By Jessica Lipsky

The Great American Music Hall (859 O'Farrell) will explode with the Gorey-inspired, the unnatural and the fantastic during three days of turn-of-the-century time travel.

GAMH hosts its second annual Edwardian Ball Weekend from Friday, Jan 25 through Sunday, Jan 27. The three-night gathering of gore and glamour celebrates the life and work of macabre storyteller Edward Gorey and brings Edwardian style and 20 performers to each themed night.

"It's a historical point of interest but you're going to see and learn and do things," said Producer Justin Katz. "A lot of San Francisco community is built around a participatory ethic and this is a great way to get together."

The festival weekend will transport patrons back to 1910 with three different nights of the fantastic: the World's Faire, costume ball and Sunday, Gorey Sunday. Each night is all ages and tickets range from $18-30 or $63 for a VIP pass, which covers all events.

On Friday, GAMH is transformed for the first time into a turn-of-the-century World's Faire with four exhibition halls featuring a variety of creatures and crafts. The technology exhibition is presented by Kinetic Steam Works, a Bay Area collective dedicated to steam powered kinetic art. Their exhibits will combine steam technology and industry, bringing Edwardian-era novelties to life.

"This is not a historical purist event," said Katz. "But people are excited about this era because, on the whole, there was a lot of change and excitement." 

The World's Faire will also feature a Wonders of the Unnatural World exhibit, presented by eccentric landscapers' Paxton Gate. The Faire also boasts a hall of fine arts and a sexy fashion bazaar of styles reminiscent of times when corsets were mandatory and top hats weren't few and far between. 

City Circus, a band of five or six high school performers, created an Edward Gorey- inspired piece and will perform their chosen work on Friday and possibly on Sunday as well. 

Entertaining the costumed crowd on the main stage is a variety of Edwardian entertainers from cabarets to vocalists; Unextradorinary Gentlemen will play self- described "synth-punk from 1887" while DJ Delachaux spins Edwardian dance selections for those desiring to step into the enthusiasm of the period.

On Saturday, the gorgeous and gory alike are invited to attend the eighth annual costume ball for unparalleled Edwardian revelry.

Pagan lounge ensemble/Edwardian house band and Ball founders Rosin Coven will delight the eyes and eardrums of turn of the century time travelers. In a special tribute, Vau de Dire Society cabaret will be performing Edward Gorey's classic, The Deranged Cousins.

Later, the ball takes the glum away from the Gorey and features an antique portrait studio as well as the dark and seductive music of the Edwardian Belle of the Ball, Jill Tracy. Vau de Dire Society will also perform show stopping, jaw dropping acrobatics in an avante-aerial cabaret.

While midnight in the Edwardian era may have been a time for sleep and dreaming of virtuous dreams, the costume ball marks the hour with midnight burlesque with Vima for your howling pleasure.  Famous for their unique blend of ballroom and burlesque, Vima titillates with bravado and a staggering box step.

Sunday, Gorey Sunday brings the festival to a close with an all-out celebration of the finest in Gorey-inspired stories, fashion, music and much more. More outrageous than anything on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Edwardian variety night will present at least seven musicians and performers with talents and tricks to astound.

Dark angel Eric McFadden, with a special six-piece Edwardian Orchestra, jazzes up the evening with a web of waltzes. But while some opt for an elegant dance, cabaret is the mainstay of Sunday's Gorey goodness.

Vermillion Lies will perform Junkshop Cabaret, combining everything from the blues to murder ballads on a surreal ride through the minds of twisted ladies. The dancing girls of Fou Fou Ha! wreak havoc with an intoxicating mix of drag queens, slapstick and intricate choreography. And if your appetite for dancing women is still insatiable, Vima Dance will perform yet again.

Closing the Gorey celebration, custom corset maker Dark Garden will present Gorey fashion tales while Allison Lovejoy and Midnight Rose of Rosin Coven will present Gorey's The Neglected Murderesses.  The two will bring the short stories to life, taking the finer, Gorey-er points and putting them to music.

Without a wormhole or time machine, time travel is near impossible. But don a corset, top hat or waistcoat and for the cost of a cab or a trip on Muni, the Edwardian Weekend will transport you to another time and place. We promise that you'll at least arrive with all your faculties intact.

For more information on artists and events, visit www.edwardianball.com or www.gamh.com.