Review Rundown: The One With ‘The Last of Us’ & Gen-Z Chekhov
Plus: a Santa Fe troupe in NYC, taking an AI’s POV, swing dancing puzzlemeisters in Boston, and dark dreams in LA. FIVE REVIEWS
This week finds us slipping though a narrative landscape dominated by sci-fi and horror themes with a little swing dancing, puzzle solving, and remixed Chekhov thrown in for good measure. A real coast to coast affair that features indie productions right alongside HBO funded pop-ups. As we do.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Looking for more? Secrets & Mysteries await in last week’s Rundown.
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Club Drosselmeyer — Green Door Labs
$60–105; Cambridge, MA; Run Concluded
Club Drosselmeyer is back! Along with Dr. Clara Stahlbaum, a cadre of mind-controlling rats, an 8-piece swing band, contact juggling, and some of the best-dressed party attendees this side of 1940. “Part LARP, part Escape Room, part immersive theater cabaret,” Club Drosselmeyer has officially become a holiday staple of Boston’s immersive scene, with an emphasis on Boston — the show’s combined focus on puzzling and swing dancing has such an irreverently academic vibe, I can’t imagine anything like it cropping up more than a few miles from Harvard or MIT. And that’s (kind of) the point.
You don’t need to bring your thinking cap to this party. In fact, Club Drosselmeyer seems custom-built to cater to a few different audiences: escape room puzzlers, vintage-clothing enthusiasts, swing dancers, and immersive junkies. The drinks are strong, the venue impressive, and the vaudeville acts are pleasantly festive. Plenty of people seemed happy to dance the night away with Elise Roth and her Harvard Squares. But for those of us that wanted a story, puzzles were the only way forward.
Since moving into Cambridge’s sprawling Masonic Temple, most of Club Drosselmeyer’s scenes no longer take place in the main ballroom area. As a result, the only way to get narrative is to complete a puzzle, the solution to which acts like a ticket to a scene, which leads to the next puzzle, and so on. Partygoers are given a choice: help Herr Drosselmeyer look for information on Project Nutcracker or help Dr. Erasmus Rattibus decode his research. Ultimately, this choice had more to do with people-moving than narrative. Both the puzzles and the narrative were elegantly designed to work well regardless of order.
I had attended last year’s remote Club Drosselmeyer Radio Hour, so I knew that the puzzles were going to be above my pay grade. Luckily, director Kellian Pletcher connected me with Room Escape Artist founders David and Lisa Spira, who were generous enough to fold me into their group for the evening. Lisa and her hard-core puzzlers boggled my mind by cracking codes and connecting dots at record speed. David, like me, was in it for the experience. We happily joined in for interactions with a Lewis Carroll-esque troupe of characters, hamming it up when our compatriots demurred. I honestly hadn’t expected to spend my evening meeting new friends or learning to Lindy Hop with a charming rat doctor. But this version of Club Drosselmeyer turned out to be the holiday spirit my December had been missing.
— Leah Davis, New England Correspondent
Exodus Ensemble Showcase (APAP) — The Exodus Ensemble
Free; New York, NY; Run Concluded
As part of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) conference, multidisciplinary artists from all fields descend upon New York City for a festival of activities, performances, and networking. This year I was delighted to be able to attend two preview performances from The Exodus Ensemble, a Santa Fe based collective of artists, formed in 2020, who are hoping to bring their own unique immersive experiences to a wider audience.
On Saturday Night, I am treated to the first portion of Bathsheba, wherein I am invited to join the SunRanch with their charismatic leader preaching the gospel of an anointed child-carrier somewhere in the midst of the commune that I have unknowingly just signed up for. The cult features a blindfolded ritual ceremony, and when I am allowed to “see the light” a stamp marking my place in the family appears on my wrist. I am one of them now. Excellent videography and lighting design highlight the intimacy of the experience, and as the ceremony proceeds, tensions and unease boil over amongst my fellow congregation.
A few days later, I witnessed the same performers but this time taking on Chekhov in their modern adaptation of the play Ivanov. Utilizing every floor and space of their rented studios, we chase the excitable Gen Z tik-toker Sasha as she gets ready for her family to return home, and we are introduced to all of the family drama one family member at a time, as we witness 2.5 acts from the full production. While keeping close to the original work, this retelling feels ever so relevant within an immersive context, and strong performances from the entire cast (who are also the writers/producers/team behind the ensemble) help to nail the emotional connect with the audience. Both preview performances make bold and provocative choices, refusing to let the audience leave without wanting more.
