Midnight a Tribute to the Masters of the Macabre), his adaptation of the H.G. Wells’ immortal classic, The Time Machine and A Force of Nature: or How I survived My Jewish American Family for the 92nd Street Y’s Oral Tradition Series. Kane has created and performed works for major museums, arts centers and festivals, including the Smithsonian Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Peabody Museum at Yale, the Ridgefield Museum of Contemporary Art, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich CT, and a community outreach program for the Crown Heights History Project at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, sponsored by the New York Times Foundation. He also offers dynamic creativity and voice workshops.
For more than a decade, Kane, an arts activist, served as a Touring Artist for the Connecticut Commission on the Arts (CCA) and was recognized as an exceptional performer and artist-in-residence when the CCA designated him a Master Teaching Artist. In appreciation of his work bringing cultural arts to university theatres across the country, the APCA named Kane its 1998 Performing Artist of the Year. At the 1998 Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, Gothic at Midnight was a smash critical and popular success. Kane has also performed to great acclaim at the World Horror Con and Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA.
Kane’s vocal skills have been used to great effect as the narrator of Saint Saens “Carnival of the Animals” and Prokoviev’s “Peter and the Wolf.” He has a lively career as a voice over artist, with commercial spots ranging from the Vienna Boys’ Choir to to Nickleodeon’s Jimmy Neutron video game and the much-talked about 2007 Sony Playstation 3 release, “The Darkness;” from Comcast’s “Voice of God” to a headmaster Akahito for the demo of Gene Roddenberry’s feature-length animated film Starpoint Academy. He also played the lead role of Robert Louis Stevenson in Little People, a radio production conceived and directed by Jad Abumrad for New York Public Radio’s Radio Lab, which has enjoyed frequent rebroadcasts since its debut.
Links
