The Man in the Orange Tie (Matt Brown) kicks off a unique adventure through DUMBO in Stars in the Night (photo by Matt Pulliam)
STARS IN THE NIGHT
Multiple locations in DUMBO
Tuesday – Sunday through October 13, $125, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30
www.starsinthenight.net
Part of the fun of immersive theatrical productions is the opportunity to see unusual interior locations, from abandoned warehouses and hotels (Sleep No More, The Grand Paradise) and institutional facilities (Then She Fell) to navy yards (Doomocracy), churches (Beloved/Departed), and the otherwise off-limit areas of cultural institutions (Ghost Light, Hotel Savoy). But it’s always a bonus when an immersive show heads outdoors, offering another level of adventure; for example, The Great American Casket Company led the audience through Green-Wood Cemetery, while Empire Travel Agency took people four at a time through Lower Manhattan, including a subway trip and a car ride. The Firelight Collective’s dark and mysterious Stars in the Night combines the best of both types of immersive theater, shuttling up to twelve guests at a time through various indoor and outdoor spaces in DUMBO. It is a very adult story of separation and loss, of faded love and unfulfilled dreams, told in a time-twisting way that will have you attempting to decipher it all long after the one hundred minutes are up and you have been left on the street to your own devices.
Jennifer Sacks has something to say in Firelight Collective immersive production (photo by Matt Pulliam)
A treat for all five senses, Stars in the Night begins on a rooftop with a beautiful view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The Man in the Orange Tie (Matt Brown) shares his tale of woe, kicking you off on a journey where you will meet a series of people who sometimes interact directly with you, sometimes carry out actions that you merely observe. You pick up important details through song, telephone conversations, dance, food and drink, and even touch, though you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. The narrative does not make it easy to figure who is who and when is when, so you need to pay close attention. The extremely talented cast consists of Brown, Allison Byrnes, Benjamin Chase, Davonna Dehay, David Haley, Hannah Broderick Kraft, William Nicol, Jennifer Sacks, and Firelight Collective founding member Deanna Noe; to tell you who they play would be giving too much away. Writer-directors Stephanie Feury and Nathan Keyes, the artistic directors of the troupe, keep up the pace throughout, dropping in plenty of clues along the way, leading to a powerful finale that is simply mesmerizing.
Deanna Noe brings mystery and eroticism to Stars in the Night in DUMBO (photo by Matt Pulliam)
One of the coolest conceits of Stars in the Night is the pause between every scene during which the audience is not sure who will arrive to take them to the next part of the expedition. For example, after the Man in the Orange Tie takes off, you’re left standing in Brooklyn Bridge Park, guessing which of the passersby might be your next guide. The Firelight Collective’s previous shows were all presented in Los Angeles, including Unexpected Winter, Nobody’s Darling, Echoes of Voices, Savage/Love, and the first iteration of Stars in the Night. Despite its West Coast history, the group has done a fine job sustaining a New York sensibility in this production, which takes several surprising twists and turns as characters examine their lives and don’t always like what they see. “I just kept thinking how I wanted to be free, free of the pain, free of everything,” Nicole says. She’ll break your heart.