Repertory has been a staple part of theater companies for hundreds of years, but this is the first time that I have seen the model truly integrated with immersive theater. To not only have multiple shows produced, fully written, and ready to be performed, but to also be confident enough to be able to preview a portion of the experience while in a temporary space in an unfamiliar city, shows a young team that are looking to make big waves in the immersive scene with their flexibility and willingness to “make-it-work” in whatever space. Having not been fortunate enough to have heard of The Exodus Ensemble before this weekend, I am so glad that through this conference, and their willingness to make an in person “trailer” for their experiences, I most certainly know of them now.
I wish that other immersive companies might take note of this practice, particularly as we are all keen to share our work with as wide an audience as possible. There are producers out there in other cities, and there are venues who are desperate to bring work to their own festivals. Bringing the preview to them is such a smart move, rather than waiting on the word of mouth and review circuit to make the connection for you, which we know often happens for only the select few. Showcasing work in a festival like this feels like a fantastic business move, one which I believe will work out well for this company and its quality work.
I now have a very strong reason to want to visit Santa Fe, although I sincerely hope that this great team will be able to return to the big apple soon. The appetizer has got me wanting so much more!
— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent
The Last of Us Premiere Event— Giant Spoon for HBO
Free; New York, NY; Premier event over (series streaming now)
When HBO announces a new show, the entertainment world perks up its ears and listens. When they announce it will be a retelling of one of the most popular and influential video games in history, we pay especially close attention. And when they share that there is a special preview screening in your city, you bet your butt I booked a place as soon as possible.
Ahead of the season premier of The Last of Us this past weekend, HBO organized a preview fan screening in New York and L.A.. I am ashamed to say, I have never owned a PlayStation and so I have never played the titular game, but have only heard of its greatness. While I felt like a fraud in the line of true fans waiting to get into the Angelika Film Center, each commenting on the hopes for this adaptation, once I stepped inside I knew that I was in the right place.
The Fireflies, a group of rebels, have taken over the dilapidated insides of this cinema complex. A chandelier lies on the ground, next to posters for upcoming 2003 movies. A radio tower has been constructed, and a rebel grabs my hand and instructs me to listen closely to the morse code that is coming through. I glance down at a map as another camouflage wearing soldier urges me to consult a Top Hits of the Decades book, as a song comes through their walkie talkie. (Editor’s note: LA-based metaforyou provided the cast and theatrical direction for the performers.) I am sure there are plenty more easter eggs and treats for fans to enjoy in the space, but for this immersive fan I was delighted to see the attention to details and commitment to the storytelling that this screening had in store. There was real urgency as I was directed to supplies to pick up my popcorn before the screening began, and I adored being able to walk through this beautifully intentionally “destroyed” space, with all of the photo opportunities it provides.
No stranger to the immersive activation game, HBO once again has shown a level of play that it wants to engage with its potential audiences. It delights and intrigues the uninitiated, while rewarding and anticipating those who are already fans of their products. They could so easily rest on their laurels ahead of a new project, but with activations like this they show care for audience expectation through their well planned advertising campaign.
As for the show, time will tell how influential this retelling will be, but if the first episode is anything to go off, we are in for a treat. I was constantly on the edge of my seat for the entire duration of the show. It is truly stellar cinematic television and storytelling. Before it began, I asked those around me, who did they think this new TV show was for? What was its purpose? To please old fans, or a production of a tried and true franchise just to make a quick buck, or perhaps even an artistic statement to try to win over people like me who have never been inside the world of the show?
Once the screening was done, I immediately went online to find a used PlayStation 4 to allow me to play the game for myself. And I signed up for HBO Max. I don’t want any spoilers. If nothing else, and for no one else, this screening was tailor made for this PlayStation n00b, as the perfect invite into what promises to be a very compelling ride.
— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent
POV: You are an AI achieving consciousness — CirqueSaw Production
Donation; Online; Through January 21
The Programmer sits patiently looking straight ahead, staring through a screen and into my home. She smiles warmly, but instructs cooly. What is true, when you are speaking with a computer? Or rather, what is false if true is true? 1’s and 0’s quickly become far more complicated than simple binary code, particularly when we begin to discuss what an untruth is. How does a computer learn, when all it can learn is based on the “truth” that is input into it? After all, garbage in, means garbage out. True?
