NEW YORK – What do Lady Gaga, Imelda Marcos and F. Scott Fitzgerald have in common?
They’re all the basis for innovative new shows that drop theatergoers in the middle of the action. “Here Lies Love,” with music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, transforms the Broadway Theatre into a neon-drenched nightclub, where DJs and dictators become unlikely bedfellows and audience members dance at the foot of the stage. A few blocks over at “The Great Gatsby,” the art-deco ballroom of the Park Central Hotel has been refashioned as Jay Gatsby’s mansion, where patrons can imbibe while Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel unfolds around them. And in “A Gaga Guide to the Lower East Side,” a walking tour goes deliriously off the rails thanks to a disgraced reality TV star.
Immersive theater is broadly defined as any show “that you’re not in your seat for the entire experience,” says Ron Lasko, who wrote “Gaga Guide.” The experimental genre has existed in New York for decades, with theatrical forebears such as “The Donkey Show” – which transplanted “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to a 1970s disco club – and “Sleep No More” and “Then She Fell,” which let audiences wander through the stories of “Macbeth” and “Alice in Wonderland,” respectively.
But the phenomenon has become more popular recently: Josh Groban’s interactive “Natasha, Pierre & The Comet of 1812” won two Tony Awards in 2017. An experiential “Bridgerton” ball popped up in New York this summer, and an immersive revival of “Cabaret” transfers to Broadway next spring from London. Concerts, speakeasies and escape rooms have played with the format too.
“People want something they can put on their Instagram,” Lasko says. “But they also want an experience that’s a little different, and not the sort of traditional proscenium theater experience.”
Ready to try one of these shows for yourself? Here’s what you need to know before going:
‘Here Lies Love’
Boasting the first all-Filipino cast in Broadway history, “Here Lies Love” tells the true story of the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos (Arielle Jacobs), the wife of corrupt Filipino politician Ferdinand Marcos (Jose Llana). The musical uses exhilarating pop songs to disarm theatergoers: coaxing people to bop and sing alongside Imelda, all the while distracting them as the Philippines’ democracy is stripped away.
The show features four different tiers of seating, the most immersive of which is the dancefloor. People in that section stand for the duration of the 90-minute musical just inches from the revolving stage, with actors at times moving through the crowd and crew members using light-up wands to “direct traffic.”
“In most immersive theater, the audience isn’t involved in the way they are here. They’re more observing while things are happening around them,” Jacobs says. “But in our show, if I reach out my hand to shake your hand, it’s because I want you to shake my hand. I’m actually asking to connect with them. They’re not just watching the show – they’re participating in the story we’re trying to tell.”
People seated in the mezzanine also get an immersive experience, thanks to wraparound video screens and mini-stages where actors perform. Looking down at everyone on the dancefloor, the mezzanine also has a one-of-a-kind vantage point that enhances the story itself.
“When they are witnessing the funeral procession or the protest, they are witnessing 500 people as part of this scene,” Jacobs says. “Broadway audiences have never had the experience of seeing 500 people on stage. That’s really, really cool.”
‘The Great Gatsby’
The two-and-a-half-hour “Gatsby” is akin to a choose-your-own-adventure story. Guests congregate in the main ballroom of Gatsby’s mansion, where they can buy cocktails and listen to live music as they watch the doomed love story of Jay Gatsby (Joel Acosta) and Daisy Buchanan (Jillian Anne Abaya). Periodically, actors will invite small groups of theatergoers to separate rooms, where they can sit back as other parts of the narrative play out around them. This ensures that every audience member gets a unique experience.
“If someone says ‘follow me’ and you say no, that’s fine. You’ll get rewarded for staying in the same place,” director Alexander Wright says. “But likewise, if you leave that central room and head off to whatever narrative track you’re invited on to, the story is still the thing that’s guiding everything.”
Many audience members dress up in period-inspired flapper dresses and pinstripe suits, which is encouraged but not necessary.
“Come with an open mind and be willing to play,” Wright says. “There’s no way to get it wrong. If you want to come for a massive Jazz Age party, that’s a huge part of the show. But for people who know the book, there’s a huge social tragedy in there as well.”
‘A Gaga Guide to the Lower East Side’
The most unconventional of these offerings is “Gaga Guide,” which blurs the line between reality and fiction over an hour-and-a-half walking tour. The trek takes visitors to many of the real places that Lady Gaga frequented before she got famous, including bars, music venues and even an old apartment building. The tour offers a fascinating insight into the pop star’s humble beginnings, as well as the neighborhood’s evolution.
Historical factoids are interspersed with a loose narrative about frenzied tour guide Phil (played at alternate performances by Taylor Hilliard and Lynwood McLeod). Throughout the tour, Phil fields calls from agents and tabloids and looks for a way to rebound after a scandalous stint on reality TV.
“Sometimes there’s nights where it’s all Gaga fans, and then sometimes it’s just people who want a Lower East Side tour,” Lasko says. “It’s exciting to see how various audiences respond.”
Because of the show’s meta construct, many people don’t even realize it’s immersive theater and that Phil is just a character.
“One of the first groups we ever had went through the whole thing, and then they were like, ‘Wait, this is fake?’ ” Lasko recalls. “They felt betrayed by us – it was kind of hilarious. We try to walk that line, so I’m glad it works for some people.”
