Interactive theatre is a tricky beast. Too often the interactive element revolves around tokenistic nods to the audiences, or at other times it's difficult to lose yourself in the drama that’s unfolding as it’s painfully obvious you're watching actors.
If I were you, I’d take myself to Joe’s, get a brew and soak in the atmosphere.
Its genius lies in its setting: a seedy bar in The Big Apple. It’s familiar enough to be comfortable but exotic enough to lend an air of excitement. Imagine if Bukowski had written an episode of Cheers. The characters are pure Americana and feel like they've come straight out of a Paul Auster novel and feel familiar to every local bar in the world. There’s the idiot you love to hate, the conspiracy theorist, the surly but lovable bartender, and the uncannily attractive barmaid with her love life on the rocks. In a sort of weird Brechtian turn, somehow these characters feel more real than the ones you meet in life. The actors inhabit their parts so well that it starts to become difficult to separate reality from the fantasy.
There is no plot: it’s just people sharing jokes, telling stories and coming to personal realisations. It’s the sort of show that you’ll get more out, the more you put in. Sporadically the audience are invited to take the floor (if they are not naturally doing it themselves) and it’s beautiful to see normal people realise that they are capable of being more thought provoking than they might have believed.
If I were you, I’d take myself to Joe’s, get a brew and soak in the atmosphere.
