After moving to Cape Cod Edward Gorey found a comfortable niche in local theater. It seems a natural fit for a person with a mind as imaginative as his. Gorey’s friend Carol Verburg recounts his productions which is interesting on its own – he not only made finger puppets, he also sewed stuffed animals as gifts. She has also provided a wealth of material from scripts, drawings, handwritten notes from the man himself. It’s a fascinating glimpse. If you enjoy Gorey this is a book to seek out.

Edward Gorey is the artist that is famous for having created the drawings that were animated to create the opening of Masterpiece Theatre's Mystery! program. He is also known for his children's books (although perhaps books published in picturebook format for adults would be a better way of putting it) such as the Gashlycrumb Tinies. References to Gorey often mention that he like to wear full length fur coats and that he loved cats. This was about how much I knew about Edward Gorey when I opened The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey. I was truly surprised to learn that he had written plays, designed sets and costumes and used puppets in many of his shows. Gorey won a Tony in 1978 for the costumes he designed for a run of Dracula. Like most of Gorey's work, his plays are strange and surreal. Fans of Gorey will be delighted with this book. Those who are unfamiliar will enjoy discovering Gorey's particular genius, especially if they are fans of vintage and/or Goth style. Thanks to Net Galley for providing an electronic copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC.

I'm familiar with his illustrations, but I had no idea Edward Gorey did so much in community theater. Written and assembled by a close friend and collaborator in theater, this was a treat to take a peak behind the curtains. His theatrical works are both as strange and macabre as I imagined, and also moreso. It also manages to be both reverent to Gorey and realistic about how he came across as a writer/director in theater. I wish I could have at least seen one of his shows while he was alive, just for the puppet shows alone.

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As a fan of Edward Gorey, I was thrilled with Carol Verburg’s "The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey." This book beautifully showcases Gorey’s contributions to theater, from his Tony Award-winning Dracula designs to his community theater productions in Cape Cod. The rich illustrations, including archival photos and previously unpublished artwork, make it a visual feast. Having visited the Edward Gorey House recently, I found this collection a wonderful addition to Gorey scholarship, offering new insights into his creativity and unique theatrical vision.

Anyone who enjoys Gorey’s unique, quirky, macabre way of looking at the world will, I think, adore this book. There is so much within these pages. Look at cats, Broadway poster designs, programs. photos, drawings and so, so much more. This is really a treasure chest of a book with terrific accompanying text by the author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey : Rare Drawings, Scripts and Stories.
by: Carol Verburg
due: 10-15-24
Chronicle Books

As the title implies, this is a book that explores Edward Gorey's career in the theater, his influences, and his life-long love of acting and illustration. This beautiful collection features original texts, excerpts from his plays and alot of related artwork. Growing up in Chicago, obsessed with cats, he began drawing at a young age. After graduating from Harvard, he worked in New York as a book designer and illustrator, before joining the army as a typing clerk at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Finally settling down--a little--he and a few others formed the Poets Theater, a community theater where there were no assigned jobs, everyone did everything. The plays had dark themes and were written by some well known writers, as well as locals, and Gorey referred to the shows as 'Entertainments" . Moving to Manhattan unleased his bohemian side. His illustrations made for the 'Random House: Looking Glass' books are sought after, and lead to his success as an illustrator, as well as creating his own publishing company, Fantod Press. Still relatively unknown, The Edward Gorey Production of Dracula for the Nantucket Stage Company put him in demand.

The format and layout of this book is done so well, the artwork and illustrations included are excellent representations of his dark themes and his vast talent. A peek inside the magical, whimsical world of Gorey and his influences, and his obsessions is entertaining and a great read. The photos and illustrations, just by themselves, are worth looking into this book.
Beautiful and Whimsical.
Thanks to NetGalley for sending this e-book ARC for review.
#NetGalley #TheatricalAdventuresofEdwardGorey

This is the perfect read for any artist, theatre lover or Edward Gorey fan! A quick and enthralling read with some really fun artwork and illustrations. 5 stars!

In the late eighties, iconic illustrator/author Edward Gorey left his apartment in Midtown Manhattan for a ramshackle house in Yarmouth, Cape Cod. Throughout the 1990s, he was involved in a renaissance of work in the active amateur drama scene on the Cape. The author became his main partner in translating his macabre imagination into original plays. Initially, she was reluctant to approach him after having a horrible experience with Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut had been involved in drama years before, and had left a note on the dressing room bulletin board giving them full permission to adapt any of his works. Verburg worked up a script based on Cat's Cradle, and called thOtherwisee author in New York, only to be soundly rebuffed. If this man who famously wrote loving advice to graduates could be such a curmudgeon then surely a man who wrote about children dying in weird ways would be even worse. Instead, he turned out to be a warm and friendly partner in drama projects. There was a constant stream of them in the decade, and they were always well attended. A Gorey production always included a prologue performed by a puppet theater troupe, and strange dialog reminiscent of Beckett (With whom Gorey once did a book). Verburg said that the second half of the productions often had a notably smaller audience, but people flocked to them anyway. As a Gorey fan since the 1960s, I was very happy with the wealth of illustrations herein. In the end I was sad because I had moved to New York in 1990, frequently vacationed at the Cape and had no idea that any of this was going on. Otherwise, this book is a treasure for Gorey fans of anyone interested in drama. Highly recommended.

