‘Where the F is Beverly?’ Takes Audiences on a Wild Ride (Review)
Solve one woman’s mysterious disappearance with NYC’s Purple Crayon Immersive
(The following contains mild spoilers for the start of this experience.)
“It was a dark and stormy night…”
No, literally, it was. Misty rain filled the air around me as I walked along the waterfront of Brooklyn Bridge Park to get to the meeting spot. Dark figures stood in the distance as I began to climb the hill, but a tarp spread out beside them scattered with flickering tea lights assured me I was in the right place.
“Are we here to find Beverly or what?” I offered the group as I joined their huddle. We make small talk and take guesses at what’s in store for us. Someone speculates that we might end up traveling on the F train, attempting to draw a clue from the title of the event. Suddenly, a hooded figure carrying a lantern appears out of the darkness. It approaches us from the opposite side of the hill. Up close we can see that it is a woman. She instructs us to sit on the tarp as she spreads out a blanket decorated with a pentagram.
Our host, who prefers to remain unnamed due to the sensitive nature of the evening, pulls out a jar of “Beverly’s Blood,” which was code for a bloody mary cocktail, and a handful of plastic syringes. We are instructed to draw some of the liquid and drink it so that we will be more connected to Beverly in our quest to find her. She begins to tell us all about her sister Beverly and the circumstances of her disappearance.
“So, I know you’re all wondering where the f — Beverly is, but I have really some important information that I need to share with you and that is…I’m sorry to announce that Beverly is dead.” Cue gasps.
Purple Crayon Immersive’s Where the F is Beverly? is an interactive scavenger hunt taking place throughout the streets and sights of DUMBO. Part escape room and part murder mystery, this experience asks participants to work together as a team to find out who killed Beverly. The group is led from one spot to the next by various puzzles, information, and the occasional token, all gathered from the different characters they meet at each stop, ultimately hoping to figure out what actually happened to poor Beverly.
Our first riddle is a series of photos that when put together leads us to a nearby courtyard. After a short walk, we come across the courtyard filled with trees and small places to sit that all become utterly creepy in the misty night air. We find a jack o lantern with the words “DIG IN” inscribed on its side, sitting on top of a bench. A hooded woman in a hockey mask stands beside the bench with her head down. We inspect the pumpkin and find it to be filled with… pumpkin innards. We all hesitate a moment, and then I dig into the pumpkin guts. What can I say? I’m a natural born leader.
As I find a set of keys inside and show the group, the hockey masked figure snaps her neck up and shows us the face of the mask which gives us a clue. In combination with the newly found keys, we’re off to the next location.
A series of riddles mixed with some cheeky prodding of characters for info eventually leads us to a small section of the shoreline. As we approach, we see a man with a peacock feather tucked into his hat skipping stones into the water. “How did y’all find me?” he asks. He proceeds to tell us how Beverly must have sent us to him as he has powers. He really isn’t too sure of how they work but he assures us they definitely do. Using his powers, the strange man finds Beverly to be stuck in between worlds, she can’t pass on because nobody knows her story or the truth about how she died. He needs some help though to reach her, which results in his borrowing my “intelligent telephone” which he then uses to pull up Google. After a few back and forths, we are then able to receive a message from Beverly.
I won’t disclose any further details to preserve some of the mystery, but what I can say is that although we did succeed at figuring out how Beverly died, the ending unraveled our work in a way that no one in the group expected. However, Purple Crayon, creators of the show, were ready to console the surprised and ever-so-slightly indignant participants with margaritas, so not all is lost and it’s all in good fun.
Where the F is Beverly? is a well crafted interactive piece and is a great success in the developing hybrid field of immersive theatre and participatory game experiences. The experience’s main success lies in the self-motivated nature of the narrative. Purple Crayon uses a great blend of participatory and theatrical elements which keep the audience inside of the story across a stretch of DUMBO’s sprawl. The production straddles the line of expressing the artistic vision while keeping audience participants engaged and motivated the whole time. And the high level of camp and nonsense used in this production works because the audience participants are so invested in the mystery, and are engaged to the point of being integral to the development of the story.
No one will know the truth about Beverly if we don’t discover it and then she’ll be stuck in between our world and the next for all of eternity!
The intensity of the stakes almost justifies all the bizarre nuances of this world, so we don’t even think to question anything until it’s all over. Add in the gorgeous sights of DUMBO’s waterfront and it’s a smash hit all around. Although we’ll never know if Beverly’s death will ever be properly avenged, I’m sure she would be pleased to know that it’s serving as a vehicle for groups of strangers to connect through immersive and participatory theatre.
The public run of Where the F is Beverly? has concluded but private viewings are available. Learn more about Purple Crayon Immersive.
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