Go into Life And Trust with a choose-your-own-adventure attitude. That’s the best way to make sure you have a good time.
But no matter what, don’t poison yourself with unfair expectations.
The big reason why the show has a “not as good as Sleep No More” reputation is because immersive theater newbs are either lacking in imagination—or—immersive theater diehards are spoiled by years and years of Sleep No More and its stellar legacy.
I don’t know how well Life And Trust NYC is doing sales-wise, but I want it to succeed. It’s cliche to say at this point, but Sleep No More NYC was transformational when I first saw it back in December 2012. I was going through a small and depressing breakup at the time, and I went to the show alone and on a whim. It was something to get me out of the house.
When I emerged I had a yeah, yeah, fuck that guy attitude. He was old news. All I wanted to do was think and talk about what I just saw and experienced.
That’s why I have a very real lump in my throat when I think about the McKittrick Hotel closing for good—and why I want Conwell Tower to thrive.
(Note: I will use Life And Trust and Life And Trust NYC interchangeably for shameless SEO purposes.)
Challenging The Comparisons
I still remember advice I was given before my first Sleep No More show by someone I worked with:
“Just turn off the lights in your apartment and run around in the dark. Same thing.”
I laughed then and I still laugh now. He was a funny and irreverent guy. A little vapid, but I liked him. He was lacking in the imagination department, though, so I’m not surprised Sleep No More NYC didn’t land for him.
I don’t know how much of an imagination-deficit attitude is dogging Life And Trust NYC. I’ll return to the other point I made, where I think we’re taking for granted just how much information we have and how many resources we can tap for a Sleep No More visit.
I sometimes haunt the Life And Trust Discord channel, and one point discussed there sometimes is how Life And Trust is unfairly judged against Sleep No More. It was bound to happen, and it’s worth challenging the comparisons. They’re more different than they appear, and it’s distorting expectations.
Life And Trust has more head and Sleep No More has more heart.
Life And Trust plays more with narrative and Sleep No More plays more with emotion.
So, despite some of the boardroom-esque decisions Emursive put into the creation of Life And Trust NYC (the masks, the 1-on-1 encounters, the silence, the time loops) it really is its own thing.
And the more I think about the differences the more I love it.
Choosing Your Own Adventure
As I write this, I have my third Life And Trust NYC show booked in a few days, and I am excited to go.
As much as I love Sleep No More NYC and I feel an ache in my chest knowing it’s on its way out for good, my visits there feel more like going home again.
Life And Trust, meanwhile, feels like a fresh new adventure. We don’t have the blogs and charts and spreadsheets explaining every single cog that keeps the show moving. And while I like having this information at hand as a guide, not having it does add to the excitement.
Regardless, I don’t view this kind of information as experience-ruining spoilers. It can help in structuring a visit. It’s all a tradeoff.
While I don’t memorize loops or hunt down characters at Sleep No More, I do read through the available information to get an idea of what I want to see and who I want to find. But, in the end, I go with the spirit of the show and wind up where I do.
This returns to the choose-your-own-adventure point.
My worst immersive theater experiences are always when I wander around like a sourpuss, upset the show isn’t happening to me, versus me taking the responsibility to find and work for the show I want. No way am I always going to get what I set out for, but sometimes that’s the best way to discover new and incredible sights.
Here’s example from my first show that I touched upon in my original review:
I stumbled upon Officer Bryant (Brendan Duggan); he was waving around the Devil tarot card during a bank investigation. I followed him, which eventually landed me in some spooky industrial room that looked like a Silent Hill set piece. Bryant put on a devil masquerade mask and descended into a dance routine that had him crawling and slithering on the ground, giving off major serpent-in-the-Garden-of-Eden vibes.
I eventually lost him, but was instead thrown into the path of Tony Bordonaro’s oddball Harold character. He eventually beckoned me to partake in his limited-audience masochism dance.
Here’s something similar that happened on my second visit:
I was doing my best to follow the scientist character named Marie, but she evaded me after awhile. But that loss led me straight into the path of a lonely Basil (Nando Morland), who wandered around without a single audience member following him.
I approached him at a distance with my arms folded (my de-facto mode for approaching performers).
He turned to me, held out his hand, and led me into a room where I had my first 1-on-1 encounter at Life And Trust NYC.
When we were alone, he seated me under a light and took off my mask. Basil explained to me who his brother was—J.G. Conwell—and why he fled the family to join the army and pursue the bohemian life of an artist. He asked me what wealth and power were truly worth, all while rubbing bloody fingers on a piece of art he put in my hands.
I plan on framing it.
Hoping For Success
This is a random thought, but I think Emursive should totally break from the Sleep No More NYC model and sell spoiler material.
Let’s be real—Emursive is a business to make money. Why not create a guide book, just like video-game strategy guides sold in the days of old? Put a stupid price point on it, between 30 and 50 bucks. People who want the inside scoop will buy it, and those that don’t will avoid the information. Simple.
I know I’d buy it, because as I said, spoilers don’t ruin these shows for me. If anything, spoilers enhance the experience because I don’t feel so lost and confused. Maybe we can give the whole “air of mystery” marketing gimmick a rest.
Guidance like this would make the much bigger space more manageable, especially since their are only two loops instead of three (one thing I objectively do not like and wish was copied over from Sleep No More).
Again, this is just a random consideration. It doesn’t speak to the quality of Life And Trust as a show. Because it keeps rising in my esteem, whatever that’s worth.
I repeat: I really want Life And Trust NYC to do well. I want to it go on for at least a few years, and maybe even reach the heights of Sleep No More NYC.
I don’t know if it will, but I want that for it, regardless.
All images used in this review are modified screenshots from the Life And Trust promotional trailer found on YouTube.
This review contains affiliate links.
