A Midnight Visit - An Edgar Allen Poe Themed Interactive Theatre Experience

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Wed 25 Aug 2021 - Sat 29 Jan 2022

This is theatre like you've never experienced before. Immersive theatre like no other. Actors wander through rooms interacting with each other and the audience, and you are free to follow them, make your own path or stay where you are and wait for them to come to you.



This is a brilliantly designed show themed on Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare and sheer madness. If you are a fan of Poe you will find so many references and brilliantly designed scripts and set pieces - it will be an absolute dream come true!

Honestly, I am incredibly rusty on my knowledge and of course, I did a google search deep dive on Poe's stories when I came home and I am just blown away but how many references there are, and how many I missed while participating in the show (I would recommend reading up on some of the classics like Hop Frog, The Raven, Ligeia, The Fall of House Usher and The Cask of Amontillado to really appreciate some of the references). There is just so much put into this experience you truly need to go multiple times. It is so well executed and there is simply so much to discover.

No photographs are allowed inside, but here's a sneak peek at some of the characters from the performance (plus my commentary about their little quirks as I partook in the show).



It's almost like a challenge on how much you can find. Did you find the hidden bar? How about the secret passageway through the closet? Perhaps you crawled through the tunnel only to enter the graveyard? Surely you found your way into the ball pit!

Were you given a note, or a shot of drink, a feather or a glowstick by one of the many characters?

Interrogated by the fearsome raven? Partied it up with the fool? Wrote a secret confession to be placed upon the wall with many others?

There is absolutely so much to do and simply no way to experience it all in one go. There are over thirty rooms, two floors and eight characters to follow around. There is no possible way to see everything in one go as it all happens concurrently.



On my first trip through (yes, I did go more than once), I wandered the halls following characters at random to see what was going on, exploring rooms even when there was no one inside. I found secret passageways, got utterly spooked by the eerie and gothic vibe everywhere, and jumped out of my skin when I entered a room thinking I was alone but found out I was wrong.

My second time around I had a completely different experience. I followed one of the characters from start to finish and experienced a sort of story where what was previously interesting but unrelated scenes started to make sense as phrases that before seemed like throwaway lines actually connected with what had happened in a previous room and a previous conversation.

Both times I was able to witness modern-day songs twisted and darkened to suit the gothic theme. I caught a masterful and chilling 'thriller', the puppet master horror of 'sweet dreams are made of this', a dark and sexy 'one way or another'. All of them re-purposed beautifully into the show (and I know that there were many more that I missed).

This experience changes each time you visit and I don't just mean because you can't find and see everything the first time around. I went twice in a row and the performances had changed. How the actors can keep everything straight in their heads in this crazily choreographed and perfectly timed experience is beyond me. Every time you go in, you'll discover something new, a new interaction, a new hidden location, a new reference, performance, poem, song, there will always be something.



I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. Especially if you are a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, the gothic vibe, immersive theatre, or if you just want to be surprised by something different and daring.

No seriously, I cannot rave about this enough. Whilst chatting with people after the show I met not one but two separate individuals who have come to the show six times! I think the average is at least three (and considering I went twice myself I completely understand why).



I am so sorry to say that I only stumbled upon this masterpiece on its last night of the season! But fear not! This is currently Brisbane's longest-running theatre production, and has been shown in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, with each season running for about three months, and has been doing the rounds for years.

This show will come again, it will tour around Australia and back again. I highly recommend signing up to the newsletter to be the first person to hear when it will be coming back, I know that I will.

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!date 25/08/2021 -- 29/01/2022
%wnbrisbane