For the better part of two years I’ve been harboring a secret.
It’s a secret that could have gotten, a simple Kansas boy recruited into a conflict he didn’t fully understand, killed.
It’s started with a tent, a mirror, and a promise and this week it culminated in a Vow.
The Vow is the latest installment in The Speakeasy Society’s Kansas Collection, which has wound its way over two years, four short chapters, multiple locations and — for the truly industrious — puzzles and side quests, to arrive at this: the first full length production in the series.
The sheer amount of content — based on Frank L. Baum’s “Land of Oz” stories — that’s been developed so far can be intimidating both for those who haven’t tried to dip a toe in until now, and audiences who may have lost the threads of the plots in the intervening months. The good news is that prior knowledge or a good memory aren’t required to keep up with the story of The Vow. That’s the strength of both the writing of the piece and the ridiculously strong ensemble of actors who work with the company.
The story so far boils down to this: after the Scarecrow became King of Oz and turned into a tyrant, Dorthy escaped back to Kansas. The Scarecrow King, as he’s known, dispatched twins Phil and Phoebe Daring to recruit Kansans (that’s us) to find her. But everyone has a hidden agenda, and an anarchist revolt led by Glinda the Good Witch (well, former witch, she gave up magic) is trying to burn everything down while the Scarecrow’s forces are undermined within their own ranks by a so-called Patchwork Resistance that thinks Dorothy is the lost Princess of Oz. They’re on to something, but they might not have all the facts.
(If you’re even passingly familiar with The Wizard of Oz in any of its incarnations, you’re going to be fine at The Vow. If not, let’s get coffee, since I’ve never had coffee with an extra-terrestrial before.)
That’s What Happens When The Bad Guys Win
Our scene opens on the pending nuptials of the Scarecrow King and Phoebe Daring, who helped lead the successful capturing of Dorthy. In short: the bad guys — depending on your point of view — have won and now are going to celebrate by cementing their legacy. What could possibly go wrong?
The most incredible thing about The Vow is the way that The Speakeasy Society balances melodrama with comic sensibilities. Oz, as a fantasy setting, is ridiculous and the company doesn’t shy away from broad comic beats even in its villains. Phoebe Daring (Genevieve Gearhart) is something out of a pulp novel, driving beats of the story forward seemingly by sheer will alone. Lyman (John Henningsen) brings a comic bounce to even the most tense of scenes. Meanwhile Dorothy is clearly ensorcelled from the start, which is conveyed masterfully in an uncanny performance by Colleen Pulawski that blossoms over the course of the track focused on her.
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The Vow is tracked, and that tracking is far from random. As the storyline so far has split the audience into factions, The Vow too is split which each patron asked to choose a side when they buy a ticket. This too can be intimidating, as it seemingly requires a depth of foreknowledge, but after seeing two separate tracks and discussing with those who had seen others, I can reasonably assure you that most of the tracks are easily accessible to first timers.
SIDEBAR: A QUICK GUIDE TO OZ’S FACTIONS
The tracks break down as follows:
- Red : The Patchwork Resistance, focused on Dorothy. A easy jumping on point for those new to the story but not new to immersive.
- Green: The Scarecrow’s Armed Militia, focused on the Scarecrow King. The villains (or are they) of the piece, and default option in the series. Also a solid jumping on point.
- White: New Recruits. Designed for those who haven’t been to any of the previous chapters and who may be unfamiliar with immersive/interactive.
- Blue: Revolt, focused on Glinda the Good Witch and General Jinjur. This one draws heavier on the lore, and includes puzzle elements which have been a hallmark of the series so far. A bit more advanced.
- Black: The Lost Princess, focused on… well that would be telling, now wouldn’t it? Deeper into the lore, but still trackable, this one pays off if you like seeing the world through the eyes of villains.
And Then: A New Hope
My own run-throughs led me down the Black and Red tracks. That pairing allowed me to see how much care and craft The Speakeasy Society has put into making sure that the big group scenes pay off in entirely different ways for audience members depending on their points of view. This is no small feat, especially when one considers that points of interaction put the audience into a different relationship to the material than those of simple, passive observers.
My “natural” track is The Lost Princess thread, which I managed to unlock in chapter one of the story. The callbacks to that first episode created deep resonances throughout my first run through The Vow. A second go on the Patchwork (Red) track reveled new story beats, and played on a few interactions I couldn’t quite recall but nevertheless managed to get me choked up in its central breakout scene.
The company is moving from strength to strength here, taking the lessons they’ve learned form previous episodes, their “Johnny Cycle” plays, and this year’s Wild Party to take the next step forward in their evolution. This is a troupe hitting their creative stride and stripping away what’s unnecessary in order to create an immersive storytelling machine. The cast sells every second: from the freeform opening wedding reception (Ozites don’t quite get Kansas wedding traditions right) to the interlocking tracks that make up part of the second act.
Even if its possible to lose the fine details of the lore at points, that storytelling is rooted in the relationships between characters, and — even more to the point — in those characters’ relationships to us. For we’re not only their audience, we’re their allies. In some cases, we’re their last, best hope.
Simply put: The Vow is a joy, from start to finish, a lightweight summer melodrama that points us further down the yellow brick road and a final battle for the fate of Oz itself.
The Kansas Collection: The Vow runs through August 25th at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 1020 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202. Tickets start at $80.
Make A Night of It
Reader, immersive playwright, and sometimes contributor Eva Anderson (
evafay) recommends Damon’s Steak House, which features tiki drinks and , well, steaks for a pre-show dinner. It’s a fixture since 1937 — get a reservation, it fills up on weekends. If that’s not your speed and your looking for a cocktail pre-show the Hilton Hotel Bar doesn’t mess around, and it’s within walking distance. Just don’t overdo it! You’ve got a conspiracy to unravel and only the Wizard can do that drunk.
Disclosure: The Speakeasy Society’s Matthew Bamberg-Johnson is a founding member of The League of Experential & Immersive Artists of which the writer is also a founder.
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