Ghost Light at Claire Tow Theater - Lincoln Square Center

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 4/21/17 at 5:44pm

Anyone know more about this or plan on going to it? Definitely seems interesting but I'm always on the fence about going to things like this. 

 

http://www.lct.org/shows/ghost-light/

Updated On: 4/21/17 at 05:44 PM

[sm33]

Posted: 4/21/17 at 5:49pm

Just got the LincTix email and was wondering this myself. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/22/17 at 4:28am

The email stressed me out a little. I'm curious what they'll do to the Claire Tow to make it "immersive." It's not a very big space but I suppose if they break down the stage and take out the seating... Is the assumption that the tickets will be around that $30 LCT3 price?

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/22/17 at 11:46am

If you're feeling unsure about the immersive nature of the show, maybe read up a little on Third Rail Projects (the company behind it) and peruse some reviews of their currently-running show, Then She Fell, to get a feel for how Ghost Light may be. Brantley's review is especially illuminating about TRP's brand of immersive theatre, but there are more than plenty of articles and reviews out there that cover pretty much every aspect.

[rob136]

Posted: 4/25/17 at 10:38pm

As noted on the production's site:

"Third Rail Projects, the groundbreaking company behind Then She Fell and The Grand Paradise, brings their unique blend of immersive performance to LCT3 and invites audiences into the unseen corners of the Claire Tow Theater to explore the world on the other side of the proscenium."

I expect the stage will be intact, and I expect the seating may vary well be as well. The majority of the different scenes will likely take place backstage. If I had to make a less-than-informed prediction, I'd say the audience enters into the theatre for an opening and then is taken in small groups into various scenes backstage. That seems to fit with what Third Rail has done in the past.

[TheThreadMaster]

Posted: 4/25/17 at 10:48pm

For something that sounds pretty cool, I dont know I just have a bit of an eerie vibe.

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/26/17 at 3:57am

I'm going but I've left it towards the end of the run (assuming they don't extend) so I'll have some idea of what to expect and they'll have some time to settle in. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 9:31am

I saw the first preview of this last night, and found it pretty underwhelming. I really enjoyed Grand Paradise, and I've heard a lot about Then She Fell, almost all of of which was good. But this one really missed the mark for me. First of all, they are in entirely the wrong theatre. They did their absolute best with what they were given, making excellent use of the various spaces and rooms in and around the Claire Tow. But the building is too sleek, too new, too clean and sterile, too riddled with Lincoln Center paraphernalia. They need to do this show in an old, creaky theatre with a lot of character. Obviously, they are not in a position to be picky, but these immersive shows rely so heavily on the mood, the ambiance, the sense of escaping into a different world, that if you don't have the right space, or you don't transform it completely, you're doomed. 

It also felt very thin and aimless, like a mockery of their previous work (and Sleep No More). The themes they were attempting to explore had to do with the theatre, with repeating the same show night after night, and with theatre ghosts. But they were not tied together nearly well enough to form anything cohesive. With Sleep No More, you have the Macbeth story elements. With Then She Fell, it's Alice in Wonderland. With Grand Paradise, it was a spa resort which allowed you to live forever, but you were never allowed to leave. This central premise, which was communicated in the philosophical monologues throughout the evening, tied everything together, and made us feel part of something magical and epic. With Ghost Light...it's a haunted theatre? But also a theatre currently putting on a show? But also there's drama between some of the actors? but also we are coming here to work at the theatre, maybe? It was all very muddled and overcomplicated. I might have been able to forgive all of that if they had really transformed the space. But this just felt like a glorified backstage tour of the Claire Tow. Which, hey, if that's something you ever wanted to do, now's your chance.

And look, it wasn't a BAD experience. It's not like a was itching to leave, and completely disengaged. It's just that it paled in comparison to other immersive shows I've been to. If you're a Third Rail completist, or an immersive theatre completist, it's worth a visit. Or if you just want to see the backstage spaces at the Claire Tow. Otherwise, very skippable. 

