Review Rundown: Drinks & Dragons (& Dinner)

This week we have the latest from Spy Brunch in LA and PartyGeek in London, and we check out a piece at Theatrelab in NYC.

Last week’s Rundown, the one with Pop Stars, Dungeons, and Dark Narratives? It’s ready at your convenience.

Are you a creator who looks upon these reviews with jealousy? Okay, the positive ones, at least? Then you might want to check out our How To Get Covered By NoPro guide.

Don’t miss a thing by signing up for the NoPro Newsletter, and you can support our efforts by joining our Patreon.

Dragon Show: The Extended Tail — Spy Brunch
$100 — $125; Los Feliz, CA; Through October 2

Songs? Check. Puppets? Check. Heavy dose of whimsy? Check. Fairies, dragons, and knights? Check, check, and check.

Spy Brunch’s latest, Dragon Show: The Extended Tail, has a lot going on, including, but not limited to all of the above items. It doesn’t just throw all of these things together because it can though, instead, it uses them to build a warm, rich, and engaging fantasy world for audiences to explore.

Before we continue, a quick note on the singing, fairies, and whimsy. I feel like threading the needle on tone with these elements can be tough, but Dragon Show manages it. The singing feels natural coming from the fairies (and other characters). The whimsy from the characters, and the show as whole, feels tempered with enough emotion, and a touch of darkness, that it never feels forced. In fact, it all helped draw me deeper into the show.

The show itself is something of a loose sandbox experience where you can explore the fairies’ meadow and their (very) tiny homes, and work through some puzzles. The fairies have conveniently grown to human size. That meadow and a few other locations are impressively decorated with a high-quality handmade aesthetic that lends a sense of magic to Dragon Show. Actually, the whole show features impressive production design and makes the most out of a relatively small footprint.

The result of all of this is a delightful experience that charmed me throughout and brought everything together for a satisfying, emotional finish. If you’re looking for a non-spooky experience in LA during spooky season, Dragon Show is an easy recommendation.

Get No Proscenium’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

SubscribeSubscribe

— Kevin Gossett, LA Reviews Editor

Hidden Figures WW2 — PartyGeek
From £30; London, UK; through 31 December 2022

PartyGeek pushes further into the immersive realm with Hidden Figures WW2, a collaborative effort with contributions from Parabolic & COLAB (showcasing the teams’ talents for historical influence). All the comfortable immersive boxes are ticked: audience interactivity and engagement, world-building, and environmental detail.

Attendees be aware: there is no backseat warming here. You will be expected to participate and engage; the premise being that you are a covert agent called in to requalify for active service. A series of (semi)demanding mental and physical tasks lie ahead before Head Office rubber-stamps you back to the front. We were lucky that our audience group was very switched-on and willing; less-keen participants may find this show challenging as there doesn’t seem to be an opt-out option without throwing off the rhythm of the experience.

The performance comes with a bit of boozing along with a dose of real-world history, and the expansive budget for scenic design is evident — having been to the venue several times before, I’m genuinely impressed with what PartyGeek has managed to install. Several charming surprises pop up throughout the performance, driving us forward wondering what’s behind the next corner (or bookcase, as it were).

While the price tag may seem cheeky to the seasoned London immersive theater-goer, it includes the price of 2 in-world drinks per person (easily worth £10–15 in today’s entertainment budget) and delivers a solid 2 hours of active engagement. An excellent first- or twentieth-date option with start times to accommodate almost any schedule, Hidden Figures WW2 is a solid choice of testing ground for anyone who thinks they’d have made an excellent spy in the war.

— Shelley Snyder, London Curator

LET ME COOK FOR YOU: The Trilogy — Orietta Crispino
$35 to $65; Theatrelab (357 W 36th St, 3rd floor, NYC, 10018); Through Oct. 2nd

LET ME COOK FOR YOU is a series of three performances created and performed by Italian artist Orietta Crispino. The performance beings with Let Me Cook For You, a 75 minute solo piece in which Crispino tells stories about her life and mainly her mother’s influence on it. This piece is situated in Theatrelab’s gallery space, which bears the same stark white features as their main theater space. Crispino talks at the seated audience and tries to prompt responses at a few moments while writing words in Sharpie on papers on the wall. At one point she hands out cards that have horoscopes on them that act as prompts for her to tell stories, but some cards are blank and not everyone gets a chance to read. In the last fifteen minutes she begins to cook a stir fry and then serves it to the audience. The second piece, This Would Look Good on You, is a 50 minute performance that takes place in the main theatre space. The stage features multiple clothing racks and boxes of clothes that Crispino proceeds to show the audience while sharing stories about how she received each item. The last piece, Let Me Dream With You, is a 10 minute audio meditation of Crispino’s voice that takes place back in the gallery space in total darkness. At the end, an Italian bread akin to panettone and dessert liquor are revealed to be on the main table as the lights come up and audience are invited to partake.

This trilogy of performances was very personal and heartfelt, but lacked a real reason for the audience to be there. Interaction was sparse and felt superficial — the audiences actions and responses didn’t seem to affect the piece in any meaningful way. Audience members stayed seated throughout and there was no attempt to transform the space or go for non-traditional staging, either of which would have granted a sense of immersion. That lack was felt. The performance itself is also a bit confusing. Crispino states that she finds stories to be nourishing, and wants to share fables and myths with us, and while she does share about her life, the structure is meandering and incohesive. While a very talented and endearing performer, the text and format of the piece are too much to fight against in the battle of winning audience engagement and buy in.

— Allie Marotta, New York City Correspondent

Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, new home of NoPro’s show listings.

NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers. Join them today!

In addition to the No Proscenium website, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Discord.