A Unique Halloween Treat

Masque Macabre – Strawdog Theatre

 

Immersive or interactive theatre, is very popular nowadays. It’s different from traditional performances because the stage almost disappears or expands to fill the entire venue, and the audience finds themselves personally involved in the story, as they mingle with the actors. The theatergoers may sometimes converse with the cast and interact with the surroundings. As co-director Eli Newell says, the audience has “the opportunity to walk the path of another character.”

In this hair-raising holiday offering for adults, written by Aly Greaves Amidei, Cara Beth Heath and John Henry Roberts, it’s as if a kind of haunted house has been created inside the Strawdog Theatre. The audience enters the lobby, not quite sure of what will await them. They’re asked to sign a liability waver and then given a mask they must wear throughout the entire evening. Everyone is now a guest at a private party thrown by a spoiled, wealthy young entrepreneur. It will be the man’s last social event of his life.

The audience begins the soiree by being welcomed by the staff and then given a set of rules. They include: Do not speak unless spoken to, do not touch anyone without consent, do not open any closed doors and leave everything where you found it. Then theatergoers are asked to turn their attention to one of several video screens that play a short, fictional celebration of the talent and success of this young businessman. After that, guests are urged to visit all the rooms in the theatre space, each sporting a different color and theme. There’s a large, purple art gallery with a throne, a smaller video room filled with art that continually shifts and changes, a small room with a bathtub, a room with dozens of telephones lining walls, a space containing a bright yellow room-within-a-room, a changing room lined with costumes, a secret corridor housing a laboratory, two practical bars that serve potent potables, for a small fee, and several dark, mysterious corridors.

Throughout the evening, fourteen storylines intertwine and are performed, often incorporating the assistance of individual theater patrons. This writer was asked to follow one of the actors to a room to help him change his costume, so that he would resemble one of the other characters. Then, at another time, I was led through a small, hidden door into a room lined with spider webs, strange scientific equipment and, at the end, a scary wall painting of a monster. All the while, the actors delivered fast-paced, nonstop monologues, sometimes asking questions and eliciting promises from me.

This late-night event, which somehow incorporates elements from the works of horror masters H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, should become even more successful with each subsequent performance. Opening night was a little confusing at times, but the overall effect is stimulating and unique. Fans, like myself, of New York City’s king of immersive performances, “Sleep No More,” will particularly enjoy this show. 

Audiences must be totally willing to give in to their senses and not hold back. Because there are so many plots and characters floating around it’s a bit difficult to know where to focus. The experience is filled with loud music, bright, blinding lights, violence, profanity and gore. If this isn’t your thing, it might be wise to reconsider this type of amusement. But for audiences who like their entertainment up-close-and-personal, this show is an exhilarating, eye-popping adventure that can be revisited often for a brand new experience each time.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas  

           

Presented October 4-31 by Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 W. Berenice, Chicago.

Tickets are available at the door, by calling 773-644-1380 or by going to www.strawdog.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.