POV: You are an AI achieving consciousness, a remote show written and designed by Nathan Leigh might win the award for most literal title of the year. The majority of the production centers around a unique interface, specially programmed and produced for this experience, which we are encouraged to play around with on a separate browser. By clicking through on various points of a black square, we are able to communicate with our programmer through colors, lines, thoughts and even music thanks to clever coding which we discover gradually over the course of the 45 minute show. The connections that we as audience members learn and develop are what makes this experience such a delightful head scratcher, as we gradually learn more about the system that surrounds our existence. We are an artificial intelligence after all, and there is a lot to process.
The writing of the show is clever, heady and at times very meta, all calmly delivered by an unflappable Nicole Orabona as the programmer. As sole performer in the show, the weight of the production is firmly on their shoulders. They speak concisely, never slipping and always trying to make sure that instructions are as clear as possible, until perhaps they are not. Wry humor comes through the wording, as we are left to decipher meaning and understanding through instructions that we are given. A computer can only operate based on the programs it runs, and as these become gradually more and more complex, there is little surprise that our interface changes and adapts with the show. It is Orabona’s stunning performance from the other side of a screen that guides the entire experience, and which grounds us during the onslaught of over-information that we are constantly fed.
As I sign off the web, I feel like I am stepping into the Matrix for the first time. There is so much that goes on in this short show, I leave feeling overwhelmed but delighted all at the same time. The only error message that I receive in this production is it’s criminally short run. This clever piece is a fine example of remote immersive work, one that relies on the audience to help drive home its unique narrative, using a medium that feels tailor manufactured for the show itself, and one that should be experienced by as wide a network as possible.
— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent
SLEEPWALKR — Inside The Box Productions
$10 — $24; Los Angeles, CA; Run concluded
The San Gabriel Valley is host to Sunny Plaza, a two-story mini mall of modest enterprises. I wasn’t there for Spicy Charm, Meet You BBQ, or VIP Plastic Surgery. I was there for SLEEPWALKR, a series of immersive audio experiences set in 2044 Los Angeles.
Presented by Inside the Box Productions, the premise begins in 2039 when The Sandmen Collective first launched their proprietary “dream exhibitor” technology to great success. Five years “later” I was invited to enter three audio dreamscapes. A perfect locational mix for dystopian, futuristic entertainment, Sunny Plaza felt both conventional and suspect; it seemed innocuously predatory. Cocooned in their masks and jumpsuits, Sandmen “employees” monitored patrons idling around the SLEEPWALKR entrance, wordlessly ushering them into exhibition bays when ready.
Each dreamscape began with an introductory video for small clusters of participants: first, a succinct overview of The Sandmen Collective followed by a clip of the dreamer’s application interview (who they were and what motivated them to sell their subconscious). Since audiences could select how many and which dreamscapes to explore, this served as efficient onboarding. Narratively, it fell short: all three dreamers were young and financially motivated. It was a missed opportunity to create distinct needs and hopes for the dreamers, offering audiences a range of emotional toeholds into the dreamscapes.
The production ran into other logistical and narrative hiccups. Each dreamscape had a runtime of 10 to 15 minutes and included sensory elements. In only one experience was this apparent. For Clementine’s dream, haptic feedback mimicked a subway car and was an effective tactic. But in the end, it took me 90 minutes to experience 30 to 40 minutes of content, which raises design questions. By offering flexible ticketing options (number of dreams; pre-purchased or walk-up), experience flow was disrupted and content was duplicated (by way of the intro video).
Marketed as horror, the storylines varied in their fright intensity and probed common nightmare fodder: public humiliation, monsters in the closet, and a special cocktail of sexual harassment laced with medical assault. Some remote, audio-centric productions have delivered sublime experiences (specifically Candle House Collective’s Claws and several DARKFIELD RADIO plays with their binaural submersion).
Which leads to issues of intentionality for in-person and site-specific work. SLEEPWALKR attempted to amplify sensory and emotional resonance through its physical design, but failed to deliver. Digitally, its slick trailer and interactive, in-world website add creepy, corporate layers reminiscent of The Game (building out all website sections, especially Investors and Career Opportunities, would have been a value-add). The production’s premise is realistic enough and taps into sci-fi fantasies for similar universes, such as Inception and The Cell. But the combination of operational glitches and creative pitfalls left me wanting.
I applaud the efforts of co-creators Sam Kellman (founder of Inside the Box Productions) and David Coleman. Our industry is strongest when the community supports iterative processes for emerging talent. Last summer, I attended Within Our Walls, another show by Kellman, which possessed deeper self-awareness and more elevated design. While SLEEPWALKR may not have nailed it this time, I’ll be on the lookout for what Kellman does next.
— Laura Hess, Arts Editor
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