Authors Edgar Allan Poe, Dr. Seuss Come to Life in San Bernardino

Children were enchanted by actor Duffy Hudson’s literary performance at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library in San Bernardino over the weekend. Hudson silently slipped into the Bing Wong Auditorium and made his way onstage, wearing a classic Cat in the Hat red-and-white striped hat and tie. He performed Dr. Seuss classics, including “Horton Hears a Who,” “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “The Sneeches,” “The Zax,” and “The Big Brag,” ending his Dr. Seuss performance with “What Was I Scared Of?” Hudson intertwined the classic stories with biographical information on Dr. Seuss, giving children the opportunity to learn facts about the author’s life and works, as well as be entertained by the colorful stories. Students from Juanita Blakely Jones Elementary School walked over to the library to watch the performance and later posed for pictures with Hudson. In festive Halloween spirit, Hudson’s second performance was “Shadow of a Raven,” a combination of biographical information and dramatic readings of Edgar Allan Poe. From the moment Hudson—dressed as the legendary American dark-romantic author—entered the room, the audience was immediately sent back to 1849, the year that Poe died. Hudson recited Poe’s classic poems “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven” as well as the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” intertwining each literary piece with facts about Poe’s life. After the performance, Hudson interacted with the audience in a question-and-answer session. “When I was 9 years old, my father read ‘The Raven’ to me and said, ‘We’re going to memorize this poem and recite for the family.’ Ever since then, Edgar Allan Poe became a haunting for me; I have a connection with him,” said Hudson. His love for Poe translates into his performance, and he has even been asked by the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in New York to be the voice of Edgar Allan Poe in the tour. Duffy Hudson’s goal was to bring the mystery of Poe and the unique works of Dr. Seuss to the San Bernardino Library, and many audience members felt he was successful.