VIEWPOINTS – Immersive theater takes a step forward with Third Rail Projects’ THE GRAND PARADISE

grandIn recent years, New York has had its fair share of immersive theatrical experiences – some brilliantly conceived and executed, some ambitious yet flawed, and some quite dismal all around. Over the past week, I had a chance to catch up with some of the more recent immersive theatrical offerings in New York, and I’m happy to report that I was very impressed by two of these experiences. With one piece in particular I feel like this theatrical form has taken a step forward. Indeed, Third Rail Projects’ The Grand Paradise (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which opened this week in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, strikes me as the most sophisticated and well-executed piece of immersive theater I’ve yet seen in this city. With this piece, Third Rail takes its audience on a voluptuous, kitschy, slightly sinister interactive tour of a 1970s tropical resort. Here’s the spin – the resort may or may not house the fabled Fountain of Youth, a jumping point in exploring concepts no less than time, desire, death, and happiness.

Unlike Punchdrunk’s wordless open-ended pieces which has its audiences scramble around to be able to get in on the action, Third Rail’s shows typically focus on curating the experience for you – no chasing after characters or figuring out what to do next. Instead of being a masked spectator hovering around the story, à la Punchdrunk, you are part of the narrative.  In Third Rail’s stunning Then She Fell, which plunges audiences into the parallel universes of Lewis Carroll and Alice (as in Wonderland), each audience member is led on an individualized journey through the immersive world, many times encountering actors one-on-one in intimate situations.

The Grand Paradise, which is thoughtfully directed, designed, written, and choreographed by Third Rail artistic directors Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett, is larger in scale than their previous piece – Then She Fell only admits 15 people per performance, whereas The Grand Paradise sells 60 spots per show.  From a logistics standpoint, Third Rail with this latest piece had to open up your experience to include other audience members (we are in a beach resort after all!). The genius of The Grand Paradise is how it seamlessly weaves in other audience members into the narrative. That’s not to say there aren’t any “close-up” one-on-one experiences with actors – the experience is full of those. However, unlike Then She Fell, this latest experience is more varied in the perspectives it offers and gives audiences more sense of freedom to follow their impulses. In many ways, the show is the perfect immersive theatrical experience for discerning theatergoers.

Although Third Rail may not have the same budget or access to sprawling spaces as, say, Punchdrunk’s recent extravaganzas (particularly the massive, superb The Drowned Man which recently closed in London) or the intoxicating dinner-theater hybrid Queen of the Night, I find myself more deeply moved their soulful and lovingly handcrafted shows – which is not to say they feel cheap. On the contrary; you can’t put a price tag on the careful attention to detail Third Rail lavishes on every second of your stay. Their deceptively unassuming experiences feel utterly authentic, and in my opinion, Third Rail has brought their art to a whole new level of sophistication and prowess with The Grand Paradise.

broken-bone-bathtub-comes-to-dumbo-02In addition to the magnificent The Grand Paradise, I also had a chance to catch Siobhan O’Loughlin’s intensely personal and intimate immersive solo show Broken Bone Bathtub (RECOMMENDED). You see, in this piece, approximately five (!) audience members cram into a stranger’s bathroom (the location changes every two or three performances) to listen to Ms. O’Loughlin – in the middle of a bubble bath – recount a biking accident that left her with a broken hand and journey to recovery (more than just in the physical sense). Broken Bone Bathtub also asks for your participation; you’re invited to share your own experiences and/or help her wash some hard-to-reach places. Even though Ms. O’Loughlin is a charismatic and earnest performer, it’s hard to feel like this hour-long piece is anything more than a glorified shrink session. Nevertheless, I’ve rarely felt more in communion with performer and fellow audience members than in this odd little piece of immersive theater.

 

THE GRAND PARADISE
Off-Broadway, Immersive Theater
383 Troutman St., Brooklyn
2 hours (no intermission)
Booking through March 31

 

BROKEN BONE BATHTUB
Off-Broadway, Immersive Theater
Various bathrooms
1 hour (no intermission)
Booking through February 6

Categories: Dance, Off-Broadway, Theater

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