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Вернувшиеся/ Ghosts

I have not been writing reviews beyond a few words on Facebook/twitter for a very long while, but tonight I have seen something I really need to talk about, and raise a few questions about. 

You see, what I have seen tonight is a very close rip-off of Punchdrunk formula, to a point I am not even sure is legal. From what I have heard about it, a production company in Moscow saw Sleep No More, fell in love with it (as you do), went back home and created a close approximation. In process they have teamed up with a NYC-based Journey Labs, who are allegedly creatively connected to Punchdrunk, but I have looked at their website and am yet to spot the connection. 

The Moscow show is based on Ibsen’s Ghosts and titled “Вернувшиеся”,  translated as Those Who Came Back. Apparently, Journey Lab has already been developing an immersive production based on that particular play, but I have no knowledge about it being as indebted to Punchdrunk as this eventual product is. Russia never had an open narrative immersive show such as this, but is that really an excuse for stealing someone else’s formula?

As soon as you enter the space you are in a cheaper version of Manderley Bar, for some reason being referred to as Speakeasy, complete with 1920s/30s music (you would recognise a few tunes there as easily as I did). There is less ambiance and the colour scheme is an odd gold/green, but it is distinctly an attempt to create Manderley, which is quite bizarre, considering that the narrative of the story is happening in the last quarter of the 19th century, and is styled as such. 

More similarities to Sleep No More follow. As an audience member you are called to the entrance (by number received at check in, as opposed to card), you are given instructions and a mask, and are sent on your way. The masks look like a thinner, greyer, simple version of the ones designed by Punchdrunk. It’s not that they are uncomfortable - they are alright, really, - but the sheer fact that they are just completely ripped off something that’s been in development for a decade is very irksome. I should also mention that the show is oversold to a point of absurdity. Unless you sneak right behind characters, getting out of some of the bigger scenes is quite literally impossible. There are too many audience members to physically fit in the finale room, and, I’m sorry, but this is just silly. 

There are lots of individual spaces, spreading over four floors, and it’s easy to get lost in it. I think some of the spaces also double up, but I was too disoriented to say for sure. The set is not bad overall, but quite a lot of textures are all wrong, and there is nowhere near the amount of detail Punchdrunk put in their productions.I had problems with massive curtains used between staircases and the hallways, simply because they were a little difficult to handle and caused pile-ups. I was pleasantly surprised to see new interesting elements, but I bet that a lot of them were influenced by the shortage of space, as individual rooms are not that big at all; and so much of it rang a bell. An asylum, a church, a graveyard, a mirror room, a room with a cot…

Most of the soundtrack sounds fresh, but then there is “It’s Deserted” from King Kong as reset music, and I am not sure whether they were trying to do a homage to The Drowned Man, or just taking the piss. Apart from that, there are definitely lots of different sound zones, and the only issue I had really was levels. This a very dialogue-heavy show, and there were times when I had troubles hearing characters even though the actors were projecting well, and I was right next to them. I could barely hear a character speaking to me in a 1:1, which is not ideal either. It just didn’t feel like the sound was well balanced.

The lighting design is average, too harsh and character-less. It was not painful, but did close to nothing in creating a magical atmosphere, which is pretty much its one job. 

I think the show itself has something close to three loops, but I am certain that the first loop is for VIP ticket-holders only (those sell for approximately £400 a pop, by the way), so, naturally, I missed it completely. From what I saw, I can tell that the loops are not as literal as they are within Punchdrunk’s logistics. Within the world of the show, some of the characters exist as two mirror images: a literal, narrative one, and a more Punchdrunk-esque, non-verbal one, with only some of the scenes being the same. As a result, I ended up following a single performer for almost two loops, because he happened to switch between those worlds instead of resetting, which was actually surprisingly satisfying. The choreography around his loop was nowhere near as impressive as any of Punchdrunk shows, with only some wall-running and one interesting duet. I have not come across a single dance set-piece that would compare to a one of Punchdrunk’s. Do bear in mind though, that there is a bunch of very physical characters (household staff) who have what is supposed to be a classic Punchdrunk-style orgy, but I missed that one, so I can’t really comment on it. What I called a literal (narrative) part of this show’s world, on the other hand, has a pretty much straight-through dialogue, with very minimal elements of physical theatre.

