This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
”The Passage,” a new iHeartMedia podcast featuring monologues developed by an array of Atlanta writers, mixes horror and history with a uniquely fascinating premise.
Each episode speculates what a major figure in American history — such as Billy the Kid or J. Edgar Hoover — would say about their legacy as they crossed over into the afterlife to whatever fate awaited them. Every installment begins with the creepy Ferryman, voiced by Tony award-winner Dan Fogler at his most gravelly, meeting notable Americans at their moment of death and giving them a chance to eulogize themselves.
Additionally, notable actors including Wes Studi, Martin Starr, Tristan Mack Wilds and Scott Haze appear as guest stars in the show, which releases new episodes every Wednesday. Eight installments have been released so far.
The results are dark, haunting and thought-provoking, like an all-star “Spoon River Anthology,” the classic poetry text by Edgar Lee Masters wherein the dead members of a town told its history and its heart. The show also evokes sentiments similar to the last act of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” where townsfolk in the graveyard tell their tales.
The weekly anthology series created by filmmaker Dan Bush and writer Nicholas Tecosky poses impossible, metaphysical questions as a way of exploring the soul of the United States. Are we, as a nation, defined by our accomplishments . . . or our sins? It’s a fascinating approach with endless possibilities, and the conclusions aren’t always fatalistic — even though this is the horror genre.
Credit: Courtesy of iHeartMedia
Credit: Courtesy of iHeartMedia
Credit is due to the writing. Tecosky and Bush provide the framing narratives of each episode and wrote Billy the Kid’s tale in the violent Western that starts the series, but other episodes feature different voices both behind the scenes and at the microphone. The production value of the series is high, with listeners using headphones getting added scares from focused sound effects.
Often, the show centers upon the bleakest, bloodiest American histories, investigating key moments like the creation of the atomic bomb and the Trail of Tears. Writers Steven Williams and Michael Owl use strong imagery and philosophical prose to explore such weighty moments.
But the show is often at its best when it explores artistic legacies, such as the Williams-penned episode about musician Robert Johnson, who was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil for fame.
Romance novelist and essayist Nicki Salcedo wrote the script for the excellent fourth episode, centering on the creative life of sci-fi novelist Octavia Butler. Within it, Butler is surrounded by her own characters as she passes, allowing the show to explore a different approach and an uplifting tone.
And there’s also a fun episode about Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre, in which writer E.M. Westover and Atlanta performer Scott Poythress give Jones a very, very satisfying ending.
There are a few critiques. Sometimes episodes use more cerebral prose, which can take listeners out of the narrative. And the Ferryman character serves mostly as a passive witness, rather than as someone with his own desires, humor and motivations. He’s like Rod Serling introducing us to “The Twilight Zone.”
Still, because it is brimming with big ideas from our hometown talent, “The Passage” is a journey worth taking.
PODCAST REVIEW
“The Passage”
Available for free online or download the iHeart app. iheart.com
::
Benjamin Carr is an ArtsATL editor-at-large who has contributed to the publication since 2019 and a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Atlanta Press Club and the Horror Writers Association. His writing has been featured in podcasts for iHeartMedia, onstage as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and online in The Guardian. His debut novel, Impacted, was published by The Story Plant.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
MEET OUR PARTNER
ArtsATL (www.artsatl.org), is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. Founded in 2009, ArtsATL’s goal is to help build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
