Review: THE BURTON EXPERIENCE at Novotel Toronto Centre

Tim Burton, praise Hecate in his name.

That’s the refrain you’ll be encouraged to intone many times at THE BURTON EXPERIENCE, the second edition of a pop-up held at Novotel’s downtown location at 45 Esplanade. The experience promises “spine-chilling cocktails, surreal decor straight from your favorite Burton films, and a vibe that’s equal parts quirky and creepy,” along with plenty of Insta-worthy moments, two to three times a night.

Yes, it’s a bit gimmicky, but in a world where AI-generated advertising brings hordes to poorly-run, disappointing “immersive experiences” (remember the Willy Wonka fiasco?), THE BURTON EXPERIENCE essentially delivers on what it promises, with a relatively smooth-flowing 90 minutes bolstered by committed performances and a few musical numbers, giving fanatical Burtonites trivia, video clips, a singalong and a fun surprise or two. For the Burton uninitiated, there’s at least plenty to look at.

At the beginning, you’re seated at a table and given an electric blue welcome drink with a blueberry garnish; food and further drinks are available for purchase in the first 20 minutes or so. There’s time to acclimate to your surroundings as the fog machine works its magic, and event manager and production designer Damon Bradley Jang has also smartly worked in a later break in the action so that people can rise from their tables and mill about, looking at prop replicas and other items from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, and more (decorators Annabel Mostyn, Holly English, and Emily Bennett).

They’ve also included a photo scavenger hunt to give people a task and direction; despite this, the Toronto audience at the late show on October 30th was a little shy, perhaps because there’s not that much space to wander around. (But this packs in the props for greater density—certainly better than a large, empty warehouse.)

The highlight of the show are the live performances by Wednesday (Emily Bennett) and Beetlejuice (Zora Cotton), our emcees and entertainers. The characters are a natural match, and Bennett and Cotton emphasize their opposite energy; the former’s deadpan reluctance and still, ethereal body language a good foil for the latter’s explosively crude eagerness that causes him to careen around the room.

Bennett and Cotton play off each other well, Wednesday reeling Beetlejuice back before he can truly scar any audience members for life, and the demon encouraging the Addams daughter to embrace the fun of Halloween. They’re aided by costuming that effectively captures the look without looking like an off-the-rack Halloween costume, and appropriately spooky makeup.

The vibe is anarchic, and both Bennett and Cotton are able to come up with audience-specific insults on the fly; if you’ve ever wished you could shame show latecomers, there’s a treat for you. Impressively, the actors’ byplay manages to skillfully walk the fine line between seeming risqué but never actually getting offensive, mostly confining itself to jabs at audience reluctance, the Toronto theatre community, and social media obsessives. Perhaps that’s biting the hand that feeds them, but biting hands is par for the Burton course. Trivia runs at a fast clip, with teams encouraged to create their own (harshly judged) names, and prizes for best dressed and most knowledgeable obsessives.

The added treat are the songs from the Beetlejuice and The Addams Family musicals, complex patter numbers ably delivered in strong, clear voices. Bennett gets to show a little emotion, and Cotton is lithely tuneful alongside the signature Keatonesque rasp. You may find yourself wishing you were watching a full musical instead of guessing how many Burton movies have starred Johnny Depp.

But that’s okay. By the time you leave with a crystal skull shot glass from the event sponsors with a final piece of candy and a last photo for the road, you’ll have had enough Burton to last you to your next visit to Halloweentown.

Photo by of Zora Cotton and Emily Bennett by Owen CB Scott