I like that this production did end up offering plenty of new form even when being logistically as unoriginal as it can get. With some characters not having doubles, some switching between worlds (like the one I ended up following) and some resetting within their own one, there is plenty of variety of different characters, without confusing the audience too badly. The structure here is not as rigid as the one Punchdrunk created, and I found that very interesting. I did also enjoy performances, including choreography, prolonged spoken scenes, and lovely personable in-show and pre-show interactions (yeah, characters can get you drunk here). The only time I felt kind of awkward was during 1:1. The felt like the character did not really know why I was where and the actor did not quite know how to relax into the intimacy. Shame, really; by the time I got to be behind the closed doors with the character I have been majorly invested in his storyline(s), and really hoped to enjoy the 1:1 experience. 

The point I am trying to make, I suppose, is that this show is not, strictly speaking, bad. It has problems, and it’s both overpriced and oversold, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. Nevertheless, this is not just someone adapting a paradigm, this show is literally stealing someone else’s formula, that’s been worked on and developed for many years. 

I guess my question is, how ethical is it to take someone’s material and sell it as “inspired by”? Yes, many of the audience members would never make it to New York or Shanghai, but does it make it legitimate?

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I don’t think that door goes anywhere, honest.

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SUBSTANCE

Give me SUBSTANCE

For once, let me feel surprised that there is more below the surface than I anticipated. Rather than, time and time again, expecting there to be more and being disappointed when I hit the invisible walls of your world.

Give me depth. Let me sink neck-deep into the story. Give me the time to get accustomed to the water temperature and I'll never want to leave.

Give me symbolism and allusions and force me to learn something new. Inspire me to widen my horizons. And make it worth my while.

That's what I miss most. Do not promise me the moon and hand me a saucer. But at TBC, they made no promises, but the longer I looked at it, the more I could believe it really was the moon.

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Felix Barrett’s custom personal notebooks for the creation process of The Drowned Man.

“Notebooks Before I start any big project, I have one of these notebooks made at the Wyvern Bindery in Clerkenwell. I fill them with notes, to-do lists, musical scores – all the fragments of the process. Then, when I have a name for the project, I have it embossed on the spine. We have an extra one called Farley’s Phrases, for the made-up words and sentences Farley came up with when he was learning to talk. I am always amazed by how languages develop.”

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A film showing four weeks of R&D of Red, a dance piece by Mischief. It’s the creation of Jasmin Vardimon regular David Lloyd, and stars Vinicius Salles and Miranda Mac Letten of Drowned Man fame, plus newcomer (to my Tumblr account at least) Darragh Butterworth. David’s hoping to get funding for the full piece by the end of this year so keep an eye out for the finished piece.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo_EQ0vj_3c)

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when an article i'm reading throws in an entire untranslated passage of homer or w/e

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And then one day, he went away, and I thought I’d die.  But I didn’t.

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can i come over and do this

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“There is something I need to tell you. In private…”

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Hecate (played by the great Tara Franklin)

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A brief history of McKittrick Halloween parties

They weren’t all called “Inferno.”

McKittrick parties started with Halloween 2011. That year there were five parties, each with a different theme and dress code color. 

“The Darkest Shadow” Dress in your blackest attire

“Night of the Apparitions” Dress in heavenly white.

“The Last Rendez-Vous” Dress in film-noir formal.

“Aphrodite’s Revenge” Dress provocatively, wear red.

“La Danse Macabre” Dress to terrify. 

I went to the one on October 30 that was themed red, “Aphrodite’s Revenge.”

My main memory was that after the show ended, it didn’t end. Instead the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans appeared, with a bunch of the characters, and they took Macbeth down and had a jazz funeral for him, through the crowd in the ballroom.  Then there was suddenly alcohol everywhere and we were all dancing. I was awed by the transition and how smooth and well-produced the party was.

