Review: HUMBUG, The Vaults

Santa has lost his Christmas spirit, and it’s up to you to save it! That’s the main theme of Humbug - a three-hour long experience inside of The Vaults, which has been transformed into a holiday-themed wonderland. But that’s not the only thing audience members have to save. After a long wait out in the cold, they are introduced to Howard the Mailman (Perry Meadowcroft), who has had one too many cocktails in the bar and has somehow managed to lose every letter written to the Big Man in Red. Thrown in Daphne (Savannah Beckford), whose singing brings a Christmas curse, and you’ve got yourselves in quite the pickle.

Before entering the main venue itself, audience members are able to take a peek into the behind-the-scenes of Humbug, visiting Howard’s post office and then crawling through a Die Hard-style tunnel into the dressing room, where they meet the exasperated Daphne and one of the members of the band performing that night, putting on an exaggerated Elvis-like American accent. After walking through a hallway covered in glittering wrapping paper and bows, the actual Humbug Bar is revealed. There are a range of seating options available, from general admission at benches like a beer hall to the VIP seating at cabaret tables right in front of the stage. 

Audience members have the opportunity to order food and drink, with staff going around the venue to take requests and payment. Themed cocktails can be chosen from the “Naughty or Nice” list, including one particularly extravagant drink that comes with its own sparkler. The food, provided by Bang Bang Burgers, is the typical street food offerings, with some more holiday-themed options including a chicken burger with cranberry sauce, as well as sides of stuffing bits and pigs in blankets. The options are decent and help keep audiences going throughout the three hours. 

After allowing the audience to settle into the space, the main man of the hour arrives - Santa Claus himself! But it’s certainly not the Santa that everyone knows and loves. Instead, Ryan Freebury appears in a red jumpsuit, continuing the rock and roll theme established by his band. He’s an old, alcoholic man who is stuck in the past, refusing to leave the Humbug Bar and do his job of delivering presents around the world. The audience will have to work together with Howard and Daphne in order to ensure the happiness of children on Christmas morning. 

Unfortunately, once the different characters and their motives are established, nothing really happens. The sound design makes it impossible to hear the performers no matter where you’re seated, as the many speakers can’t overpower the conversations being had by audience members. There are several times when the performers ask the audience to be quiet so they can make “important announcements,” but these are ignored.

There is barely an immersiveness in this immersive bar - not a single interaction was had in the main venue until the end when Santa drunkenly dances with the crowd. Beckford gets some moments to shine when singing as Daphne, and Meadowcroft gets a particularly interesting duet with Santa, but everything feels more like a cabaret than a show, the main focus being on selling alcohol. 

Ultimately, Humbug claims to be an immersive experience, but is really more of a themed bar with the occasional performance on stage that is impossible to hear over the conversations and sound system. The high ticket price to simply have a seat on a wobbly bench is not worth it, especially when looking at the costs of food and drink to make the three hours a little more bearable.