What can we say, we don’t like saying goodbye to Spooky Season, just a “scare ya soon” and heavy research into human hibernation drugs. (One day. One day.)
This week’s Rundown has a few last GAH-sps for the Season, along with some history, some river walking, and political alegories rendered through dance.
So, you know, a pretty typical week at NoPro.
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1797: The Mariner’s Revenge — HistoryRiot and Old Royal Naval College
£35; London, UK; through 12 November 2022
It’s a lovely idea for Old Royal Naval College to welcome more of the public into Admiral’s House: a venue whose stunningly beautiful halls are typically reserved for internal events and wealthy private hires. Understandably, since the hip new thing to do is commission an “immersive” show to bring the customers in, that’s precisely what they did and marketed in 1797: the Mariner’s Revenge.
Quotation marks regrettably included.
What HistoryRiot presents in the attics of Admiral’s House is, disappointingly, a self-described “theatrical experience”: a site-responsive promenade consisting of a few tick-box interactive elements peppered around primarily physical theatre. The audience is indeed welcomed into enigmatic spaces and presented with an extensively-researched devised production with a strong character-driven vision — I’m an enthusiast of 18–19th century maritime history and can attest that they’ve done their research and done right by Old Royal Naval College. And yet while 1797 possesses all the ingredients of an immersive show, upon delivery it yields less than satisfying results.
In traditional design, audiences can be invited into the story as a sustained character or can be ignored entirely, either left in their seats or treated as free-wandering ghosts. But what shouldn’t happen is the audience treated like shepherded props: occasionally winked at or coaxed into incidental participation before being discarded as soon as the scene no longer calls for it, leaving them scrambling to the wall because actors are jumping, dancing, fighting far too close for safety. Audiences aren’t props. After traversing that trench of trust and earning the participant’s buy-in, for a cast to drop it so quickly feels almost hostile, and therefore disincentivizes viewers to accept the next offer as the show goes on.
While I was charmed by the chemistry between lead actors Norma Butikofer and Mark Knightly, their craft wasn’t enough to carry the whole experience. Ninety minutes standing and paying attention is a lot to ask while not actively moving through fresh environments, moreso when we’re trying to stay out of the way of the action while also retaining plot points. 1797 would probably have made an entertaining seated show in a non-proscenium environment, however this staging demands too much of its attendees while providing a marked lack of audience care. If HistoryRiot and the Old Royal Naval College wish to produce more well-crafted immersive productions, more effort and education floats on their horizon.
— Shelley Snyder, London Curator
Abandoned — Last Call Theatre
$60; Downtown LA; through November 20th
Last Call Theatre, known for their back to back Hollywood Fringe offerings “Ascend” and “Signals,” have no qualms about putting the onus of driving their experiences’ narrative momentum squarely on the shoulders of its paying crowds. If you go to one of their shows, Last Call Theatre is going to put you to work.
The world of Abandoned is a grungy mashup of Mad Max and the Book of Revelations, reimagining the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as rival warlords who ravaged the earth, leaving whoever’s left to rebuild a new, fragile society amongst the ruins. Participants make up a wayward caravan following the promise of a better life as they wait out a storm in a rundown outpost on the way to one of the last remaining cities, called “New Babylon.” This is easily Last Call’s most atmospheric, visually immersive production, setting the scene with dim lighting in an appropriately derelict building to evoke a claustrophobic hopelessness.
The majority of the night is spent serving your new community, with the seven person cast entreating you to perform various favors with unpredictable, conflicting, and at times dire consequences. Some are as straightforward as sussing out the strategy of a political rival or wrangling a list of items needed for a ritual, while some are more emotionally complex objectives like cracking a coded journal that reveals a horrible secret or providing counsel to a person in crisis that may affect their course of their entire, and in some cases very brief, life.
With the audience outnumbering cast members roughly four to one, it is often necessary to cooperate with each other to ensure the missions are done correctly, quickly, and only once, as many are designed to cancel each other out depending on who finishes first. The actors occasionally seemed strained to juggle multiple quest-lines converging on them simultaneously in a kind of narrative bottleneck, forcing eager operatives to either waste precious moments hovering for a turn with their desired character to hopefully receive a new directive, or wander off to explore and risk the mission on hold being rendered moot during the next big story shift.
There are reportedly more than twenty five unique endings your choices could lead to, with no relationship or indeed character guaranteed to survive the night. For those who delight in frenetic agency and don’t mind sharing toys in the sandbox, this post-apocalyptic mystery won’t feel like work at all.