There’s a good photo slideshow with informative captions at Vanity Fair, and a blog post recap here. Plus McKittrick galleries for each night: Danse Macabre, Aphrodite’s Revenge,  Last Rendezvous, Night of the Apparitions, & Darkest Shadow.

The night actually started with a funeral procession for Macbeth outside on the street while people were queuing, but I somehow managed to miss that. It was only my 4th show - I probably just got there too late.

I do remember Violet giving a toast “to sleep” when we entered, which was adapted from Macbeth’s lines right after he hears the voice cry “sleep no more.”

And here’s Brandon Tyler Harris as “Charlie.” He’s fabulous - wish he was around more!

In 2012, the party was “Carnival des Corbeaux.” It went six nights, each with a different theme, tied together by the concept of a carnival. 

Le Charmeur de Serpent - “Let the animal kingdom inspire your dress for the evening. Feathered, furred, or scaled attire required.” 

La Contorsionniste - “Throw modesty to the wind and flaunt your flesh. Come in your most glamorous and provocative attire.”

La Femme a Barbe - “Unleash your alter ego of the opposite sex. For this night, dress in your gender-bending finery.”

La Clairvoyante- “Conjure the spirits of the dark side. Dress as sorcerers, witches, fortune-tellers and other bohemian creature of the night.”

Les Sœurs Siamoises - “On this night, bring along your identical twin. And make sure you stay side-by-side. Triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets and beyond are most welcome.” 

Le Sorcier - “On All Hallows Eve, the choice is yours. Come dressed as the carnival denizen of your choice.” 

Alas, nature itself apparently objected - Hurricane Sandy hit, and the last few shows got moved. I’d had tickets for Halloween night, but ended up at the rescheduled one on December 1. 

It featured Gregory Dubin (who often appears at the Follies as the magician “The Great Dubini”) as “Monsieur Gaufridi,” a demonic carnival master. 

The party kicked off with a fabulous performance where he was controlling bewitched members of the carnival troupe, which you can watch here.

Each night had carnival-related performances throughout the space - there are a bunch of videos, including Conor Doyle as a clown, Haylee Nichele as an enchanted doll, Ava Lee Scott doing a bullfighting thing, and Mariel Lugosch-Ecker and Emily Terndrup doing the can-can. I don’t think there’s a video but I also vividly remember William Popp doing a dual-gendered Calloway.

This was my 11th visit to the actual show. It was one of the rare nights I got to see Conor Doyle’s Boy Witch, and also the first night I noticed Paul Zivkovich, who was the Porter and left me in awe. I also remember bloodwillhavebloodtheysay, who I didn’t know yet, dressed fabulously as the carnival fat lady.

There’s a McKittrick gallery, and another Vanity Fair slideshow.

2013 was “The Curse of the Mummy.” It’s best known for the fact that they filled the entire ballroom with sand, then took it out and did it again the next night. 

It was a crossover, in which Temple Pictures (the fictional demonic film studio from “The Drowned Man”) is making a mummy film, starring Max and Violet. Unsurprisingly, the film is cursed, and mummies attack.

Alas, this party only ran two nights, and I had plans to be at the actual Temple Studios in London, so I missed it. (I’d say I regret it, but Halloween at the Drowned Man was one of the best nights of my life, so… it’s just too bad you can’t be in two places at once!)

The dress code was “harem girls, nomads, serpent charmers, sword swallowers, pharaohs, mummies, traders, treasure hunters, archaeologists, and the bizarre of the bazaar.”

Here’s a video of Max & Violet kicking off the festivities.

There’s another video here, photo galleries at Village Voice & Gothamist, and of course the usual McKittrick gallery.

2014 was the infamous “Inferno.”

It was themed after Dante’s Inferno, mashed up with Elizabeth Bathory (the countess who bathed in the blood of virgins to stay young).

The dress code was “all in black, or in attire inspired by one of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride.”

Inferno wasn’t my favorite. It didn’t feel as much like a McKittrick party - it felt like it could be anywhere. The theme had nothing to do with “Sleep No More,” and it wasn’t as whimsical as previous parties. The whole thing felt alienating, like the party was too cool for its own audience.

