UNDERGROUND: BLACK LOTUS by The Inside Space

“The underground, a new playground”

Reviewer: Cordelia Lee
Performance: 21 June 2019

The local arts scene has recently seen a number of theatrical experiences that are marketed as “immersive”, “interactive”, or “ambulatory” in nature, where participants are thrown headfirst into the playing space. The Inside Space’s inaugural performance, Underground: Black Lotus (UBL), is the latest to fall within such categories.

An address is disclosed to me via a cryptic text message 24 hours prior to this immersive experience. With it lies the outline of a highly classified assignment. This clandestine transmission concludes aggressively: “RESPOND WITH AN ‘I COMMIT’,” it demands.

Obediently, I acquiesce and hit send.

The following day, I arrive at an industrial complex unit, whose rough exterior conceals an elaborate 1960s-style residence — one that houses the headquarters of a fictional drug cartel. Tasked by its boss to expose a mole who has infiltrated it, we, its 15 guests, are transformed into undercover detectives upon entry.

Heeding the warning to trust nobody, I remain circumspect whilst exploring the space under the guise of a benign guest. I’m pulled into rounds of blackjack with inebriated cartel members and down whiskey that tastes strangely like Coke. The air is sweet yet stale, and hushed exchanges meld into the ambient jazz. From props to sound, UBL’s detailed design creates a vibrant atmosphere tinged with underlying tensions, sustaining its dream-like, arcane world.

The cast, largely comprising amateur performers, build compellingly enigmatic characters. They improvise well, revealing layers of their personality in their extemporaneous exchanges with the wandering participants. It’s a notable feat given the interactive format of the experience. Albeit terse, these affective exchanges take raw and intriguing turns. As I engage in conversations with particular characters, for instance, they lead me into covert spaces that are inaccessible to other participants, and I am fed intel.

My initial apprehension yields to genuine concern as the stoic cartel boss tearfully confides a personal loss to me, exposing a rather unanticipated sliver of human fragility. Later, a cartel member’s anguished revelation renders her a suspect. But something about her dire pleas for help surprisingly impels me to reassess my suspicions.

While both the cast and mise-en-scene conceive an evocatively immersive experience for its participants, however, inadequate game-design sadly underwhelms the promised gamification of this theatrical experience.

UBL’s laissez-faire approach to theatrical storytelling parallels a role-playing game (RPG), where participants have a clear objective — in this case, uncovering a mole. But when 15 participants are scattered in free play, things inevitably get messy. For one thing, any coordination of information is near impossible given the group’s size. For another, this hinders strategic planning for an efficient investigation. Clues seem to appear by luck, if at all. Moreover, weak leads provide little incentive for working towards the goal.

Engaging the characters, their stories and revelling in the atmosphere of the make-believe world become my priorities, rather than actively tracking down the mole. I ultimately question the extent to which goal-oriented gamification contributes to this immersive theatrical experience. Is gamification simply foisted on it?

If so, perhaps UBL is only worth your time if you, like me, value a visceral, immersive experience over the process of solving a game.