Summoners Ensemble Theatre, in association with the Merchant’s House Museum, will bring Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre world back to life this spring with the return of Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, a critically praised solo performance starring John Kevin Jones. The limited engagement runs for 12 performances from March 25 through April 5, 2026, inside the Merchant’s House Museum at 29 East 4th Street in Manhattan, famously dubbed Manhattan’s most haunted house by The New York Times.
The production marks the fourth installment of the show, which first debuted in 2018 and has since become a signature offering for both Summoners Ensemble and the historic museum. Set within the Merchant’s House’s candlelit 1832 double parlors, the performance immerses audiences in an atmosphere that feels uncannily aligned with Poe’s dark imagination. As CurtainUp observed, “Whatever the rising winds may be doing outside the Merchant’s House, John Kevin Jones is bringing Edgar Allan Poe’s works vibrantly alive in the candle-lit parlor within.”
Jones embodies Poe himself, weaving together some of the author’s most enduring works, including The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Angel of the Odd, and The Raven. Though the evening features a single performer, the transformation is striking. This Week in New York noted, “You might be watching one man, but you’ll feel like you’re seeing each of Poe’s characters in vivid detail.”
Directed by Summoners Ensemble Artistic Director Dr. Rhonda Dodd, the production continues a long-standing collaboration between Jones and Dodd, who also co-created the annual holiday presentation A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House, which returned for its 13th season last year. Their work together emphasizes intimate storytelling and historical context, a natural fit for a venue preserved as New York City’s only fully intact 19th-century family home.
Select performances will include a pre-show reception titled Raise a Glass to Edgar, offering guests wine, cheese, and a taste of the infamous Amontillado in the museum’s period kitchen. Tickets for performances range from $65 to $75, with seating strictly limited to 40 guests per show. Reception tickets are limited to 20 attendees.
Tickets are on sale now through summonersensemble.org and merchantshouse.org, promising a rare opportunity to experience Poe’s chilling tales just blocks from where he once lived and wrote.