EDITOR’S NOTE: Since publication of this article, several allegations of sexual assault and abuse have come to light against one of the creators of Nocturnal Fandango. We at HorrorBuzz believe that horror and immersive experiences should be a safe space for everyone, and can longer recommend their shows in good faith. We will leave the article as originally published below, but urge you to think twice before attending any of their shows.
I died this weekend.
According to the obituary, I was involved in a seven-car collision on the highway, while making my way to an immersive theater production in Irvine. However, due to certain actions, my death was erased; I was given a second chance, and allowed to try again.
And that’s the thing about death; clearly, it’s not always permanent. Sometimes there is a lesson to be had when you experience it. If you were given a second chance…how would you do things differently? Would you take the lessons you have learned to make your life better from that moment forward? Would you take that first breath of fresh air and turn it into a fresh start?
These are the questions I was left to ask myself after attending MISERE, the last pop-up event from Sudden Loneliness Gift before their season-ending production next month.
As I mentioned in my review of WATER AND FIRE earlier this month, the production team behind Sudden Loneliness Gift, Nocturnal Fandango, have perfected the art of getting inside your head, and making the narrative very personal to each participant.
I’m about to dive into very specific details about the show, so be warned that there are SPOILERS AHEAD. However, I have checked with the Organizers, and they will NOT be remounting this particular show, so you won’t be spoiled on anything for the future, so don’t worry. In fact, if you plan on attending YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW, it might even be helpful to know what transpired.
As per usual with these types of shows, I was asked to meet at a location at a specific time; in this instance, it was a pair of picnic tables at a park. When I arrived, an older couple were by said benches, engaged in a round of calisthenics. What were the chances that they happened to be there at the exact time I was to be? So, of course, I joined them! After a few rounds of stretching and push-ups, all why they completely ignored me…it dawned on me that this was NOT in fact part of the show, and I had intruded on this poor couple’s workout routine. Laughing at myself, I sat down at one of the picnic tables, and almost at that exact moment, the REAL show began. (None of this paragraph is necessary for the review, but I just found it too humorous to not include. We are all so trained to do exactly an immersive show tells us to do, so when this happened, it was too funny not to retell).
The show definitely had one of, if not the absolute, strongest openings I have ever encountered. It was pretty clear that my role in those opening moments was that of a young child of two mothers. One of my mothers was apologizing for how tough things had been lately, with the other being in and out of the hospital, very sick. To make it up to me, she had created a ‘haunted house’ in the garage, she told me as we strolled the streets.
When we arrived, she brought me into the garage, and told to get into the backseat of the car so she could start. She got into the driver’s side, and began to break down. She was so sorry for how things had been, and she just wanted what was best for our family. Tears began to stream down her face…when I noticed that their was a hose leading into the car from her window, and a dense smoke began to fill in. As it did, a terrifying death rattle erupted from passenger seat, which I had assumed was empty. It was my other mother…and all of us were together, as the car filled with exhaust. My mind was racing, as I came to terms that this was not a haunted house she made at all…this was the last act of a desperate parent trying to keep her family together with an easy out.
Beautifully staged, this emotional scene set the tone for the rest of the show, as I was taken into a sort of “afterlife” beyond that, where I was myself again. A raven, who had taken the form of a woman, told me that I was to experience many more deaths that evening, and that I was to learn from them. Between her, and her other “bird” friends, they removed most of my clothing and painted my body, in order to better prepare myself for what was to come.
From there, I was lead on a pretty powerful journey, where I had to look pretty deep inside myself to answer some of the questions they asked me; both rhetorical and not. One scene in particular comes to mind, following immediately after the afterlife one, was where I found myself in a Dia de los Muertos themed bar, with a bartender who kept asking me to list five interesting things: about myself, about my fiancé, about him, about the bar’s cabinets. He kept pushing and pushing in a way that made me dig deeper; to go well past the surface level of what we all can easily see, and find the things that are hidden deep within ourselves.
While mostly just a conversation between myself and a character, I found this to be the best scene of the entire piece. While he kept pushing and pushing for more, trying to get me to get out of my comfort zone and share more of myself than I am usually uncomfortable sharing, it definitely served its purpose well. The scene ended with Bossman, a character familiar to those within Sudden Loneliness Gift and meant to be the embodiment of trauma, calling out using his loving nickname for me of “Mole Rat” before moving me on to the next death.
Continuing on, I experienced a sadistic mime in a bathroom (who nearly drowned me in a tub full of blood) and a fraternity initiation hazing that wound up in the death of a fellow pledge. However, in speaking to other participants, it seems these scenes were slightly altered to tailor to their own individual stories within this narrative, an aspect that Nocturnal Fandango does that I am always pleased with.
But in the end, it was with Bossman, whom I have never enjoyed my encounters with merely because of what he represents, who provided a sort of retrospective aftercare of the evening’s events. It was here that I learned that, on my way to meet him that evening, I died in the collision I mentioned at the beginning of this article. This death allowed me to open my mind up, to experience other deaths as well, and to learn something about myself. In his own, twisted way, he really tried to open my eyes to what I have been missing in life, to the things I want to accomplish, and have held myself back from. He asked me how I would change things if given another chance…before allowing me to return back to the world of the living, lessons in hand, and to make the best choices possible for myself.
While in a lot of ways, MISERE was not overtly connected to the overall Sudden Loneliness Gift story, it still carried a lot of the same themes and lessons. I walked away re-thinking a lot of previous story points from a different point of view, and of course, some of my own life choices. It’s a powerful thing when a show makes you want to be a better person, and this was no different. From start to finish, MISERE’S wonderfully insightful nature pulled you further into the narrative. As I said, it’s not just a story they want to tell you…it’s a story about YOU that you have to journey through yourself.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Nocturnal Fandango constantly surprises me with how well they can craft their story, and just how powerful and personal, they can make it. On paper, scenes like the birds and the mime can seem ridiculous, but it is incredible how they can bring them to life and seem so grounded in reality.
The literal meaning of ‘misere’ means a hand that will win no tricks, and I think that suited MISERE perfectly. The hand we were dealt did not win anything, as evidenced by our death, but is up to us to make it better. After I left, I almost felt as if I was dealt a new hand from a re-shuffle. But more importantly…how would I play this one?
I cannot thank Nocturnal Fandango enough for inviting me along this journey with them, as this has definitely been the most personally rewarding experience I have ever been involved in.
While Sudden Loneliness Gift is almost near its end, there is still time for you to join in. Last I heard, there are still two slots open for the final experience of the story, YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW, for the November 12th overnight show date. No previous knowledge or experience is needed, and you will be able to fully jump into the story with the rest of us. Email them at [email protected] for more information. I highly urge you to join us, because I am confident it will be one of the best immersive experiences you will ever encounter.
