Review Rundown: The One Where We Shout ‘It’s Alive!”

Now this is a line-up: big theme park haunts, indie immersive cult adventures, concrete blocks “dancing” in mid-air, mysterious doors in the middle of NYC, inter-dimensional travel in service of galactic peace and a musical that takes place in a web browser.

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Alice: not your child’s wonderland — EgoPo Repertory Theatre
$32; Philadelphia, PA; Run Concluded

But I don’t want to go among drunk people!

I kept thinking of this variation on Alice’s classic lament as I watched EgoPo Repertory Theatre’s Alice: not your child’s wonderland. Immersive only in a told, not shown fashion (“Hello everyone! You, the audience, are guests at the Liddel’s party tonight!”), Alice turns the classic tale into a thoroughly unpleasant evening of mean spirited theatre. The description purports the story being Alice’s attempts to find refuge in fairytale whimsy during an evening of debauchery, but the story plays out more as a group of adults using the trappings of “Alice in Wonderland” to torment her, seemingly spurred by Alice’s consumption of a drug laced cherry tart. The abuse is alternatingly played for laughs and pathos, with not much transition between the two, while the story beats of the original text are obsessively adhered to, even when it undermines the production’s pacing and message.

There’s a nugget of something interesting at the heart of Alice. The concept sees Wonderland as a liminal space between childhood and adulthood. This works well in some places, Alice’s constant growing and shrinking serving as a neat metaphor for the constant confusing bodily changes of adolescence. The arbitrary rules of Wonderland serve similarly in the place of the illogical dismissals of youth by the adult world. However, the message gets muddled by an introduction insisting that the show serves as a metaphor for the re-emergence of children into a post-COVID social world.

While the acting is fine, if ordinary, it’s simply no fun to watch drunk adults bully a small girl (even if the child is played by an actress the same age). Combined with unfulfilled promises of immersion, and a complete lack of utilization of the glorious Glen Foerd estate, this wonderland is perhaps best left unexplored.

— Blake Weil, Curator At Large, East Coast

DRIFT: Fragile Future — DRIFT, presented by The Shed
$35; New York, NY; Through December 19

I stand in awe as hundreds of others stare in disbelief. Phones flash, people jostle, and every eye is tilted heavenwards, as they begin to descend.

Hosted by The Shed, Fragile Future is an art gallery curated by multidisciplinary artists DRIFT, consisting of several rooms each depicting artistic representations of the effects of climate change on our planet. Dandelions containing light bulbs, household items deconstructed to their component materials, that sort of thing. It’s a short gallery with four installations for audiences to ponder. But it is in the final room that there is something to behold.

Drifters, performed on certain dates only, takes place in a huge warehouse space converted to be as close to a theatre kids’ dream black box space as one can imagine. And suspended high up in the air, are five huge concrete blocks.

Only the gargantuan blocks begin to move. And rotate. And fly.

High above our heads, these five gigantic man made structures begin to perform an aerial ballet. It is simply breathtaking to witness the grace of these monoliths as they twist, and dance to the music by ANOHNI. It feels almost transcendent to witness, and others around me seem to agree, as grown adults sit cross legged or lie on the floor to see better. Perhaps this is as close to an extraterrestrial encounter as I am likely to experience in this lifetime, as the visitors come almost close enough to touch before returning to their throne in the sky.

I know I will remember this encounter for quite some time.

— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent

Halloween Horror Nights — Universal Studios Hollywood
Starting at $84; Hollywood, CA; Through Oct 31

After a year off because of COVID-19, Halloween Horror Nights is back at Universal Studios Hollywood…and not much has changed in the break. You can still expect to find mazes based on popular IP with high quality production design and jump scares based on loud noises, flashing lights, and a creature/monster/demon/Purge enthusiast/Universal monster sticking something in your face.

At this point, for better or worse, that’s what Halloween Horror Nights is. There’s almost always something to enjoy, but it can feel formulaic.

However, two experiences do feel like they’re trying something a little different this year. First up is Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives which tells an original story about the Bride as she attempts to revive the injured Frankenstein’s Monster. During the course of the maze, the Bride is attacked by vampires, dons a rad new costume, becomes a sort-of vampire hunter, and then a full on mad scientist. It’s cool as hell. What makes this one pop (aside from the concept) is that it tells a story throughout, aided by large chapter cards in between scenes. While it isn’t anything groundbreaking, I appreciated the twist on the formula.

The second was with Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, based on the eponymous show. Ideally a maze based on that property would feature a mounting sense of dread rather than jump scares, but I’ve come to terms with the idea that Horror Nights will never be able to do that. The Hill House maze does play up the infamous hidden ghosts from the Netflix series as they light scrims to reveal the ghosts in the haunted house. Simple? Yes. Effective? Also yes. In sections, the maze trades frights for atmosphere and that difference is also appreciated.