— Chris Wollman, LA Correspondent
Chatterton Cabinet of Curiosities — Sands Point Conservancy
$125; Sands Point, New York; Run Concluded
It feels almost unfair to heap praise on Chatterton Cabinet of Curiosities, the latest Halloween production at Hempstead House, a treasure of a historic manor out on Long Island. After all, Sands Point Conservancy has an ace in their sleeve in the mansion itself. It feels hard to imagine any show produced here would be bad. The gothic tapestries, grand foyers, and Saw-esque basement are a unique asset in creating a truly memorable site-specific work.
But it would be unfair to not highlight how much is made of the space, and how tremendous the acting is. A bizarre, often comedic Grand Guignol tale of family secrets, incest, taxidermy, and occultism, Chatterton Cabinet of Curiosities balances a wide array of tones, styles, and influences. A multi-track dark ride style show with some major scenes delivered to the full audience, attendees see a huge swath of the house, and get a large variety of scenes. Among the actors, special praise has to be given to our group’s guide, Mildred Kunkel (Emily Vaeth), who spent the whole evening channeling The Producers as the farbissen German head of staff (who may just be a Satanist). The whole cast was spectacular though, a majority getting a showcase scene. Phoebe (Sara Nelson), the middle-aged, hypersexual, infantilized heiress with the Ariana Grande voice stole the show of these, throwing herself at the men in the group, begging the maid for gold stars for her negative pregnancy test, and sobbing that Cody, a member of our party, was forbidden from joining her for nap time.
It would also be unfair to ignore the costume, set, and special effects teams. The Sands Point favorite trick of swallowing a hidden alka-seltzer to foam out the mouth continues to provoke queasy gasps of horror and delight. Each family member’s personality is perfectly reflected in their quarters while still maintaining the underlying integrity and style of Hempstead House. The one entirely devised set, a nightmarish chapel/operating theatre, was a surreal, David Lynch fever dream, only enhanced by the blood red, high camp nurses outfits and Patrick Bateman meets Baphomet head doctor (who’s identity I dare not spoil for hope of a remount.)
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Here’s the one thing that’s actually unfair though. Hempstead House is a gorgeous venue, making a large portion of their funding from weddings and events. As such, with competing needs for the space, these are extremely limited runs, which means I can’t talk to people about this show! I’ll never know what Theo the priest got up to, or the secrets of Quentin the incestuous adopted drag queen! Sands Point has an infuriating habit of producing spectacular shows that are only given the most limited of runs. I pray to whoever’s listening, be they gods or trustees, that this team be given the run they deserve. They are worth the drive from Philadelphia, and worth well more than ten nights a production.
— Blake Weil, East Coast curator at large
House of Spirits — Meyer2Meyer Entertainment, Fever
$72-$92; Los Angeles, CA; Run Concluded
Los Angeles, we need to talk. Things have been reopening for a while now, which is why I was honestly surprised the crowd on the night we went seemed so new to engaging with live theater and public gatherings. I would be lying if I didn’t admit it affected my enjoyment of the experience.
As with previous years, the costumes and performances at Lost Spirits are just next-level. The haunting tale behind the lore of Vaughan Hall is intriguing and perfectly told through burlesque and live theater. It’s unfortunate the guests shouted over the performances, stole props, and harassed performers. The makeup designs and application bring you face to face with monsters, too bad those monsters were dismissed and belittled by guests. The sets were absolutely stunning, inviting you to transport to another time and space. It’s unfortunate that what ended up happening was guests purposefully knocking over and breaking them. The drinks were creatively named and invited you explore the venue, but lines to get them were exacerbated by guests forcing their way to the front and disregarding queues already in effect. We were eager to engage with the immersive characters to learn what secrets they had that furthered the storyline, but one on one interactions were routinely interrupted by bawdy patrons.
I wanted to write a glowing review for the experience, but instead I find myself questioning if society is ready for the return of events like this. Despite Meyer 2 Meyer’s best efforts, it felt like the entire team was fighting a battle against the venue and the rude guests. The experience is two-hours long and had guests engaged with the experience in the way it was intended, that should be plenty of time to enjoy it, but combine that with the less-efficient bar staff than we’ve seen in previous years, most of the time was spent in lines waiting for drinks.
The best way to experience House of Spirits at Casa Vega is to focus on the performances and the story. The burlesque act, musical performers, vaudeville-style theater troupe, aerialist and costumed creatures all offer top-tier, high-quality entertainment. I wasn’t able to experience the maze before my time was up, but of the things I saw, I was impressed.