Updated On: 6/4/17 at 09:31 AM

[Chefcorvette]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 11:39am

Thanks J Broadway--great perspective. 

[skipgal]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 12:07pm

Disappointed to hear that, J Broadway. I haven't been able to see Sleep No More or Then She Fell cause of the price but I rushed on buying tickets to Ghost Light because I was excited by the concept and ideas, and also that I could afford it! Still looking forward to it though. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 12:40pm

@JBroadway How much were you moving around during the show and was any of that difficult to navigate? Did the audience move as a group or are you split up? Thanks!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 1:09pm

VintageSnarker said: "@JBroadway How much were you moving around during the show and was any of that difficult to navigate? Did the audience move as a group or are you split up? Thanks!"

 

The audience is split up into smaller groups. Sometimes as few as 4 or 5, sometimes as many as 15 (rough estimation). I found myself staying with a lot of the same people throughout the evening, based on the way we were guided. The whole show is guided - there is no free wandering around like in Sleep No More. They move you around to various locations to view different scenes, monologues and dance pieces (and some interactive activities). During those sections, you'll be stationary, and most of the time there will be places to sit as well. They will then guide you to the next location for another scene. There is not a set order to the scenes - it just depends on where you are guided first. My +1 and I were split up almost immediately, and we never saw each other throughout the evening.

 
From chatting with her, we figured out that some scenes were performed by different actors/characters for different groups. It frustrated me to learn that because it confirmed my suspicion that the "story" was almost nonexistent. Which character was performing each piece was arbitrary, meaning you can't accurately track the characters throughout the show, which is often a huge part of the fun for these shows. 

 

Updated On: 6/4/17 at 01:09 PM

[Theater3232]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 7:25pm

Is there a charge for the mandatory coat and bag check?  How many people are handling this mandatory line?  Is the Telecharge running time of 2 hours no intermission accurate?  If you need to use the bathroom midway through, will they let you re-enter?  

Updated On: 6/4/17 at 07:25 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 7:28pm

Theater3232 said: "Is there a charge for the mandatory coat and bag check?  How many people are handling this mandatory line?" 

No charge, and no line, actually. There are free lockers that you put your stuff in. You take the key and keep it until the end of the show. 

I think it was about 2:05 last night, it started late, at 7:15, and I think it ended at about 7:20. I'm not sure about their bathroom policy, as I didn't need it, and didn't ask. Sorry! 

 

Updated On: 6/4/17 at 07:28 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 1:17am

Thank you, JBroadway! It's disappointing to hear that this doesn't quite live up to their other productions but I'm still curious as I've never really experienced the whole immersive thing before. 

[dave1606]

Posted: 6/8/17 at 2:34pm

I saw this last night and mostly agree with what JBroadway said. It is well intentioned, but seems like it needs a few more years in the cooker and a better space. I would love to see this done in a rundown theater or more historic space. In the Claire Tow, you never forget you are at Lincoln Center and I think that violates rule #1 for immersive theater.  My thoughts are that I was often amused and entertained but never as engaged as I wanted to be. 

Now that said, the tour of Claire Tow was almost worth the price of admission. I felt like I truly saw ever nook and cranny and I really enjoyed that. (And even if it took me out of the show I was happy to see all the Lincoln Center memorabilia...Kelli O Hara and Danny Burnstein's nameplates, posters of shows for days, etc) From fire escapes to dressing rooms to closets and offices I think we saw it all!

I think if the show is going to stay in it's current form they should cut the time down a bit. As mentioned there isn't much story and I don't think it is able to justify the 2 hour runtime.  There are many scenes that only seem to be there to add time.  Unlike Sleep No More which has many thrilling dance scenes, the ones here only seem to add time. There's a bit with a janitor cleaning a hallway that had me rolling my eyes. 

But then there are a few moments that were very cool. The "Places" scene was very fun.  I also got a few fun "interactions". 

