The Séance – Spooky Fun for Almost Everyone

Cross Roads Escape Games has built a well-deserved reputation for producing innovative escape rooms that work in roleplay and narrative elements (including The Hex Room and The Psych Ward), but their latest production, The Séance, is something completely different from their previous experiences. While The Séance does include some puzzle elements, it is not an escape room. Writer and director Madison Rhoades has instead created interactive theater with a heavy supernatural bent and some light puzzling, just in time for the haunt season. Up to eight guests are invited to join Madam Ruby and, with her guidance, make contact with the spirits of the dearly departed. But all is not as it seems, and trafficking with those who have passed beyond the veil is fraught with peril.

Sit at the Rune Which Speaks to You

The Séance begins with our host, Madam Ruby (Geovanna Flores), welcoming us into her parlor. The colorful tapestries adorning the ceiling and assorted books and curios complement her costume perfectly, creating a carnival-fortune-teller vibe that fit right in with the narrative. After taking our seats at the room’s large central table – each with a distinct rune carved into the table’s surface – Madam Ruby sets the vibe with a bit of cold reading for each participant based on their rune. It helps get us into the spirit of things, particularly when she proves eerily accurate with more than one of our group. From there Ruby explains how we would contact the spirits, and how we would know their presence. I won’t spoil the plot, but I will say that those who saw the teaser for The Séance at Midsummer Scream 2019 will spot a tie-in, and several plot twists gradually ratchet up the tension by revealing how the stakes are quite a bit higher than we initially suspect.

Are You Alone?

The Séance asks a lot from the cast, from what I saw they certainly step up to the plate. This is not what I’d call a high-agency show – Madam Ruby remains the focus throughout much of the experience, guiding us through riddles, puzzles, and rituals that help tell her story while the audience is largely passive. This means that she needs to pretty much carry the show, and in our case Flores manages to simultaneously keep us engaged with her character acting, read the room to identify the people most likely to prove capable assistants, and drive the story forward without laying on too heavy a hand.

The only other performer in The Séance is responsible for playing several distinct spirits, each with their own personalities, and in our show Stepy Kamei does a great job of making each of them move and sound like very different entities. In fact I was surprised that they were all played by the same person, not least because they all manifest in very different parts of the room.

Come Into My Parlor

Another key element of The Séance is the set design, an area in which Cross Roads excels. The cozy room in which the show takes place gives zero hint as to the existence of the hidden spaces the various spirits inhabit until they show themselves, and the set’s technical elements do a fairly convincing job of imitating an invisible ghost moving around the room and nudging us toward clues (or nudging them onto the floor). It’s pretty impressive to see how a small team is able to put together such a tight production, and how much is apparently concealed just outside the audience’s view.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the puppets and their creators, Zach Dahm and Nathan Manahan, directly. The custom-made critters have a bit of a spooky muppet vibe that fits in well with the overall tone of the show, and in fact may as well have escaped from a Jim Henson fever dream.

You Will Embark Upon a Journey

The Séance is one I’d put in the “don’t miss” category.  While it’s not totally kid-friendly (Cross Roads recommends ages 16 and up), this is a great experience for both immersive theater newbies and enthusiasts. It’s spooky, but not scary; intimate, but low-pressure; and most importantly, it’s fun. The Séance runs multiple time slots on Wednesdays through Sundays until November 3rd – tickets range from $45 to $60 depending on the date and time booked and are available through the Cross Roads Escape Games website.

For more information, you can check out the Cross Roads Escape Games blog, contact them online, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram , or YouTube.