Stage | The Guardian: With seven cast members, three understudies, 59 different ways to see the show unfold and more than 1,000 performances in four years, the Guild of Misrule’s The Great Gatsby has established itself as the longest-running immersive play in the UK. Each night, in a converted mansion block in central London, about 200 people pack in – often in roaring 20s fancy dress and most likely tipsy – to experience a two-and-a-half-hour production that lands somewhere between a Fitzgeraldian fantasy-scape and an office party.
1 comment:
I knew about a couple immersive theatre experiences (like Sleep No More), but I didn't think or realize that it was such a big deal in the UK. I was immediately intrigued by the Great Gatsby experience (probably because I am biased to love everything 1920s and Art Deco but that is besides the point), and am surprised that it is such a big experience involving so many people. The fact that it was described as a big party environment with people drinking honestly fits the "style" of the experience. I feel like an experience with performers, presumably a script is highly more theatrical, and can fall under the immersive theatre title. However, with things that are more like a "simulation" like the mentioned plane crash or the rave, I can't agree with the whole "theatre" thing. Sure, it is entertainment, but I can't put it on the same scale as Broadway theatre or anything like that. I agree with the article's claim that it's about the moneymaking and less about artistic aspiration.
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