‘Here the Birds Burn’ is Half History, Half Horror (Review)

So, when I was a kid, there used to be this show that ran during every Halloween season in Simi Valley in a park with a bunch of historical buildings. I can’t quite remember the name, but the premise was based around hearing stories from actors made up to look like ghosts from a certain period of history, which changed year-to-year, as you wandered the area. It wasn’t immersive, not quite, but certainly had some immersive DNA in it. But the memory of that show was something that kept creeping into my head during Here the Birds Burn: A Phantasmagoria Revival currently running at Heritage Square Museum.

Like that show, Here the Birds Burn also deals with history, ghosts, and the macabre, as it jumps backwards to the time of the “phantasmagoria.” If you’re not familiar with what that is, you don’t need to worry, Here the Birds Burn takes the time to walk through the history of the phantasmagoria, a type of horror theater, as part of the show. In that sense, it’s something of a history lesson about how they came to be, what their purpose was, and how they made their way to America, along with the technology and tricks used in them. It’s one of the most interesting parts of the show and I appreciated that this show highlighted what the phantasmagoria was while making an argument that in some ways it was a precursor to immersive theatre with audiences and creators pushing each other as they wanted more out of their entertainment.

Here the Birds Burn is not only educational but also grafts the history of the phantasmagoria onto, as the title of the show indicates, a revival of the form. In this case, that means three and a half segments or so, including: 1) a puppet performance; 2) a salon, in the old meaning where a group of people gathered to discuss a specific topic,; and 3) the heart of the phantasmagoria, using a magic lantern to put on a show. That extra half is the opening of the show, which gets a tad clunky. It needs to do a lot of heavy lifting to explain what the phantasmagoria was to a group of people who may not have been aware such a thing even existed. But that means it comes off as something of an exposition dump from the characters who are waiting to attend the phantasmagoria with you . Once it gets into the meat of the show, Here the Birds Burn incorporates the two elements together to dig into ideas about life, death, faith, and philosophy. The discussions are lively (though strictly between performers) and steeped in the history of the early 1800s along with the philosophical interests of people living during that time.

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Nothing gets too deep, but one of the characters and fellow phantasmagoria audience members, Thomas Blackton (Sam Chan) gets to play a nice arc over the course of the evening. The other characters who are attending the phantasmagoria give voice to the beliefs and positions fitting of their archetypes (think skeptic, plucky reporter, and socialite) while occasionally descending into some fun bickering. There’s those characters who are mostly grounded in the time and place, and then there’s Ryan Leslie Fisher’s French philosopher. He goes way over the top to bring a healthy dose of comedy and a contrasting oddball energy to the whole show that’s delightful.

Each section of Here the Birds Burn features various items from the time of the phantasmagoria including the aforementioned puppet show, the tools and entertainment items on display during the salon, and of course, the magic lantern for the final segment. It’s the least immersive part, but perfectly creepy as it rolls out old school techniques for sounds effects and projection. The characters are fascinated by what’s happening because, at that point in time, the techniques would have seemed completely magical, although the modern audience knows how it’s happening.

Much like the historical ghost tour I mentioned earlier, Here the Birds Burn: A Phantasmagoria Revival has an undeniable charm. It’s a little creepy, a little macabre, and a fun peek into how people got creepy and macabre in the 1800s. The use of Heritage Square Museum with it’s early-American-small-town feeling and historical buildings that the audience gets to experience brings a distinct time and place to the proceedings that elevates the show. Halloween season is (SO) crowded in Los Angeles (and I assume why this is running in February!), but this, like those ghost stories, has the potential to be a delightful spooky season tradition as it brings history and horror together.

Here the Birds Burn: A Phantasmagoria Revival runs through February 23 at Heritage Square Museum. Tickets are $55.

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