I went into this book with only my preconceived notions of Edward Gorey, garnered from my childhood reading.

It was eye opening to see this whole other piece of an author that didn't really exist in the context that I had always assumed was his whole persona.

I will say that I read this as an ebook, and now I need to go buy it in physical form for the massive amount of pictures and original notes. They are amazing to look at, while reading about his life in theatre.

The bookstore that I work at is in an "arts" area of a downtown city. We have a large amount of actors and theaters with plays going on throughout the year. We strive to find books that will "talk" to the actors, production crew, artists and play goers and this book is perfect! Edward Gorey is a hit at our shop. The dark and macabre of Edward Gorey is just something a little different and intrigues shoppers! I love the drawings and sketches throughout and the background of Gorey himself was irresistible!

I love the paintings from Edward Gorey that's why I am so excited to read this book, Theatrical Adventures of Gorey that makes me amazed. I hope the fans of Edward Gorey will acknowledge the significance of this book as well.

Perfect gift for the theater lover in your life! Whether you know Edward Gorey from his picture books, ‘Dracula’, or PBS ‘Mystery!’ intro, this book is a captivating look into his life and work over the years, complete with a look into unpublished illustrations and scripts.

I’ve loved reading this book and I’m pretty sure I’ve now talked about Edward Gorey to most of the people I know. His life is fascinating and the illustrations are stunning.

I'm not going to lie, I started feeling jealous while I was going through this book because I will never have the joy of meeting Edward Gorey and seeing one of the plays he is working on. He seems like one of the nicest, oddest, smartest, funniest people to have ever lived. I have always enjoyed his absurd pictures and stories, and I started collecting them decades ago. This book has such great stories about getting to work with Gorey and it's amazing to get to see the original works. I'm so glad people answered the call when they started collecting for this. I wasn't aware of the story of his death and how he'd been putting off care that may have delayed his death, which made me even sadder. Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This is a beautiful, well-written, well composed, book. It was so lovingly put together. I loved seeing some Edward Gorey items I had never seen before. So well done.

I love Edward Gorey’s more famous work, but I was totally unaware of his love for the theater (amazingly, he attended every performance of the New York City Ballet). This revealing book by his friend Carol Verbug contains behind-the-scenes details of dozens of Gorey’s plays, musicals, puppet shows and other theatrical adventures. Verbug has given us access to pages of scripts, set designs, director’s notes, costume sketches, photographs and other theatrical ephemera rarely seen for any author, much less one as outré as Edward Gorey. It makes for fascinating reading for Gorey fans, although the writing at times was a little too esoteric for the casual reader.

I received an ebook ARC and some of the reproductions of handwritten and typewritten materials were a bit blurry and hard to read. I assume that these will be easier to read in a printed book. Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a child I grew up with Edward Gorey’s drawings and love them. This book has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of Edward Gorey and all he did. I had no idea that his life was so intensive and inspiring. For any Gorey fans who was to delve deeper into his life this is an amazing book to read

“The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey” is a very comprehensive book containing various unpublished and rarely seen works, private photos and notations, as well as behind the scene glimpses of the impressive theatre work from designs to scripts, that show the creative genius of Edward Gorey.

Like many, I first fell in love with Gorey’s work when I came across The Gashlycrumb Tinies when I was younger. Many years later I was gifted a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula which Gorey had illustrated, and it was that book which really prompted me to look into Gorey’s artwork more than ever before. So when I saw that this book contained insights into his work on the broadway production of Dracula, it felt like a full circle moment.

Carol Verburg did a great job compiling various artwork and notations from Gorey’s private collection, and it’s clear that they were friends as well as collaborators by the careful and considerate way Verburg has written this book. It’s not an informal listing of some of Gorey’s credentials or a regurgitation of other books written about him, rather it’s a love letter of sorts that shows the admiration and respect she has for the formidable talent that was Edward Gorey.

The theatre works alone make this a phenomenal read, but the personal recollections that Verburg shares pushes up another notch.

If you’re a fan of Edward Gorey, art, theatre, or just want to see glimpses into his creative process, you will absolutely enjoy this book.

This review is my honest and unbiased opinion, although I did receive an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley, however that has no bearing on my review. While it is absolutely enjoyable in e-book format, I will definitely be purchasing the hardcover edition as this would make a great coffee table book.

What a joy Edward Gorey must have been to be around. I would have LOVED to see some of these absurd and delightful plays. Ever since I Read The House with Clock In Ots walls 45 years ago, I have loved the drawings that brought Luis Barnabelt to life. Each time PBS mysteries shows its opening sequence, I refuse to fast forward through it!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A beautiful look into the work of Edward Gorey's theater work! This was such a fun read for fans of Edward Gorey's art and projects. As a huge fan of Dracula, getting to read about his work on the Broadway production of it was fantastic. This was a really interesting read and it chronicles a lot of Gorey's works and projects throughout his life. It's a great book for Gorey fans and any art/theater people who are interested in learning about a craftsman!

*Thanks Netgalley and Chronicle Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*