Kink Curiosity Is Rewarded At LA’s ‘Fétische’ (Review)
DTLA’s Arts District hosts a different kind of play
Sometimes you end up right back in the deep end unexpectedly.
For example: if you had told me that the first immersive show that I’d be reviewing after I cleared vaccination was an intimate BDSM themed work produced by a dominatrix I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet that is exactly what Fétische, created by Miss Lila Sage and her collaborators under the banner Bizarre Arts is.
The setting for the event is Ivy Manor a working fetish dungeon — that’s the parlance of the BDSM world for the space where a kinkster plies their trade — in the heart of LA’s Arts District. As Los Angeles emerges from the worst of the Coronovirus pandemic (fingers crossed) the Arts District is starting to claim the mantle of immersive epicenter of LA that it always seemed to be destined for. Participants in Fétische may find themselves tickled by just how close the Manor is to the District’s latest attraction. This is an entirely different kind of adult playground.
First, however, here’s what Fétische is not: a sex party. Nor is it a full on fetish play party. Yes, there is contact. Yes, that includes spanking with implements, if you so consent. No, your clothes are staying on the entire time. As fo the performers: only two of the company of five get down to garters. Burlesque *is* on the menu, but this isn’t a peep show.
The structure of Fétische is that of a round robin — three fetish performers and one magician work their craft for one-on-one from a pool of four guests before culminating in one final performance for the group. The quartet enters the Manor, a lofted space with multiple themed rooms, via a back alley entrance after being checked in on the street. In said alley the company is met by our MC for the evening Charlie (Naathan Phan) a magician with a light brogue whose banter at points hints at him being one of the Fair Folk. It’s a conceit that isn’t leaned into too heavily, although those who want a bit more story with their experiential escapades might be disappointed that Fétische is more about theme and mood than it is about narrative.
Three festish-focused scenes focus on a different dimension of kink: tease, sadomasochism (SM), and domination/submission (D/S). The later two more of a “dipping one’s toe in” than a deep dive into those realms. This production is intended for the kink-curious. That’s not just an assessment, but is straight out of the directrix’s statement of her “desire to create a different path for the kink-curious outside of the usual clubs, and online platforms.” Still, a seasoned kinkster may very well enjoy what’s going on within the halls of Ivy Manor on these nights, provided they set their expectations accordingly.
After an opening number that sets the tone at “light tease” each audience member is directed to one of the scenes, or left to be entertained by some close up magic. My own pathway sent me into the D/S scene, into the tease, and then to the S/M before ending my solo time with Charlie, our MC. This also front loaded, for me, the most interesting scene of the night.
For twenty-odd years I’ve had lots of friends in the kink community which intersects at a number of points with the Goth scene which I landed in during college thanks to running a Vampire LARP. Anyone who has spent more than five minutes online will know how interwoven these worlds can get. In all that time I’ve never had the means or opportunity to enlist the services of a professional dominatrix. Or even an amateur one for that matter. It’s not something I sought out, but the psychology of it has always had a kind of fascination for me.
The D/S scene in Fétische goes to some places I didn’t expect — I’m loathe to spoil exactly where, but I’ll say that I’m not talking about a kind of lurid centerpiece, but something surprisingly grounded. Even if that grounding comes wielding a riding crop and issuing commands. The whole of the scene centers around the concept of personal value, and in the frame of the scene one’s own value is derived from the gaze of the Dominatrix. Amanda Kelly, who portrays “The Mistress at the Top of the Stairs,” did an excellent job of creating a cinematic scene that, at least for me, had some emotional heft. This insight into the table stakes of the D/S side of BDSM is one that never emerged in the two decades of running in the circles I’ve run in, and likely would have remained elusive had I not stepped into the role of a submissive for some quarter of a hour. (Like all good immersive work, it’s easy to lose track of time within the Manor.)
Armed with that frame, the tease scene was colored in an interesting light. Told that I was invisible inside the room where the dance was performed, I was treated to a long private burlesque performance by Rachele Donofrio where I was never acknowledged. With the previous scene’s theme of value in mind, I found myself processing the dance as something that the performer was doing for herself and not for my benefit. A kind of moving meditation. Of course the reality was that I was there and she was performing (and Donofrio proves to be a ridiculously skilled dancer), but the thematic frame lingered and something of a meta-thematic structure about the relationship between being valued, desire, and desiring began to color all my perceptions.
In a game mood I played along with the SM scene — all spanking with various implements on the backside, over the clothes — and found it… interesting? This is not one of my buttons one way or another. Miss Clover (Dominque Trix), who ran this scene, is a neo-burlesque performer with a bubbly presence and like Charlie had a touch of backstory to who she was in the world of the Manor. She’s also clearly skilled at what she does and at keeping things light if that’s what the moment seems to call for.
My time with the MC’s close-up magic while the rest of the quartet wrapped their solo experiences was amusing enough although if Miss Sage and company want to lean towards a mythology for their work that much time to talk not building up the world is a missed opportunity. If that’s not a goal, then what’s currently on offer is enough to keep one entertained between acts.
The final act draws the quartet together to witness Miss Sage perform Shibari — also known as Japanese Rope Bondage — with Donofrio as her subject. Perform is the proper word here in two dimensions. The first is because we’re witnesses to the moment and not participants, and the second because Miss Sage does this with a subtle, liquid style which makes watching the details worthwhile. The moment is compelling as an aesthetic experience, although one wonders how more senses might be engaged to keep up the experiential through line.
I should note, for those wondering: as guests of the Manor we were required to keep our mouths and noses masked at all times we were inside. The performers were not masked, however. An oboarding email goes over the safety protocols, including the safe word for ending a particular scene, and how to inform the production of any limits one might have. Even with the subject matter, at no point did I feel that something sketchy was up. It probably doesn’t hurt that a woman for whom this is her career is pulling the strings, and the knowledge that Miss Sage has herself taken classes on experiential work on the LA immersive scene.
While Fétische walks a tightrope between two worlds — the realm of kink and that of experiential theatre — in its present incarnation it is far more a creature of the former than the later. There’s long been crossover between the two, many an immersive horror production taps into the mechanics of kink for their set pieces and aesthetics, but the psychological underpinnings of the fetish world are largely left out of the equation. That’s the most interesting thing Sage and company bring into the mix with this work, which is possible only because of their skill and care in deploying the techniques.
As an experience this is one for those who thrive on novelty and don’t have an aversion to a bit of rougher contact. The good news on that front is that the dominatrixes know what they’re doing, which is something I can’t say I’ve always experienced while exploring work that dipped its toes into the extremities of the horror genre. There’s no sloppy performers getting amped on adrenaline and making bad calls here.
With a limited throughput of four guests a show, Fétische is bound to find its proper audience of the kink Curious with a Capital “C.” From a certain point of view one could almost see *Fétische* as a kind of marketing activation for kink, much in the way that giant Comic Con immersive activations are marketing for Amazon and Hulu’s latest genre series.
My own curiosity lies in wondering what Miss Sage and company might do if they took bolder steps at world-building while keeping their toolset options open. Perhaps their curiosity has be piqued as well. If nothing else, they’re certainly asking some interesting questions as they invite more to play.
Fétische runs now through June 12th in LA’s Arts District. Tickets are $175 and by application only.
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