Alice Jones is weary of popular but unpredictable interactive shows like Sleep No More, where audience members are immersed in multi-faceted performances and can explore a five-floor set designed to look like the inside of an abandoned hotel:
There is still the very real risk of watching an usher for ages in case he turns out to be a Main Character (he didn’t). Pace is another potential pitfall. “The average journey time takes approximately 70 minutes, but you may go at your own pace,” states the laminated sheet. And if you get round in 55 minutes? Does that make you a bad audience member?
It’s difficult to give yourself over to theatre when your over-riding emotion is anxiety. Anxiety that you’re not seeing the crucial key that will unlock the piece; that you’re looking too hard at something that means nothing; that you might have to get involved at any moment; or that you’re missing out on something more exciting happening in another room. Too many times I have left shows only to discover that the best bit was a secret room I never found or a whispered encounter in a hidden phone box to which I was never privy. The feeling is disappointment mingled, it has to be said, with relief.
The Dish 