Review Rundown: The One With the Consequences of Our Own Choices
‘Golden Scribes’ in NYC, the LA Art Show, and the sequel to the “seismic shift” in NYC’s escape game scene. (THREE REVIEWS)
Sometimes, like last week, the Rundown is huge. Other times it is “small but mighty.”
There may only be three capsules this time out, but we cover a breadth of work including what we might call “next generation” escape games in NYC and some of the LA Art Show’s installation offerings.
Let’s get into it.
Looking for more? Last week’s recent Review Rundown “The One With Murder Mysteries, An Evil Ikea, and a Baby in a Well” can’t wait to be rescued from the archives.
Are you a creator who looks upon these reviews with envy? Okay, the positive ones, at least? Then you might want to check out our How To Get Covered By NoPro guide. Want to get listed in our newsletter and have your event shared with our social media following? Submit a listing to Everything Immersive.
Keep No Proscenium free for all by becoming a Patreon backer today!
DIVERSEartLA — LA Art Show 2023
$30 — $250; Los Angeles, CA; Run concluded
An anchor of Los Angeles’ Art Fair Week, the LA Art Show is the city’s largest and longest-running fair. The 2023 iteration included 120 participating galleries from around the world, showcasing an estimated 20,000 artworks and drawing a gaggle of 70,000 visitors.
Embedded within the fair is DIVERSEartLA (curated by Marisa Caichiolo), a cultural hub and the only non-commercial section. While the fair mainly consists of standard booths displaying paintings, photography, and sculpture, DIVERSEartLA features an international array of experiential works. This year’s exhibition included installations unified by “an ambitious agenda [of] addressing the global climate crisis” (a thematic repeat from 2022 with a new focus on water).
Evident in DIVERSEartLA’s promotional materials, Alfredo De Stefano’s gorgeous photography juxtaposes stark compositions with saturated color. But in De Stefano’s installation The Pulse of Silence, the projected images became muted, flat, and diluted of their emotional impact. Billed as an “immersive experience” by the Art Museum of the Americas (its presenting institution), the installation consisted of video and a sand-covered floor; the sand’s tactile contribution felt like an afterthought, a thin attempt to justify the installation’s immersive description.
Installations by Petra Eiko, Davis Birks, and a collaboration by Alejandro Ordoñez and Raubtier & Unicus were similarly problematic. Spatial, environmental, and interactive elements seemed incomplete and much of the work felt conceptual. The most evocative aspect of Il Giardino Planetario (The Planetary Garden), a video installation by Pietro Ruffo and Noruwei, was its exterior: swaths of fabric printed with a plant motif reminiscent of toile de Jouy. Although “Project:” preceded the title for all pieces, there was no explicit statement by DIVERSEartLA confirming that these works were still in development. And especially with such a powerful theme — one that demands emotional investment in order to effect real change at any level — most of the artworks felt devoid of urgency.
The standout exception was the spectacular and brilliantly executed Eternal Light — 21c The Last Judgment by HanHo. Inspired by Michelangelo’s fresco, Eternal Light’s nine-paneled panorama portrays ominous figures and stunning decay imbued with Swarovski-like sparkle. An oscillation of gemstone-hued lighting contrasted with an eerie, chimed toll counting down to our destruction. But rather than Christ’s final judgment of all humanity, Eternal Light depicts no Second Coming; there is no victorious savior, only the radiance of our failures.
— Laura Hess, Arts Editor
Madness: 1917 — Doors of Divergence
$225+ Per Party; Brooklyn, NY; Ongoing
(Disclosure: Evan Neiden, the reviewers personal friend, performed in Madness: 1917 and contributed sound design and additional theatrical material. Neiden joined the production after No Proscenium’s review of Heresy: 1897.)
I previously called Doors of Divergence’s Heresy: 1897 a seismic shift in the escape room scene. I’m happy to report that all of the absurd ambition promised by Heresy is more than fulfilled by Madness: 1917.
Or should I say that my Madness: 1917 lived up to promises. Part of the challenge of reviewing the Doors of Divergence Paradox Cycle is the impossibility of knowing the full scope. In my 1917, we were investigating our own insanity brought on by the terrible bargain we struck with a demon. However, we’re left with the knowledge that we could have been allies of the order we destroyed, or fighting god knows what from the alchemy track we didn’t even touch in Heresy. I feel the creeping realization that I am going to be coming back to Doors of Divergence for years.