On the plus side, they opened more spaces than usual, including the Macbeth bedroom, walled garden, and rep bar. They also had drink stations everywhere - the caramel apple shots in the crypt were to die for.

Sam Booth, Fania Grigoriou, and Omar Gordon were over from “Drowned Man,” and appeared at the dinner and auction.  It was nice to see them, but they were under-used. Not much happened at the dinner, and then they were in the auction room the rest of the night. (And let’s not get started again about the auction.)

Dinner photo from chadchronicles - you can see Sam, Fania, and Omar with the gold faces, and Virginia Logan in the middle as Elizabeth Bathory.

The first night was a mess, organizationally. They’d handed out fliers that said to go to the fourth floor at midnight, but then they wouldn’t let anyone up, and security kept directing us to different places. It was confusing and wasted a lot of time.

Luckily, the second night ran much more smoothly than the first.  The rep bar was open and featured a glass triangle, with Virginia Logan and Leslie Kraus inside, dancing and making drinks that they poured to audience members through a tube.

Photo via rottenwoodandwiltedsunflowers:

In the end, I did like Inferno. It was elaborate and entertaining, and the company was great.

I dressed as Andrea Alden from “The Drowned Man,” in the “Infidelity Ballet” scene. This was fun because the people who knew Drowned Man all got it, and lots of people screamed/hugged me/poured alcohol down my throat. Yay!

My favorite part was Paul Zivkovich sacrificing a virgin (Ashley Robicheaux) inside of a big glass box in the ballroom at midnight.

He’d spent 20 minutes before taping a plastic tarp around the box, and then spent 20 minutes after slowly squee-geeing the walls clean of blood. And then a bunch of other people climbed into the box and they had a writhing near-naked orgy.

Here is a video of the midnight murder.

There is both an official trailer and recap video for Inferno, and a Village Voice photo gallery plus the McKittrick one.

… And now back to the ongoing drama of waiting for tickets to go on sale for the Boy Witch party. :)

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I’m not someone who really misses Caroline, but this image made me long for one more loop with her. Also, who are these heathens paying absolutely no attention to Virginia?!

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How many times can the same thing break your heart?

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I’d heard rumours that a certain Matron would sometimes let a note slip through the floorboards into the Speakeasy, and then one day I was sitting on the box by the pool table when a little paper wrapped in red string landed at my feet… 

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A papercraft commission of the three witches from Sleep No More, a noir-flavored take on Macbeth set in the 1930s and told through modern dance. I’ve done a few other Sleep No More pieces, and it’s always such a cool aesthetic to work with!

For this one, I layered transparent paper over excerpts of the witches’ dialogue from Macbeth to make the words look like they’re floating into view. This ended up being a lot trickier than I’d anticipated - some of the transparent papers I chose really did not want to change their colors! - but I think the final effect came out super neat.

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A sneak preview of the Such Stuff photos - taken by me and @bloodsandandwhisky

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A thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so noble

Review of ‘Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On’ by Sedos, April 2016

(I’m going to try to keep this review spoiler-lite; although the run has now finished with no possibility of an extension, I’m hoping the overwhelmingly positive critical reaction and the fact that it sold out every night will encourage a revival one day)

Punchdrunk are masters of their craft. They have set the bar almost impossibly high for immersive theatre and have ascended to levels other companies barely even try to reach. They have done so on the basis of enormous talent in their creative departments, and the generous funding of grant-making bodies and private/corporate backers. To recreate shows which so compellingly conjure up magical worlds would require a similar level of professional and financial resource. Right?

Wrong. An amateur dramatic society, with a fraction of the budget of Punchdrunk, have just succeeded in mounting a production with every bit of wonder and thrill as generated by The Drowned Man and Sleep No More. Sedos’ adaptation of The Tempest transformed one floor of an incongruously modern office block in London Docklands into an altered reality: part Elizabethan street, part fairytale forest, part far-off beach. Using the Punchdrunk immersive template - wander at will, follow characters, convey the narrative chiefly through movement and dance - Sedos fed the habit of those of us in the UK who have been having to go cold turkey since Temple Studios closed its doors nearly two years ago.

