In 2012, I was introduced to Third Rail Projects, self-described “creators of site-specific, immersive and experiential performance.” Then She Fell was an awesome combination of hospital ward, the writings of Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and only fifteen audience members per show. Two of us attended that show, were separated right at the start and did not see each other again until the end. The show was magical, thought provoking and is still running in Brooklyn. In 2016, I ventured into The Grand Paradise, set in a late 1970s resort purported to contain the fountain of youth. The second show was a bit larger in scale but I would guess no more than forty people. The connecting thread of these works is clever scenery, dance, storytelling and audience members who remain silent passengers and voyeurs throughout.
After those two experiences, I was definitely planning to see Ghost Light, a big time move up in exposure for this company to the Claire Tow theater in Lincoln Center. An appropriate upgrade as this piece is all about theater and performance from a behind-the-scenes, almost dreamlike perspective. We travel backstage, into hallways, look down from the balcony and take it all in. Like their other shows, Ghost Light is a combination of great mood setting, overlapping scenes viewed from different perspectives and dance. The sheer mechanics of moving an audience of more than one hundred in ever changing group sizes and formations was impressive. As far as the content is concerned, some moments were great, some were odd yet fun, while others were a tad boring, especially the visually stunning but ultimately overlong ending. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this troupe.
Interactive, immersive theater has been successfully settling in here in New York with shows like the long-running Sleep No More. Try one. And if you can be comfortable in a very small group while in the presence of the White Queen, definitely go see Then She Fell. I may need to go back again this fall.
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