THE HANGOVER REPORT – Emursive’s latest immersive epic LIFE AND TRUST seductively takes on the Faust legend via the banking industry

A scene from Emursive’s production of “Life And Trust” at the Conwell Tower (photo by Stephanie Crousillat Photography).

This week, I had the opportunity to catch Life And Trust, another large scale immersive theatrical endeavor from Emursive, the folks that brought New York Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel (the legendary production is still packing them in at the atmospheric Chelsea venue despite having posted its closing notice late last year). Like Sleep No More, Life And Trust is a stylized riff on a literary classic — instead of Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, the piece takes its inspiration from the German legend of Faust, the infamous alchemist who makes a pact with the devil, selling his soul in exchange for earthly knowledge and pleasure.

First, let’s talk about the venue Emursive has chosen for the piece — Life And Trust has taken over an imposing former bank building down in the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District. Given its sprawling labyrinth of rooms that descend into the bowels of the earth — as if into hell itself — the venue is an ideal setting for the story of an ambitious, morally murky banker whose financial empire teeters on the foundation of the deceit on which the institution was built. Indeed, these system of rooms almost seem like mausoleum-like tombs in which restless ghosts of the past ramble, playing out their tragic stories ad nauseam — which is exactly what they do in this insidious entertainment.

As you enter the imposing building — which has been branded the Conwell Tower — participants are invited to imbibe in an impressive waiting hall before being taken into Mr. Conwell’s office as prospective clients. Upon being informed of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 (and therefore the downfall of his bank), Conwell is given the opportunity by his demonic enabler to revisit and play out his past, which he takes in hopes of changing the course of history. It’s then that you’re whisked back to the city’s storied Guilded Age. There, you encounter a young Conwell as he and the society around him frenzy themselves up — driven primarily by sexual desire and unchecked greed — to claim a piece of the capitalist pie.

Make no mistake, Life And Trust takes its playbook directly from Sleep No More — the mandatory masks, the free-roaming format, the choreographic storytelling, the cinematic soundtrack, the multiple narrative “loops” (here two instead of three), a group of seductive witch-like characters, the sheer scope of it all — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing (although I do wish it showed a tad more originality). If anything, Life And Trust builds upon the lessons learned from that earlier show, creating an experience that’s more comfortable and easier to navigate, minimizing but not eradicating the occasional frustrating lulls and the “Hunger Games”-like experience of it all. Jeff Kuperman and Rick Kuperman’s heightened choreography and movement — fearlessly and passionately performed by a dramatically-astute cast of dancer/actors — also feels more like a natural storytelling tool, especially as fueled by the erotic intensity of the characters’ desires and viewed through the gauze of memory.

Technically, the production is astonishing, particularly from a design and logistics standpoint (Life And Trust has been written by Jon Ronson, directed by Teddy Bergman, and designed by Gabriel Hainer Evansohn). Compared to the McKittrick Hotel (the home of Sleep No More), the environs of Life And Trust are actually more expansive, giving attendees noticeably more room to roam and spread out, which is a welcome perk. The wide array of settings — including a music hall, lush gardens, a lavish ballroom, a deadening bank vault — are a marvel, easily rivaling Sleep No More in their attention to detail and often epic proportions. Although physicallly exhausted by the end of the experience, you may very well find yourself tempted to revisit the show to more fully indulge in the impeccably realized world and the intertwined stories that unfold therein.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

LIFE AND TRUST
Immersive Theater
Emursive / Conwell Tower
2 hours, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Open run

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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