— Kevin Gossett, LA Reviews Editor

Halloween Nights — Eastern State Penitentiary
$34–64; Philadelphia, PA; Through Nov 13

Let me start by saying that there’s just no winning for Eastern State Penitentiary. Terror Behind the Walls was both an enormous success, bringing in much of the historical site’s funding, and a recurring figure of controversy, as editorials argue whether it’s tasteful to present a real prison as a site of supernatural, as opposed to social, horror. Any attempt to replace it is bound to have growing pains, and the organizers of Halloween Nights can’t be entirely blamed for these issues.

The event is pleasant, with many of the smaller haunted houses and spooky moonlit attractions that make up its haunted carnival landing well, but I can’t help but feel that each attraction is in competition, vying to direct the future of the event. Some of the more casual affairs, such as ghost stories and s’mores, and a relaxing beer garden in which to enjoy a stiff drink and the chill of autumn air would have been lovely, save the substantial price tag.The fairly standard haunted mazes, though, seemed a half-hearted remembrance of triumphs passed.

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The one unequivocal success of the evening, which I recommend serve as a model for future events, was The Speakeasy at Al Capone’s Cell. A fully immersive experience, with card games, magic, and fortune telling in cells, live music on a main stage, and roving flappers and bootleggers interacting with the audience, it tied in history with some light-hearted Halloween spookiness and engaging interactive design. My hour spent there enjoying upbeat jazz, sipping beer, and playing blackjack was the clear highlight of the evening. If Eastern State Penitentiary can extend that level of care to the full event, they’ll have a fantastic production firmly in the realm of good taste. For now, though, the event might be best pursued with tempered expectations.

— Blake Weil, Curator At Large, East Coast

Haunted Speakeasy — Niki Luparelli
$75 — $150; Boston, MA; Run Concluded (At Sea!); Salem, MA; Through Oct 31 (Regular Run)

Niki Luparelli ’s Haunted Speakeasy is a fixture of New England’s Halloween scene. Sure, it’s a costume party. But there’s usually a smattering of narrative, a few creepy characters, and enough killer 1920s-themed entertainment to push the party just over the line into (imagine my doing jazz hands for full effect here) immersive theatre.

This year, Luparelli and her band, The Gravediggers, kicked things off with the Haunted Speakeasy (at Sea!). The blurb seemed promising: “enter a time long before, when liquid spirits were drunk in secret and hallowed spirits haunt the decks.” The rest of this year’s speakeasies will be held in Salem’s Old Town Hall, but I wanted to step into October with a boatload of ghouls and gals, especially after being warned to “beware the surprises that await” on board. Yes, please.

Unfortunately, what followed wasn’t much of a surprise. The burlesque and drag acts were beautifully authentic, as always — a Josephine Baker impersonator was the night’s standout performance — and the riverboat was straight out of a New Orleans fantasy. But there wasn’t much else going on ambiance- or narrative-wise. A staff member told me that the Salem event would be more heavily produced, featuring characters and interactive elements. An upcoming schedule notes that Salem attendees will “be touring Miss Havisham’s Parlour on the main floor of Town Hall for an immersive experience based on the novel by Charles Dickens,” and that “immersion theater by History Alive” will let people “drink with the ghosts of Old Town Hall.”

Honestly, that’s the event I wish I was reviewing. The cruise, alas, was just an opening salvo to the season; perfect for partiers who wanted to experience something a little left of center, but not the “vintage BOOze cruise” I had been dreaming of.

— Leah Davis, New England Correspondent

The LEA Project — Eric Matthew Richardson
Free; Remote (Website); Ongoing

Need new furniture? Groceries delivered? A VPN? EthiCo has a product or service for you. They’re everywhere, doing everything like any massive, overreaching tech conglomerate would do in order to manage your data needs. That includes rolling out the latest version of their artificial intelligence, “LEA,” to always watch you. And there’s no personal or ethical line LEA won’t cross to take care of your happiness, whatever the cost…

The LEA Project is a self-guided web-based experience running a little over 90 minutes. While steeped in well-worn tropes and concerns about AIs, The LEA Project’s narrative is a slick, stylish, and symphonic one, captivating me with its witty humor and phenomenal music. If anything, I’m under-selling the music. The LEA Project is basically a musical as LEA continually breaks into song to convey its thoughts and feelings. It’s a soundtrack full of captivating hits. (I’m humming those melodies even today). The rest of the narrative is conveyed through text prompts or recorded performances, the latter filled with a talented cast doing fantastic work.

As well-executed as the narrative is, the audience experience is not. The homepage is actually the start of the experience, an in-world web site requiring a careful read in order to begin. With no clear onboarding, when the dialogue prompts begin, they’re all meaningless, as I’ve no clue what “role” to play as an audience member. (I reluctantly decided to be myself.) Yet, when given the option to admit that fact, my choice is disregarded so the narrative can conutnie. When the finale arrives, I make a massive choice affecting several lives. But after a brief song about that choice, there’s three short, blunt lines summarizing the fallout before the credits roll.

