What I liked
see review
What I didn't like
see review
My overall impression
Shine On Collective debuted at Fringe last year with their immersive piece The Truth. This year they’ve created a stand alone “Prologue” to what will be a larger piece later this year. The premise of this piece pulls from fairy tales (á la damsels in distress) and twists them into a dark, enigmatic world for adults.
The piece begins in the cab of a U-haul van where you meet Phillip (Alexander Echols) who’s desperately staring at a well-worn map. He’s searching for the girl of his dreams, Rose, and thinks I’m there to help. “You know the story,” he tells me. I don’t but, but shrug “sure.” This introduction doesn’t set up much and needs more work. If writer Anna Mavromati and director Marlee Delia want the participant to be more active, then they need to incorporate better ways to get the participant to engage (asking more direct questions helps). Echols does what he can to set the tone (there’s a wonderfully surprising and intense moment) but there’s still too much confusion to know what my role is and how I should respond. Phillip then takes me to the back of the van, and tells me to get some rest.
This is where the piece gets far more interesting. On the other side of boxes is some sort of Dream Land. “Whose dream is this?” asks Rose (a hauntingly enchanting Hannah Faust), “Is it mine or yours?” “Maybe both?,” I respond. She’s trying to work sewing machine and it’s clear she’s pricked her fingers a few times (a reference to Sleeping Beauty). Echoing Philip she says, “You know the story” this time taking my hand over storybook pictures. “Boy meets girl. Boy gets to go on adventures [a picture of a knight in shining armour on a horse]. Girl gets to, well you know [a picture of a damsel asleep waiting to be rescued].” I chuckle, “yep, pretty much.”
Faust is given more intriguing material to play with as she builds a relationship with you and pulls you into this twisted dream. I felt a deep bond build even though we only spent 10 minutes together. I don’t want to give any more away as I believe it’s best to experience immersive theatre without prior input. Even though this prologue needs more work, I’m intrigued enough to experience the full piece later this year.
