What I liked
Everything! I loved the crowd participation. I loved the thrill and exhilaration of taking down CaNDOS
What I didn't like
Not being picked for the first three. I’m only writing that since I can’t leave this blank.
My overall impression
This wasn’t initially one of our picks top picks, although it was on my radar. It was one of those “well this seems cool, I’ll try and see if I can fit it in”. I am SO glad I did! I saw the poster in the window of a venue where I was seeing another piece. I looked up some reviews and the ones I read seemed…negative, but what they said that was negative was what made me really excited to see this.
After seeing this show, I can understand why there are negative reviews. I picture those patrons being older, hating video games (and fun), and being more of a traditional theatre person, which is fine, but this show is not for them. If you like video games, crowd participation, or escape room elements, then SEE THIS SHOW.
You start off by meeting Praxis 45-O and filling out a brief questionnaire (basically to see if you’d like to participate). Once inside and seated he then tells you the story of the United Nation-States of Surveillance (UNSS) and he’s chosen 3 people to help. If these people fail, he will call others to take their place. The “missions” are timed and themed and you have to get to the final stage where you meet and must defeat Corporal and Nefarious Disk Operating System (CaNDOS). You have to complete timed tasks in order to move forward. Each mission helps the story along. The day I went, the first 3 made it through the first mission and then failed the second. There are no extra lives here! With them gone Praxis 45-O called up the next 3…and I was one of them! I had vowed (in my seat and in my head), not to let this group of strangers down! I’m happy to say, that we were able to complete that mission and the rest of the missions and defeated the evil CaNDOS!
Even if you’re not participating in defeating CaNDOS, watching it is just as much fun. When the first crew was up there, I was feeling myself get tense and saying things like “No over there!!”. This was such a fun experience and I hope there is more like this in the future. Props to this team for thinking outside the box on what a show can be and actually making it happen. It’s not like anything else you’ve seen before.