That said, while The LEA Project needs an upgrade regarding the audience’s experience, the dark humor and fantastic songs are worth the bugs.

— Patrick B. McLean, Chicago Curator

MIB: First Assignment — Dreamscape
$23.50; Westfield Century City (and other locations)

I have pretty fond memories of the first Men In Black movie. It came out in that era when Will Smith had gone from being the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to the King of Summer Movies. I think I saw it three or four times in the theater that year, back when movies stayed in circulation for a long stretch.

The latest Dreamscape VR adventure starts well enough: putting you into “the last suit you’ll ever wear” and giving you a moment to scope out your avatar and that of your team mates. Your’re new recruits to the MIB: the agency that oversees alien life on Earth.

There’s a lot of potential in the scenario, but it breaks my heart to tell you that almost none of it is fulfilled. What could be a rollicking adventure — Dreamscape has proven capable of that with their truly excellent Curse of the Lost Pearl experience — instead becomes the 21st century equivalent of a simulator ride. There’s little to do but grip on to a pair of handlebars and pretend to drive a hoverscooter around. Oh: and it’s on rails so you aren’t really driving it. Nor are you blasting things except when the button flashes at key moments.

Basically: you’re inside an FX reel. One that is pretty, but much like the infamous neuralizer, odds are you’ll walk out of MIB: First Assignment unable to remember if you met aliens or if it was just swamp gas from a weather balloon trapped in a thermal pocket reflecting the light from Venus.

— Noah Nelson, Publisher & Host of the NoPro Podcast

Threshold — YOU&I
Free; New York, NY; Run Concluded

Editor’s Note: Allie Marotta, a NoPro New York City Correspondent, was a performer in this experience.

On any given Sunday in Washington Square Park you can find all manner of peculiarities and oddities. Today I find myself next to a door which seemingly leads to nowhere standing isolated in the middle of the park, surrounded by six attentive listeners who hang on my every word.

THRESHOLD is a mini-participatory experience, for an audience of one. A team of talented improv artists curate and create an experience, by asking them a whole host of questions as to what possibilities this door might hold — “If this door could lead anywhere, where would it go?”

It’s been almost two years since I last saw my family back in the UK, and so I answered honestly that it would be to my family kitchen in time for Sunday dinner. They smile, giving affirmations while asking more probing questions. They seem so sincere as they actively listen to me that I am taken quite aback as I answer them further, with each artist effectively “Yes, and”-ing the conversation. After the team have some time to devise the performance, I am invited to the threshold of the door.

The performance that awaits me on the other side of the door, is such a beautiful personalized gift, it is hard to describe. A collection of strangers gather together to give me the experience of not just a British Sunday dinner, but my own family’s Sunday dinner (or as close as the team can approximate to it!). I laugh heartily, and go along with the performance oblivious to anyone else who might be watching. We banter as dishes are brought to the table, until eventually we decide to hop on an airplane and return back to New York for me to take my family around in turn.

I am surprised when I find myself tearing up at this truly unique performance. It is not perfect, but it has so much heart, I truly found myself transported into the world of our collective creation.

I had no idea I would feel myself surrounded by family this weekend. What a wonderful gift.

— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent

Unravel — Spektra Pulse
$15; Philadelphia, PA; Run Concluded

Intimacy in the COVID era has proven elusive, but Spektra Pulse managed to create a personal and spine-tingling evening with Unravel. Starting outside a somewhat dingy local bar but quickly proceeding to a simulated break-in of a real apartment building, Unravel casts you as a detective’s assistant thrust quickly into your first case, a suspicious suicide perhaps related to cult activity. Brave audiences of one pursue the case to its clearly occult ends, spending much of their time alone in the apartment.

From the minute I walked into the apartment, with every surface covered in bible verses stapled to the walls, ominous red lighting, and a suspicious hum coming from the refrigerator, I felt transported to a personalized thriller. While themes of enlightenment, zealotry, and romantic obsession go nowhere, they serve as tasty set dressing to an otherwise engrossing investigatory escape room for one. Little details and bits of customization, like ominous notes addressed to both me and the detective, Mr. Montgomery, by name, and breakable set pieces served to make the evening feel more personal and haunting than broader horror experiences. What hampered the experience was a somewhat downbeat performance style that muted emotions and reduced a sense of urgency, and an anticlimactic ending that left me somewhat questioning my own agency within the narrative.

Nonetheless, I looked over my shoulder about three times a block on the way home, convinced a masked cultist was about to shove a crucifix in my neck. What Unravel lacks in plot is more than made up for in tone, mood, and spectacle. Despite the limitations imposed on it by virtue of being a budget Fringe Festival offering, Unravel displays tremendous promise for Spektra Pulse as a rising force in the East Coast horror community.

— Blake Weil, Curator At Large, East Coast

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