Review: Last Call Theatre's THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT at Stella Coffee

In Last Call Theatre’s newest immersive, interactive experience The Butterfly Effect, audience members are invited to the grand re-opening of The Connection Café, a family-run, community-based meeting place that has a very special secret - people have been rumored to travel through time from within its walls.

Liviera Lim as Vivian Fang welcomes the audience to The Connection Café
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

Once inside, will an audience member unlock the secret of time travel while both staff and patrons search for a love connection or try to never experience previous grief again? So intense is their searching as the evening progresses, this re-opening may be the most eventful night in the cafe’s history! Or it may just be its last.

Haven Schneider as Tahoe interacts with audience members looking for clues.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

The Butterfly Effect follows Last Call’s trademark interactive style of quests and audience-driven narrative. With multiple storylines to follow and more ending possibilities than any other of their previous immersive shows since each audience member can create their own path through the experience.

But if you could go back in time and change something to make your life turn out better than you think it is now, would you? And what if you could change one thing from your past or that has ever gone on anywhere in any time? Given the choice, what would you decide to do, where would you decide to go – if you could – and how would you go about seeking out those who have already time traveled to get their advice on how to make it happen for you?

Mads McDonough as Cal Bradbury examines items in The Connection Café for clues.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

One way turns out to be talking to the staff and patrons at The Connection Café where you meet and chat with Colin Breslin (as Brendan O’Connell), Sam Cavalcanti (as Angel Gomez), Michu Cure (as Nora), Liviera Lim (as Vivian Fang, one of  the sisters who inherited the café from their parents, Rosalind Loren (as Hazel), Mads McDonough (as Cal Bradbury), Emilynne Newsom (as Joanna Fang, the other sister café owner), Haven Schneider (as Tahoe, the café manager). Understudies include Michael DiNardo, Desireé Roy, Aleen Vartivarian, and Ye Zhong.

Colin Breslin as Brendan O'Connell
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

Directed by Ashley Busenlener (Executive Director and one of the Founders of Last Call Theatre) to draw audience members into experiencing their own way through the immersive production includes making sure general information is presented before turning audience members loose to find their way around others hanging out in the café. The challenge, at first, is to find a time traveler and find out about how they were able to have that experience, why they are in the safe here and now, and what they need to find out to make their life more fulfilling. And Busenlener is an expert in organizing more options and outcomes than I could ever imagine, most of which will never take place given the short run of The Butterfly Effect.

Haven Schneider as Tahoe & Rosalind Loren as Hazel.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

My experience with the show will most likely not match yours, even if you decide to follow the same character as I did. And that is part of the fun – your experience will evolve from all the choices you make about who to follow or listen to over the course of the 90-minute experience, ultimately ending with a resolution bringing two characters together on a personal level who had no idea of their connection. Or at least, that was my experience for the evening!

Sam Cavalcanti as Angel Gomez asks a conversation starting question.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

I chose to follow the character of Angel for the entire show, first answering a conversation starter question which got everyone at the table talking and learning more about each other. Soon we were sent on a search for something Angel needs or wants from someone else. And while on that path, or for another character should you decide to follow someone else instead, clues are revealed about the nature of time traveling, identifying those who have, and finding out how you can help one of them regain their memories, or put their life back together again for the better. 

Sam Cavalcanti as Angel Gomez gets pulled into a time traveling experience.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

You see, when you time travel to the future or the past, all your memories are lost - at least that was true for Angel. That means the travelers might have no idea who they are and why they are even in the room since they can be pulled back into another time without any warning, forgetting anything we may have shared with them right now. And when that happened during our fact-finding mission, I was glad my good memory kept all the information I had already discovered intact so I could again share it with Angel and be sent out where I needed to go to gather more.

Michu Cure as Nora asks for clues about time traveling to be gathered.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

So, think about how you want to be involved once you start meeting the characters and find out what type of assistance they need and how you can best complete tasks for them. Or those who just want to sit in the café and watch the goings-on without interacting with anyone else can do so by pre-arrangement. It’s up to you how involved you want to be!

The only drawback of this type of immersive experience is not being able to follow the storylines of every character and how each one intersects with all the others. But that is also what makes it fun to go more than once and follow someone else! As with every Last Call Theatre show I have seen, the quality of all elements is top notch, guaranteeing something “big” often happens in the room to grab everyone’s attention throughout the evening.

Liviera Lim as café co-owner Vivian Fang recalls painful memories.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

The creative team contributing to this not to miss immersive experience includes Rose Camille (Stage Manager/Fight Choreographer), Jadyn Iinuma (Assistant Director), Melissa Zhuang (Production Designer), Alayna Riley (Costume Designer), Jeffrey Daijiro Taylor (Sound Designer), Riley Cole (Lighting Designer/ASM), Brielle Biscocho (Intimacy Director), and Narrative Members Jada Charee, Michel Lichand, Bri Sonner, Elena Scaringe Peene, and Linnea Swanson.

Produced by Liviera Lim and Michael DiNardo for Last Call Theatre, The Butterfly Effect is not to be missed by fans of true immersive/interactive theatre or those curious to experience being involved in a show rather than just watching it. So put on your wings of imagination and fly on over to Stella Coffee, located at 6310 San Vicente Blvd #106, Los Angeles, CA 90048 from November 14 - December 6 on select Thursdays-Sundays. General admission tickets are $65. VIP tickets are also available for $75 which include a slice of mochi pandan honey cake, warm beverage, and a memento, all of which can be purchased separately by those with general admission tickets. Visit https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/lastcalltheatre/thebutterflyeffect for tickets and more information, including specific performance dates and times.

Sisters and café co-owners Liviera Lim as Vivian Fang & Emilynne Newsom as Joanna Fang celebrate their connection.
Photo credit: Charly Charney Cohen

A few suggestions for audience members:

The Butterfly Effect is a 90-minute immersive & interactive experience; and while there is seating available, please wear comfortable shoes and do not bring heavy backpacks or bags with you since you can expect to be on your feet walking around for the duration of the experience. 

Please note that certain sequences of the show involve flashing lights/strobe-type effects.

Content Advisories: This experience includes simulated violence and mentions of death of a friend/family member, and is recommended for those 13+. Anyone under 13 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21.

Free street parking is available in the business park area along Commodore Sloat Drive. Please note the café entrance is located within the business complex via a concrete path between buildings from the street.

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