‘One Day Die’ Delivers Chaos In A Box (Review)

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when writing about a show. I’ve found that’s usually the case when there’s either not enough to the piece. Sometimes though, it’s the polar opposite: there’s too much going on.

And that’s exactly the case with Darren Lynn Bousman’s latest, One Day Die. But first, a word of warning, the show would be impossible to discuss without giving any kind of spoilers. However, to really dig into what works and doesn’t in One Day Die, it’s going to get a little more in depth. I’m going to avoid anything major, and some of what will be discussed made its way into the marketing materials for the show, but that’s the deal. Also note that by the time of publishing, the show has ended its run.

One Day Die’s two main features are that it’s a remote show and that you receive a box filled with mysterious items. Both of those are in service of a séance meant to bring Ian Oddye (an anagram of One Day Die) back from “the other side.” Come showtime, you’re invited to log into the custom built platform for the show with your box in hand to begin the experience.

The first thing you’re greeted with is a person in a creepy rabbit mask performing a magic trick. It’s the first hint that a lot of care has gone into One Day Die. Once the show proper starts, you’re introduced to a few of the characters and allowed to roam between rooms via that custom interface while waiting for the séance to start. Those rooms are decked out as you would expect of an occult-y house and lend an appropriate atmosphere to the proceedings. Within those rooms, you’ll find quirky, dangerous, and strange characters played by regulars of Bousman’s other shows including, Lisa Stanley, Stephanie Hyden, Andrew Perez, and Benedikt Sebastian. I was kind of amazed how much this early section captured the spirit of Bousman’s brand of immersive theatre; it was fun and dark and odd.

That energy continues on through the séance portion of the evening (which curiously, you’re able to leave and not take part in) where you’re finally invited to open the box and begin using some of the (many) items that are inside. As with everything else in this show, the boxes are custom, and apparently handmade and hand-packed. Once the séance is concluded, some things happen and One Day Die starts to go off the rails.

The first major problem is that, at this point, the story becomes nearly incomprehensible. In fact, several other NoPro writers weren’t even clear what had happened after the séance. I was only able to sort of figure it out because the character I had chosen to stick with mostly explained it. It’s also at this time that One Day Die morphs into an escape room, instead of diving deeper into the world, story, or the characters (the strengths until this point).

This shift in format could have worked, but it’s a pretty abrupt change, and one that’s not really tethered to anything that had happened in the show until that point. The issue though is compounded by the increasingly rapid and chaotic nature of One Day Die once it moves into the second half. You get to play with new items in the box and use old ones in different ways, most of which are genuinely cool and clever. But as soon as you see something cool, you’re forced to move on from it at breakneck pace, or start skipping things, if you’ve fallen behind faster players. Nothing is allowed the time and space it needs to sink in.

And then even more elements are added on as you scan QR codes to visit websites, find phone numbers to call, and start getting text messages and emails, all while characters are still interacting with you. The actors deserve a huge shoutout for keeping the escape room section running as they try to walk participants through the puzzles while staying in character. At one point, I was trying to listen to my phone and pay attention to a character on screen, while working my way through puzzles and navigating to a website (somewhere in there I was also trying to download a QR code reader too). Again, some of these activities would have been fun, but when they’re piled on top of one another, One Day Die starts to collapse under the weight of it all. The creators and show are determined to throw another idea, or cool thing, or type of interaction at you when they don’t need to.

With all of this going on, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the what and why of the ending are also muddled and confusing. Part of that is down to everything happening at the same time, but part of it is also because of the choose-your-own-path through the show idea. If you’ve jumped around at the wrong moment and missed some critical information from a character, hashing out who is doing what and why becomes a challenge. So, while I appreciate the idea of not locking people into tracks, it can make parts of the show inconsistent even when you’re mostly sticking with one person.

Yet, somehow, and maybe both because of and in spite of the utter chaos after the séance section, One Day Die is fun. This is the only remote Zoom-style show that I’ve come out of with that specific kind of immersive theatre buzz. It’s that energy where you need to talk to the other participants in the parking lot after the experience you just went through. That feeling where even though your show got out late, you can’t quite fall asleep. So, even though I don’t think this works as a complete show, it does work as a piece of remote immersive theatre.

And it’s a fascinating one at that because so much of the show is so well-crafted and clearly thought out, especially in regards to certain aspects of the participant experience. But then, on the other side, it makes some baffling decisions in regards to that same participant experience and has a story that never quite comes together. One Day Die is ambitious as hell, but sometimes the cost of ambition is that you overextend.

One Day Die has completed its run. Tickets were $125.

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