With Punchdrunk the model to which this production clearly aspired, the set design was of course complex, beautiful, almost excessive in its detail and hugely inventive (the programme notes reveal that this was Sedos’ most ambitious project ever in design terms). A beach with real sand. A potion room thick with bottles of suspicious ingredients. A mock-Tudor study in which the Bard himself dipped quill into inkpot and wrote with authentic-looking script on sheets of crumpled paper. A forest with, admittedly, only one tree but somehow the same sense of sylvan isolation and enchantment. The audience were, in true PD tradition, encouraged to rummage and discover details for themselves.

One doesn’t expect much from performances from an amateur production, but my expectations were comfortably exceeded. Dialogue was sporadic (and occasionally inaudible) but the movement and dance, while not attaining the jaw-dropping athleticism of PD (these people have day jobs, after all), still managed the same level of poetry and still conveyed the narrative most effectively. I noticed a marked improvement in commitment from the performers between the preview (my first show) and the last night (my last); you’d expect this with any production, but these people raised their game so much that we engaged with them just as deeply as we would have engaged with Lila, Boy Witch, Romola, Danvers or the Fool.

(Artwork by @arfman)

The soundtrack, again keeping with PD tradition, accompanied us in every space, mixing drones, Tudor motets, film scores, atonal chamber music and at one point a classic seventies disco hit. Voice-overs frequently quoted from the play, and always in keeping with the scene playing, but were superfluous except in terms of adding atmosphere. Where the directors might have chosen to use the text to explain the action in a scene, they instead decided to hang back, to allow the scene to speak for itself. While this frequently resulted in confusion (I had to have the different characters explained to me fully after the show by one of the cast), it meant that we were never spoonfed and that was so much more rewarding.

The production was so compelling it seems churlish to offer any criticism, and one must always keep the company’s amateur roots in mind. Lighting was occasionally misplaced, resulting in key moments taking place in shadow (still not as bad as SNM, though). One or two of the cast looked less assured, less grounded than the others. Arguably there were small patches in the design where it was too easy to look out at the real world, either the sterile concrete of Docklands office blocks or the brightly lit, shining corridors of Capstan House. But to dwell too much on these very minor points would be to undermine the colossal achievement of this production.

What impressed me so much about this production is the huge amount of thought which had gone into the layers of narrative, not merely hacking out another Shakespeare-in-a-funny-setting which has become standard fare among amateur and fringe productions. Characters were split, merged or absent altogether. The figures of Shakespeare and his queen, Elizabeth, featured prominently. This sometimes created confusion, as noted above, but it also created new layers of meaning, making this as much a rethinking of Shakespeare as a restaging.

It would have been so, so easy to do this badly. Directors @badlydrawndrownedman and @priceyc could simply have chosen to attempt to clone SNM and TDM, to shove masks on the audience (no masks in this production) and set them free to wander darkened, drone-filled corridors with strange figures hopping in and out of view to no obvious purpose. They could easily have pleaded shortcomings in time, budget, imagination or just willpower. Instead, they went the other way - they exceeded their limitations in every department. I am in awe of their achievement.

Is a revival too much to hope for? I have friends among the cast who say they would happily make space in their diaries for another run. Twelve performances seems too few for such a momentous experience. Or is it better to obey the old showbiz maxim: always leave them wanting more?

The creative (and box office) success of this show begs an important question. Immersive theatre is a growing trend. Often it is done lazily, half-heartedly, or within safe boundaries. Often it puts in just enough commitment to meet some ill-defined target, or uses the genre’s amorphous nature to excuse shortcomings in imagination and creativity. What Sedos have shown is that it doesn’t take money, it doesn’t take experienced professional performers, it doesn’t take a brand as high-profile as Punchdrunk. It takes two things: imagination and commitment. If they can do it, what cannot other people do - perhaps people who haven’t thought of doing this sort of thing themselves? It’s certainly given me food for thought.