www.themarysue.com: It’s been nearly nine months since the premiere of Shonda Rhimes Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton, the series that asked the question, “what if Jane Austen but dumb and horny?” The answer is a resounding “F*CK YES,” as touch-starved, pandemic-exhausted folks from across the globe tuned into the steamy series.
10 comments:
I personally never watched Bridgerton, but after reading so many rave reviews I might have to give it a shot. I am a huge fan of historical and fantasy dramas, so this seems right up my alley. I think it is really creative that they have decided to open (and tour?) a themed participation experience for fans of the show! I think that a lot of us who are interested in this genre of entertainment probably light up at the thought of being able to attend a regency ball, even more so when we would get to dress for the occasion!!! I literally thought about buying a historical style gown for my prom dress. I would want to go to this event literally just to have a really fun, unique experience where I got to dress up, even if I had not watched the actual show yet. It seems like tickets are even incredibly inexpensive (I mean $50??? How great is that??). I hope people get to take advantage of this and have some fun. Clearly we all need it.
While this is a really great idea, genius way to keep your viewers excited between the break as well as hype up people who didn’t tune in for the first season, I can’t help but feel a bit tentative about the safety of such an event. Firstly, I share the same worry as the author that the performers may have to deal with unruly guests. I usually have more faith in audiences but I think the videos of people going insane in public places has placed me on edge in that respect. I also hold a serious concern about any possible covid risk. It is true that this would take place in 2022, however we all thought that the pandemic/ quarantine was going to finally be over with a few months ago before more variants began ripping through the population. Especially with the upsettingly low numbers of vaccinated people in certain places, I fear that a travelling interactive experience such as this might end up being a super spreader. I sincerely hope this would not be the case as I think it is a brilliant and exciting idea just so long as they fully evaluate all of the risks and ensure the safety of both the performers and the public.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit many of us did not think twice before opening our screens and binge-watching those shows we had always wanted to watch. However, there were two shows which I would argue became symbolic for the COVID-19 lockdown: Shonda Rhimes’s Bridgerton and Scott Frank’s Queen’s Gambit. To quote Anya Taylor-Joy’s SNL opening monologue: “For those of you who didn’t see it, what were you doing all quarantine?”.
It was around the same time, yet on a separate plane, that TikTok content creators Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear vegan to create what would for a while be referred to as “Bridgeton the TikTok Musical”. A concept that originated with Ratatouille the TikTok Musical.
I guess after becoming Netflix’s most-watched original series, the craze for a Bridgeton Musical became a trending subject of conversation on most social media platforms. Now, despite producers' early promise to release a second season, Barlow and Bear have published Bridgeton the Unofficial Musical (Concept Album).
I'm going to admit that I really hated Bridgerton and I kind of despise that it's getting 7 million an episode for its next season. I understand that people love the show and its movement away from being an actual period drama was new and interesting but it felt like a potentially good idea bad execution show. I've been told that to really enjoy the show you need to just turn your brain off and enjoy it without thinking too critically about the time period or issues or plot. But then what's left? I feel like this experience will do very well given the popularity of the show and if it were something I was a fan of it sounds like something cool to be a part of. If it weren't Bridgerton themed, I would love to attend a regency ball surrounded by the lavish costumes, set, and live performers seen on screen.
This sounds like so much fun! I bet the tickets are absolutely outrageous, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who would be happy to pay anything to go. The entire Ball sounds very much like immersive improv theater, just without that exact title. I think the success that Sleep No More has had for years has really inspired producers to break out of the theater and create more interactive experiences. I wonder if this movement is to help with people extension spans? Before you know it gone might be the days where people sat and looked at the stage for two hours, now the stage becomes an entire building that you walk through. That switch-up would keep anyone’s attention. I think this event will certainly help be a stepping stone to get people back into the theater, and it is definitely safe to say that the majority of the people who will be working the party will be coming from theater backgrounds.
