Tuesday, February 8, 2011

"Accomplice' at the Menier Chocolate Factory (sorta)

I'm not a huge fan of audience participation - the audience sits in the seats, there should be a clearly defined stage and that's where the actors go. This may stem from being molested by a female dancing cat when in my adolescence, it's surprising what sticks with you. Never wanted to be called onstage at a panto either. It was always the parent pushed posh kids called Quentin. Anyway, I digress.

'Accomplice' is nothing but audience participation. You are instructed to meet at a secret location where someone attracts your attention and then tells you the plot. This is useful but unnecessary since what follows is more treasure hunt / Crystal Maze than country house whodunnit. A couple of hours later and you've tramped around Southwark, reached the treasure and even had a couple of beers.

And it's all enormous fun. Played for the comedy by the cast, this is light entertainment which is a bit out of the ordinary. The puzzles are just hard enough to challenge without frustrating. The chase long enough to be meaningful without dragging and the ending satisfying enough to be worth it. It even makes you consider the possibility of setting up something similar. For about five minutes.


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