Immersive Theatre Review - The Key of Dreams
Anyone who has spent any time on my website or social media accounts may, just possibly, have noticed that I am partial to a spot of immersive theatre. And yes, by ‘partial to’ I do mean ‘ever so slightly obsessed.’
I was recently lucky enough to attend what my teenage and tweenage sons would probably describe as the GOAT of immersive theatre in a twenty-four hour experience in the remote manor house in Wales.
The Key of Dreams is the second show of its type from Lemon Difficult. Their original offering, The Locksmith’s Dream continues to run alongside its newer stablemate, with new dates currently being firmed up for both shows. I’m calling it a show, but it’s difficult to find a word that fully defines The Key of Dreams. ‘Immersive Experience’ is something of a buzz word at the moment, with the term being applied to pretty much anything in the art or theatre world that doesn’t involve sitting still in a seat and watching something happening a long way away. In fact, it’s occasionally applied to things that do involve sitting in a seat watching something happen, while wondering when the immersion is going to comence. The Key of Dreams, however, fully deserves to be described as an immersive experience. You’re not watching a show – you’re shaping events in real time. You often find yourself questioning whether something – or someone – is part of the experience. The incredibly talented cast never break character from the moment of your arrival until just before the moment of departure, responding to whatever you throw at them, and deftly throwing back clues and pointers as to the many ways of engaging with the experience.
The show is full of puzzles to solve, from intricate boxes containing snippets of information to trails through the beautiful grounds or quests into the buried secrets of the archives. There are clues that can only be uncovered by talking to a character, or by sending messages to the mysterious Miskatonic University, the shadowy organisation behind the investigation into strange happenings at Treowen Manor. There are fragments of stories everywhere, and part of the challenge is to work out what exactly it is that you are trying to piece together.
I went into the experience confident that I was going to be a dab hand at the puzzle aspect, having done various escape rooms with my sons, including some fiendishly difficult ones. What actually happened was that I was so focused on there being a single right or wrong answer that I got myself entirely bogged down in a single strand of the experience, then finished up abandoning it and attempting to work out what all those who had taken a more holistic view were up to. At this point, for reasons which now escape me, I decided that the only way forward was to embark on a journey of darkness and betrayal, kicking it off in style by throwing a close friend to the proverbial wolves. It was pretty much all downhill from there. Quite literally, at one point, but no spoilers. A particular high point – or low point, depending on your point of view – was standing on the central staircase being gently quizzed by one of the warmest, loveliest characters about how I really felt about my life choices.
Pretty good was the answer, albeit in a slightly grubby, frayed round the edges sort of way.
The Key of Dreams is a mindblowingly detailed experience, with layers of secrets and winding strands of stories to follow – or just to glimpse as you pass by, chasing another elusive thread. As a writer who often finds plotting challenging, I can’t even begin to imagine how complex the creation process must have been. Those layers, those half-glimpsed fragments are everything I love about immersive theatre and non-standard narratives. Stories are never about just one thing. One of my favourite childhood books was The Neverending Story. For those who haven’t read it, the film of the same name only covers the opening chapters of the book which go on to follow the main character’s journey through Fantasia, encountering new characters and challenges, and becoming increasingly obsessed with his own role in the lives of others. Each chapter ends with the words but that is another story and shall be told another time. Those words sum up The Key of Dreams. Full of other stories that could be told, if you could only stay longer, or come back, over and over again.
The Key of Dreams has something for everyone. You don’t have to be an escape room enthusiast or a theatre lover to appreciate it. To a great extent, you can shape it into whatever you want it to be. And the manor house and grounds are absolutely magical. If you have the chance to experience this show, grab it with both hands. It won’t be around forever.
Check out the website for details of upcoming shows.