The much-anticipated appearance by infamous children's author and frightener Mr. Lemony Snicket on October 26 at Town Hall Seattle was a dismal failure. Luckily, two talented entertainers were there to take our mind off the seemingly bottomless disappointment.

Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields and author Daniel Handler have collaborated on a musical tribute to Mr. Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Sound a little freaky? It is. The Tragic Treasury, recorded under the giggly pseudonym the Gothic Archies, contains 15 songs, one devoted to each book in the series, plus two bonus tracks. Each song is similar in its expression of sadness and loss, peppered with humor and sarcasm; definitely stuff for the people who've read the books... or so I thought until I saw them performed live.

That night, three levels of Town Hall were transformed into a macabre carnival and movie house. As the audience was seated in the main hall upstairs, kooky and eclectic silent-film clips were screened, setting the mood for a musical performance similar in daft tone.

Handler and Merritt took the stage bewildered, like the two other Stooges looking for Moe. When they realized Mr. Snicket was a no-show, they offered apologies and settled down to treat ticket holders to some very melodious, moving music. Opening strong with "Smile! No One Cares How You Feel," Handler worked the crowd with great hamminess, pretending to phone the absent Snicket, while the shy Merritt softly sang bizarre lyrics and gently strummed the ukulele. Thereafter, Handler showed how grand the dreadful accordion can be in capable hands, accompanying Merritt on the remaining selections.

Children dominated the audience and they added their own soundtrack. Audience participation—by coercion or association—gave the performance a comfortable feel. As Handler read excerpts from Snicket's 13th and final installment in the series, The End, two enthusiastic girls chosen from the audience provided sound effects with percussion instruments.

Although the performance was brief, it was not short on entertainment. Lemony Snicket never did materialize, but nobody missed him.

Rose Fredericks is a veteran of 826 Seattle's free Music to Your Ears writing workshops for teens. Additional meddling by Kurt B. Reighley.