I first encountered Edward Gorey as a preteen in the 1980s, through the delightfully droll animation drawn from his work in the opening credits of PBS’s “Mystery!” series.

A woman swooned, a croquet player thwacked his ball through the rain to its doom, a tombstone crumbled, and while Edwardian partygoers murmured behind their fans, a body slipped unnoticed into a pond behind them, glug-glug-glug. A masterpiece of unsettling elegance.

Gorey — author, illustrator, stage designer — was born in 1925 and died in 2000. To celebrate the centenary of his birth, the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust has authorized Orlando’s Phantasmagoria theatrical troupe to devise a new stage production based on Gorey’s work and honoring his legacy. Titled “Hauntingly Whimsical Tales,” the show will make its world premiere over the next few weeks at various Central Florida venues, including the Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

“It’s a lifelong dream to do something Edward Gorey,” says John DiDonna, founder and director of Phantasmagoria — the atmospheric troupe that uses spoken word, dance, puppetry and aerial arts to tell stories with a spine-tingling bent.

Author-illustrator-designer Edward Gorey was dressed to stand out in a crowd in this photo taken in New York City in the early 1970s. (Bill Cunningham photo courtesy of the Edward Gorey CharitableTrust)

Like me, DiDonna became acquainted with Gorey’s work as a youth; in his case, though, it was through the theater.

“My aunt took me to see ‘Dracula’ on Broadway” — a show that Gorey designed, winning a Tony Award for his costumes — “and then she would buy me Edward Gorey books,” DiDonna says.

Flash forward to today, and he’s over the moon the Trust responded positively to his request to develop a Gorey-themed show. It took several months to determine which of Gorey’s stories could be featured; not all of them were available as they are part of a flurry of other Gorey-related projects.

For years, Edward Gorey illustrations like this one were animated and used in the opening credits of TV’s “Mystery!” (AP photo courtesy of the Edward Gorey House)

There’s such a twisted treasure trove to draw from: Writings with gloriously eyebrow-raising titles such as “The Uggly Wump,” “The Blue Aspic” and “The Glorious Nosebleed.”

One title that will feature in the Phantasmagoria production is “The Gashlycrumb Tinies,” the charmingly horrifying poem in which 26 children, one for each letter of the alphabet, are dispatched in unique ways: “A is for Amy, who fell down the stairs…”

“We have to do it,” DiDonna says. “Everyone in the 1980s, 1990s, had that poster on their wall.” (Mine graced my college dorm room and now hangs on a wall of my TV room.)

Orlando’s Phantasmagoria troupe rehearses Edward Gorey’s “The Disrespectful Summons,” part of a world-premiere show adapted from Gorey’s writings. (Courtesy Phantasmagoria)

Another story featured in the show will be “The Gilded Bat,” about a mysterious prima ballerina. Phantasmagoria composer Josh Solomon has spent months devising original music for the story.

DiDonna says touches like original music and the distinctive and subversively period vibe of Phantasmagoria will set this show apart from previous Gorey adaptations.

“We’re Victorian-Edwardian as it is, so we really fit,” he says. “There’s a lot of Gorey spoken word, but we’re a movement troupe.”

This Edward Gorey artwork for “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” suggests the children will not live happily ever after. (AP file photo)

The troupe is also known for its puppetry, and Nic Parks of MicheLee Puppets and Orlando Family Stage is designing some fantastical creatures for “Hauntingly Whimsical Tales.”

In all, the show will feature 10 full stories, including “The Disrespectful Summons” and “The Loathsome Couple,” along with sections of limericks.

“Let’s be honest, I’m doing some of my favorites,” DiDonna says with a laugh. “How could I not do ‘The Beastly Baby’?”

The show has a larger cast than usual, 18 performers, and is the most costly production the troupe has ever mounted, DiDonna says. Extra effort is being taken to reflect the whimsical world of Gorey, with topiaries for the stage and costumes that use Gorey’s color palette. Projections designer Dana Mott has been given access to Gorey’s archives by the Trust to use in her work.

The Phantasmagoria troupe will tackle the darkly whimsical writings of Edward Gorey. (Courtesy Chris Bridges via Phantasmagoria)

“We’ve never done this kind of thing before,” DiDonna says.

Gorey, an animal lover, created the Trust in his will and designated it as the sole owner of his intellectual property while charging it to benefit organizations “whose primary purpose is the welfare of animals.”

To that end, the Trust licenses Gorey’s work to museums and other exhibitors. The revenue it earns goes toward grants for animal rescue, care and conservation.

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Trustees have been involved every step of the way in the development of “Hauntingly Whimsical Tales.”

“They want to read the scripts and see the puppets and hear the music,” DiDonna says. “They’re good people, and they love Edward Gorey.”

DiDonna hopes the new show will spread the love for Gorey and create new devotees. Although Gorey’s writing always has a dark side, it’s also shockingly funny in its twisted (but sometimes frighteningly accurate) view of the world.

“We are really honoring his words, looking for the whimsically dark — nothing too serious,” DiDonna says. “Even at his darkest he was writing for children —or the child in all of us.”

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust is marking the centennial of the author-illustrator-designer’s birth. Orlando’s Phantasmagoria is part of the celebration. (Courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust via Phantasmagoria)

If you go

What: ‘Phantasmagoria XVI: Hauntingly Whimsical Tales’
When and Where: Oct. 3-4 at the Melon Patch Players’ Tropic Theatre in Leesburg; Oct. 9-12 at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando; Oct. 24-25 at the Athens Theatre in DeLand; Oct. 26 at the Tampa Theatre in Tampa; Nov. 1 at the Reilly Arts Center in Ocala; and Nov. 7-8 at Theater West End in Sanford. Prices vary by venue.
Info: phantasmagoriaorlando.com

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/30/phantasmagoria-edward-gorey-tribute-premiere-orlando/