Holms,
Lowell, Longfellow, poets turned Sherlock
in 'Dante'
By
Cherie Otto
On-line Forty-Niner
Boston
1865, "poets Oliver Wendell Holms,
James Russell Lowell and Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow gather together to translate
the inferno into English when a series
of murders turns them from dilettantes
to detectives," said critic Julie
Darn of People magazine.
The
entertaining thriller will play at the
Edison Theater through October.
"The
Dante Club" is based on a novel written
by Matthew Pearl, a Harvard graduate in
his 20s. The members of the club consist
of Harvard professors and poets who translate
into English, the journey Dante believes
he traveled through, which consists of
nine levels of hell.
Actor
Gary S. Grossman puts the time period
of the play at the end of the Civil War.
"American
soldiers just went through hell on Earth
and many of them had post-traumatic stress
when coming back," Grossman said.
"It is a divine comedy."
The
poems show how art affects life, said
Craig Flemming, who plays the role of
Oliver Wendell Holms. Flemming's character
is like every good Holmes detective, out
to solve the mystery.
The
cast of the play consists of 15 men who
play multiple character roles, and five
women.
EVENTS
LISTING
What: "The Dante Club"
When: Sept. 26-Oct. 18. 7 p.m. Tues. ?
Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri. ? Sat., 2 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Edison Theater 213 E. Broadway
Long Beach, Ca
(562) 985-4500