Overall I am not sorry I saw it, and am always grateful that theater like this exists, but this is not the next Sleep No More or even Then She Fell. Curious to see how this stacks up to the other new immersive show, Seeing You which I will finally see next week. 

 

[PJPan]

Posted: 6/8/17 at 4:29pm

For those who have seen the show, what did you think of the magic elements?

[bandit964]

Posted: 6/17/17 at 8:24am

There was one 'magic' part.  The whole thing was a giant bore save for one little bit when you were 'backstage.'

 

I would skip this show.  Try to sell your tickets.

Updated On: 6/17/17 at 08:24 AM

[lyceum]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 5:43pm

I was at last nights show and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Maybe performances have gotten a bit deeper since opening, maybe creators are altering the show (they are in previews after all), or maybe I just have bad taste! 

I think Third Rail has done some pretty interesting stuff with the space and like others have said, the backstage tour of the theater is worth the price of admission itself if you're into that kind of thing. Sure, the concept maybe could have worked a better in a more historic theater but for the most part the characters seemed to occupy recent enough places in theater history (save the woman in the boat scene) that I was never taken out of the experience. 

As for the story, it didn't exactly come together as anything other than a scenario and a feeling in the end but I didn't really mind that. Though most of the scenes seemed to be getting at the same two or three points (nature of acting, theater as unrecorded history, what is an audience, etc.) to my eyes they were always tackled in a new way or brought another element of theater of participation into the piece. The show managed to maintain a very trancelike atmosphere and I rarely felt like we were being forced around the space by stage managers (which we very much were). 

I would definitely recommend, especially to those who are eligible for linctix. It's rare to be able to get in to an immersive theater piece with a reasonable ticket price. 

somethings I enjoyed in no particular order:

• the boat scene where the audience operated the scenery 
• the coffee with the janitor scene 
• the beautiful (and numerous) chairs throughout. surely all from the LCT archive 
• seeing the "places" scene from so many different perspectives. really a feat of timing 
• the great lighting throughout, but especially in the final scene 

 

 

 

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 10:06pm

I saw it tonight and felt similarly to most of the others who have posted here. I enjoyed the experience, but I felt like it was missing a through-line. I enjoyed the immersive aspect of it; I got to play Bianca in one scene, which was fun, and I thought the audience was involved in creative ways throughout the show (moving the scenery and making sound effects in the boat scene, for example). I also liked seeing different perspectives at different times (like the "Places" scene). I do wish there were more of a connection between the scenes/characters, though; it felt just a bit disjointed to me, and I wanted to know more about certain stories. Some scenes were slower than others. There were a couple actors onstage at the end that I hadn't encountered, so I was curious about that and wondered who they were. I had a LincTix so it was affordable, and I loved exploring the space, so it wasn't a bad night of theater at all. I'm glad I saw it, I just felt like it was missing something.

[lyceum]

Posted: 6/19/17 at 10:34pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/19/theater/ghost-light-review.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftheater

 

Brantley gives it an NYT Critic's Pick

[StageDoorRobbie]

Posted: 6/29/17 at 9:24am

Just got tickets to this after reading BB's stellar review only to come here and see your tepid reviews! Still looking forward to it - and for $30/ticket, it may be the cheapest show in town! Anyone else seen it lately? Can't believe I got tickets after anything gets a good review in the Times .....

[ARTc3]

Posted: 6/30/17 at 3:34pm

Saw this last night and like the other reports here, Ghost Light would be better served in an older theater. There were some rather clever bits, but I too struggled to find an arc beyond the basic theme, a haunted theater.

Someone asked about the magic… I thought it provocative of the theme and overall a nice touch.

I also agree that there is something here and Ghost Light, in its current state, just skims the surface. A fair amount of more time writing and workshopping would serve this piece immensely.

All-in-all, I'm glad I saw it. I love immersive theater and spending 2+ hours exploring a theater from all its nooks and crannies was a lot of fun.

Updated On: 6/30/17 at 03:34 PM