— Briana Roecks, Los Angeles Correspondent
River Devil II: The Return — Swim Pony Performance Arts
Free; Manayunk, Pennsylvania; Ongoing
Sometimes, I feel like George in Of Mice and Men in this job. I know what has to be done, and I just don’t want to do it.
On that note, River Devil II: The Return may be one of my least favorite shows of the year. An audio drama delivered at set intervals along a hiking trail, River Devil tells the story of two filmmakers, Mercedes and Bernice, as they encounter the supernatural while trying to put together a featurette for a B-list horror movie.
Halfway through the trail, I found myself agonizing on how to approach this review. This is a free public works art project. It’s made to try to highlight creators of color and beautiful hikes of Pennsylvania. This is not a piece that is deserving of venom, or anger. It is also not worth the two hours and the calluses that it required
The script feels slight. The B-movie plot feels completely ignored, opting instead for tedious arguments about environmentalism, making the kind of points you’d hear in a stoned dorm room. “Aren’t cryptids, man, like…nature’s revenge?” The underbaked environmentalism feels particularly irksome after the triumphant New World Rising! that occurred less than 10 miles away and less than a year ago, tackling similar themes of climate doom with tact and verve. Attempts to address serious matters like the effects of settler colonialism feel halfhearted, an attempt to tie the themes of the piece to a broader conversation without earning it. The one actually dramatic vista, a rusted out old mill, comes at the center of the story, while the climax comes in a mundane glen near a busy road.
The saving grace comes in the performances, technology, and audio engineering. The system, a custom app called TrailOff, works well. The principal actors, Taysha Marie Canales and Brett Ashley Robinson, do their best with the script, but ultimately feel mired in the material. Truth be told, I suspect that the talented team put a lot of work into the piece, and is merely trying to create art within the confines of bureaucratic politics. Themes feel deliberately restrained; whether this is in service of the somewhat misplaced comedic elements, or climate change denialists in state government, I couldn’t say.
If you happen to be a local to Manayunk looking to spice up your regular walk, perhaps give this a listen. For those having to travel, even from Center City Philadelphia, I’d give this a pass.
— Blake Weil, East Coast curator at large
Welcome To Imagi*Nation: The Trilogy — Dance Action
$25; New York, NY; Run concluded
Welcome to Imagi*Nation is primarily a contemporary dance piece, with interactive elements for the audience to partake in, as we observe the strife between two competing imaginary nations. Driven by the company Dance Action, the piece seeks to educate audiences through play about a range of political issues, including economic policies, immigration law, and elections, particularly focusing on the relationship between America and South America. An eclectic mix of Latin music surrounds us as the evening progresses.
The two sets of characters represent the King, the Ten, and the Two of two imaginary nations, with their card value associated with their standing in society. They are separated by a wall, made entirely of recyclable junk, but there is much in common between the two. There is no dialogue, but the movement of the dancers seeks to tell the story and is generally effective. Albeit the improvised movement wears over time. Occasionally, we are invited to partake in a game, which influences what will happen on stage before us; which nation can find the most aluminum resource around the church? Which card should be elected as King next? Should we allow crossover from one nation to another?
I understand that this is a combination of three separate pieces, hence the trilogy referenced in the title, but unfortunately, the link between these is unclear at best. A rushed intermission takes me out of the world, and I come back to find that political upheaval that I had seen before, suddenly seems not to matter as the two nations are now united together. There are also some mechanic issues with some of the “games” that are unexplained, as there is no spoken word, and tech issues meant that a grand reveal at the end was made unclear to the audience.
The creative team clearly has political thoughts and intrigue in mind, but I worry that here in trying to address a whole slew of topics, they have lost their way and their audience a little. With at least half a dozen key political issues being focused on, it’s a lot to keep up with, and some are dealt with more ably than others. What starts as a strong metaphor and clear visual allegory, gets lost as the evening progresses, and the overall strength of the piece suffers.
Worse still, is that the games we play appear to have little actual effect on the story, so the audience participation feels more like performative participation. We stay in our seats for the vast majority of the time, and while the story progresses, but our gameplay seems rigged to ensure an outcome the creators want — perhaps this is meant to be an allegory in itself, but I leave feeling more let down than inspired to create change in the real world.
The choice to combine game-theatre mechanics, with zero dialogue, and contemporary dance, clearly feels inspired by other immersive creations. I commend the team for a valiant effort but worry that other inspirations may have taken away from the issues that this team wanted to address — and less is sometimes more.
— Edward Mylechreest, New York correspondent
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