I stand in line waiting to be ‘checked’. The checking takes the form of a plastic torch with no light source being ‘shone’ into my eyes at the same time that a laser-like sound comes out of it. Following this check-up, I am designated to the Light Blue group and I am led to my tour guide with my light blue string necklace.
As part of Team Light Blue, we chat to our guide, Taves, before the tour begins. To her credit, I am led to believe that there has been an actual crashing of a Space Pod, that it is not a theatrical event… I am more interested than I was before! She goes on to explain that she and the other tour guides are actors that have been brought in to show the public around as the investigation is carried out. Although I am aware that this is immersive theatre, I am also very happy to be led down this particular garden path, if not for any other reason than to simply enjoy it more.
The tour begins and we are led to our first Pod Finding. I assume that the tour groups rotate around the different areas in the converted Lowercourt Carpark, and our particular tour starts at the large plastic dinosaur under a sheet. My efforts to stay in the illusion dissipate into the same dust that’s catching in Taves’s throat. This and the following Vibrating Space Fruit is kept magical however, with the reactions of the young girls in our group. They are taken in completely by the discoveries and their amusement is encouraging.
The Coral Room and Space Bears are my favourite discoveries, the Coral Room in particular. I stand there, prodding pieces of polystyrene with gunge sticking out, and am morbidly intrigued to find out that this coral has a mind of its own, choosing when and when not to grow…
The scientist in this room, although seemingly too young to be the level he is, improvises well when questioned and has articulate and interesting answers on the tip of his tongue to amaze us. This, however, doesn’t happen again. The other doctors are unfriendly, disconnected and haven’t prepared their dialogue and vocabulary as well as Doctor Coral, neither to us or each other. In fact, this is a big give away that they are indeed, actors.
A point of rest occurs and we peek through the railings to see three ‘Doctors’ moving strangely, as a unit. This activity becomes clear later on, as we discover that the ‘alien’ that was in the crashed space pod has taken over the minds of the scientists.
This climax is interesting for a minute or so, as the actors do well not to overplay ‘alien’. The two main women have very clear and resonant voices that echo through the car park. However, I soon become distracted. Limp audience participation proceeds and every so often the security guard shouts loudly, in an attempt to create drama and danger I assume. Kids may enjoy it, although the girls in my group left soon after The Coral Room. Perhaps they knew it had hit its peak?
Design wise, the tour guides look aptly silver and create a very suspicious and dramatic atmosphere for sure. Credit is due to Victoria Thomas-Wood. The rooms are appropriately decorated under the art direction of Jacob Corn. Unfortunately the drawn out tour and lack of narrative doesn’t support the efforts of the cast.
If you are interested in other planets and life forms it might be a fun night out for you, especially if you are with younger ones. The cast and creatives of Immercity certainly have a piece with a lot of potential and it could become what Rosanna Mallinson’s piece is striving to be in time – she both writes and directs. I now know what a Space Bear is and quite enjoy the fact they’re not what they seem. However, as a whole, this piece did not rock my world, planet or stratosphere.
Crashed is playing until 27 July. For more information and tickets, see the Immercity Theatre website.