Well firstly, just as a person, this sounds incredibly over the top. However, it also sounds like a great way to make money should it work out. It seems as though it will run similarly to an escape room-esque, live theatrical Ann Bogart (however not experimental). It also appears to be a great way to create jobs, although potentially more on the acting end than the production end. On that note, this does seem like one of those things that could be amazing and everyone could love, or be an absolute disaster and ruin the reputation of the show. Due to the nature of the costumes and the setting I would be curious to know how they plan to make money as tickets are quite affordable for such an event, however where will you find a regency palace in Chicago? Everything needs to be built and that seems like a large budget. Additionally, the target audience is superfans. Superfans are more likely to act out. How is that likely to be handled, especially in the midst of Covid. This seems like an amazing idea, however I question how well done the reality will be.
I’ve never seen Bridgerton, but the title of the article being “Gird Your Loins for Immersive 'Bridgerton Experience'” was really funny and interesting. Especially since I always like reading about immersive experiences. I love the idea that the attendees also get to dress in period clothes to attend a ball. I’ve always wanted to go to a masquerade or some kind of fancy ball, and I love historical dress. I am however still somewhat worried about Covid, even though the event isn’t until April. The Bridgerton Experience website says that they’ll implement health restrictions and ask people experiencing symptoms not to attend, but knowing how the American public has acted over the last year and a half, I don’t know how much I would trust them. But I really do hope that we’ve mitigated the risks by then so that people can attend cool events and experiences like this without needing to worry about the virus. I know I’d love to go to something like this with my friends.
The in-person Bridgerton experience is an amazing opportunity to bring the show to life, but it’s concerning to see the limited COVID safety protocols and the overall lack of details on the event. I understand the events will not occur for several more months and COVID conditions might change, but proof of vaccination should be required to protect the staff and customers. There seems to be a trend toward “immersive” performances that don't really fall under the category of true immersive theater (https://noproscenium.com/all-about-immersive-or-that-pesky-i-word-92299e4e2e6). Often there’s very limited information on the venue and what the event really entails until the ticket holder arrives at the door. I totally understand that they want to make it a surprise but there should be more transparency so that theatre goers can make informed decisions about potential COVID exposure. I also agree with Page’s concern for the actors' wellbeing, and right to not be groped or assaulted by the audience. It seems like some people may forget to honor personal boundaries and show basic respect to fellow human beings.
After reading this article I was instantly brought back to when I attended the live interactive performance "Sleep No More", I wonder if they will have a similar way of interacting with the audience or if there will be slightly more structure within the ballroom setting. I have a friend that used to work on the sets for "Sleep No More" and sadly, he said that many of the actors where also harassed and groped while preforming. I really hope that this will not be the case with an interactive experience such as this, but it is always a possibly and a worry that needs to be taken into account. I personally am not a big fan of Bridgerton as it is wildly historically inaccurate specifically with the costumes as it presents a very fantasized version of the regency era. But being a picky costume designer aside, I've been to a couple 18th century ballroom dances and they were all immensely fun. One specifically I helped orchestrate at the federal hall museum in downtown New York. I believe themed ballroom dances can be incredibly fun if done well, and from what I've read this Bridgerton experience sounds like it could be amazing. I know that Colonial Williamsburg and Versailles Palace hold similar ballroom dance fund raising events and if done correctly I think that Bridgerton could get lots of money and publicity from this.
After reading this article I was instantly brought back to when I attended the live interactive performance "Sleep No More", I wonder if they will have a similar way of interacting with the audience or if there will be slightly more structure within the ballroom setting. I have a friend that used to work on the sets for "Sleep No More" and sadly, he said that many of the actors where also harassed and groped while preforming. I really hope that this will not be the case with an interactive experience such as this, but it is always a possibly and a worry that needs to be taken into account. I personally am not a big fan of Bridgerton as it is wildly historically inaccurate specifically with the costumes as it presents a very fantasized version of the regency era. But being a picky costume designer aside, I've been to a couple 18th century ballroom dances and they were all immensely fun. One specifically I helped orchestrate at the federal hall museum in downtown New York. I believe themed ballroom dances can be incredibly fun if done well, and from what I've read this Bridgerton experience sounds like it could be amazing. I know that Colonial Williamsburg and Versailles Palace hold similar ballroom dance fund raising events and if done correctly I think that Bridgerton could get lots of money and publicity from this.
-sorry for posting this 3 times this is Philip Winter
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