Nevertheless, in our demon-haunted 1917, we had been sent to an asylum on the front of WWI for violent acts committed while in a fugue state. Tended by Dr. Tidwell, the lobotomist, and his trusted matron, it was as if we fell into a sort of surrealist Hepburn-Tracy screwball comedy as the two of them floundered as the bombs dropped, desperately reassuring us our lobotomies would be just fine. Bit by bit, though, the tone began to match the setting, until a combination of theatrical scenes and environmental storytelling turned the thumbscrews to a full-tilt horror finale.
Choices continued to feel meaningful, and moral debates only got thornier among our party. We even received an adorable personalization based off an unscripted choice from Heresy, a written chastisement for writing suggestive letters (a lie I told attempting to get out of a sticky situation).
The puzzles were stronger, in this room, and the technology worked without a hitch. Special kudos to the environmental and ambient design, which created a sense of creeping dread beyond the usual tropes of the haunted asylum.
The production team emphasized to me progression between rooms from an actor-facilitated escape room to a primarily theatrical experience studded with puzzles. This feels auspicious: while the puzzles were strong, it’s the performances that make Doors of Divergence a must see. Madness, with two actors, featured two one-on-one scenes. Receiving one, I had an intensely thrilling moment where a demon attempted to seduce me to join her side, charming enough that leaning into evil felt like a valid story decision. It’s also worth noting that when I didn’t get a one-on-one earlier, the scene I received was equally thrilling, a spectacularly performed magic trick that fit perfectly in its theatrical context.
There isn’t a single element that doesn’t feel well thought out and perfectly executed. From the moment you arrive to mingle with characters at the bar, you feel transported and in control of your destiny.
A final note: somehow, completing a sidequest has opened up yet another wrinkle of ambition in the reward we received. I once again live in suspense waiting to see how this new twist lands. In any case, the team at Doors of Divergence has my complete confidence.
— Blake Weil, East Coast Curator at Large
The Order of the Golden Scribe — The Cell Theatre/Patchwork Adventures
$90; New York, NY; Through February 26
It’s always a delight to be invited to new events, and to be invited to the initiation ceremony for a top-secret organization is of course no different!
Finger sandwiches, scones, and a wide selection of teas are called for in The Order of the Golden Scribe, a deliciously diabolical combination of afternoon tea, cult ceremony, and puzzle-solving mayhem. Invited as a new recruit to the infamous secret society, this lighthearted piece pokes fun as we try to prove our worth to the organization through a series of mind-bending challenges. Much like the scrumptious food offerings, the puzzles featured are tasty bite-sized treats, each just enough to satiate the appetite, without becoming too bloated.
And of course, there may be more to this initiation ceremony than first meets the “all-knowing” eye…
Three hosts circulate around the room, watching our initiation rituals with keen interest. Commentary and personality play into the piece more as the afternoon goes on, and the role-play that stems from this fine cast is on display in a beautiful way. “The path towards enlightenment” will vary depending on your table’s interaction and focus, whether it be on the puzzles, the people or just partaking.
The show’s concept is delightful, and the possibilities for remounts and reworkings make this a very exciting project to watch. A family-friendly piece, every 4-person table was filled at our showing, and every person seemed to leave delighted with the afternoon’s activities. This can be a great introduction to “immersive” for many, while those already in the know will enjoy the whimsical atmosphere, and room escape fans will get a kick out of the puzzles — all while enjoying some delicious finger food.
I will happily recommend the Kool-Aid (or in this case high tea), to anyone who will hear the good word!
— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent
Beyond what Edward has articulated, the show has so much fun with the aesthetics and tropes of secret societies that make the theme feel more than an incidental excuse for tea. Our constant chanting of the order’s slogans and the stark white cult compound chic of the room led to an immediate sense of immersion.
I also want to highlight how the stark white aesthetic served a delightful marriage of aesthetics and story. As things quickly fly off the rails, the room matches suit, unfolding like a puzzle box in a flurry of motion. Each light sabotage against the Order is matched by the growing chaos of the room.
The last notable feature is the unique pop-up design of the event. While the space worked well, it seems incredibly well suited to a number of spaces, and to work with a variety of catering options. The flexibility of the story is never a detriment to it’s specificity though, in a tricky balancing act. I suspect that we’ll be hearing of The Order of the Golden Scribe recruitment teas (and dinners, and luncheons, and cocktail parties) from far and wide.
— Blake Weil, East Coast Curator at Large
Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, new home of NoPro’s show listings.
NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers. Join them today!
In addition to the No Proscenium website, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Discord.
