HAUS OF CREEP

The 2019 Halloween season seems to have fewer big immersive shows than last year. Instead, more offerings from smaller companies present fresh concepts and variety. As much as I like newcomers, I was still excited for the latest from Just Fix It Productions’ CREEP series. They have established a solid reputation with shows like The Willows and AWAKE. AWAKE was from 2018, and I was a big fan. For 2019, HAUS OF CREEP promised a new format than their previous shows. A “sandbox” that gives tons of choices to the audience, it’s up to you to craft your own experience. Unfortunately, I feel like I failed.

The concept I’d heard leading up to the show was all about skewering selfie palaces and Instagram “museums.” I loved the idea and thought the modern form of “art” was ripe for a dark twist. Audiences are greeted by an appropriately pretentious character before entering the Haus, although I wasn’t sure what she was. An artist? Curator? Docent? Whatever she was, I didn’t catch her specific role as we went inside and began looking around.

Look At This Photograph

Other characters appeared, some with better-defined roles. There was the gallery director, at least two artists, and museum employees including a tour guide that I thought would provide a structure for the evening. However, the tour could only accommodate about 10 people (out of 50 guests), so clearly I shouldn’t hang my hopes on that. I was not in the first “tour group” and turned my attentions elsewhere. A friend told me one of the artists was fun to talk to, but I didn’t see him. So I kept looking.

Except…I didn’t know where to start. There was art, to be sure, but it wasn’t like an Instagram museum. There were no gaudy backdrops; phones were not allowed. Although I approve of not allowing electronics, I was adrift with no anchor. I wandered the corridors looking at the bizarre art on the walls, like a real gallery (albeit an edgy one). Live performers were scattered throughout, denoted as “living art” by the theme park-like map we were handed upon entry. This living art was clearly the basis for the show, so I tried to pay more attention to them.

I Know It When I See It

That didn’t work either. They mostly seemed to stick to their routines for a while, seemingly stalling until the audience had trickled inside and had time to buy a drink. Eventually, we all gathered at the center of the Haus to be given a welcome speech, with more characters in attendance. “Aha,” I thought. “Now it begins!”

And it probably did, for some people. I still didn’t know what to do, but I did know that immersive shows reward decisiveness. Quickly exploring the rest of the Haus, I saw the creepy art, the mysterious closed-off sections, and several characters interacting with guests. I had by now abandoned the idea of narrative tracks to follow and come to realize it was purely Choose Your Own Adventure.

Dancing About Architecture

I tried to. Boy did I try to. I never stopped moving and looking, but it seemed that no matter where I went, I saw scenes playing out that started before I got there. The large crowds at each scene made it difficult to see, and nobody wanted to interrupt the scene to explain to me what was going on. Not that I blame the audience for not wanting to catch me up. So I went right to the source and asked a character directly, “What should I see next?”

He suggested I meet Boppo and said I would be the next person to meet him if I waited in a certain spot. Not wanting to miss my first chance for an exclusive scene, I waited. And waited. And got antsy. I think the actor sensed it and brought over one of the living art exhibits to talk to. That conversation was minor but gave me the first sense of story I had yet received. I finally did meet Boppo and felt like I’d seen something unique. Until a bit later, when I noticed that others had already met him…or met him after me…and I realized my achievement was actually something everyone could do (and most did). I still hadn’t seen any true one-off scenes with the cast.

Everyone’s A Critic

After another central gathering, I literally chased after an actor, determined to see SOMETHING secret. I was able to gain access to a secluded area with a scene already in progress. I suspect I wasn’t meant to be part of this scene either, but the actor improvised a way for me to participate, thank goodness. Here I will give credit to the cast. Uniformly, my fleeting interactions with them were fun. They have distinctive personalities and the ability to sound natural instead of reciting lines.

After the show’s finale (hard to see through the crowd), I had a few minutes to reflect. I had gotten an outline of a story, but very few details due to missing out on supplemental scenes with the cast. I had participated in exactly two semi-private moments, neither of them from the beginning. I had not been able to go into either of the secret areas that I especially desired because I didn’t know the right cast member to talk to. I hadn’t interacted with several cast members, and of the ones I did meet, I didn’t even know all their roles. I had worked very hard for very little payoff. Chasing scenes, arriving to them late, and not knowing which characters to talk to was all frustrating. Plus, it felt like my own fault. I had been thrown into the immersive deep end, told to sink or swim…and I sank.

Recapturing The Spark

The potential is there. The cast is great. The rough story (as I understood it) is good, even including an appropriate message, if you enjoy metaphors. And the set is certainly elaborate and fun to explore. I believe it’s possible to have a great time at Haus of Creep. Unfortunately, I did not, so I will offer some tips for potential audience members.

1. Try to go at a very inconvenient time. If the show is at capacity (50), there are fewer chances to interact with the characters, more difficulty seeing and hearing during the central gatherings, and a very warm climate inside. Less desirable times might sell fewer tickets, so go then!
2. Stay with a cast member as much as possible. You can wander freely until the Welcome speech, but after that, do your best to always be hanging around a character you enjoy. You don’t have to (and probably shouldn’t) stay with them the entire time, so wait until they have a scene with another character, then follow the new one. The cast IS the show, and they don’t bring it to you. You have to seek it out. So stick closely to them.
3. Don’t be a wallflower. This may be especially uncomfortable for those new to immersive theater. Have a drink or two beforehand if you need to, but be proactive. Seeing the scenes is fine, but asking questions and integrating yourself into them is better. Plus, you’ll learn more about the story, which helps everything come together as a whole.

Art Is Never Finished, Only Abandoned

I wish I was going again, so I could follow my own advice and see if it pays off. I think the groundwork is in place for a great experience, but the structure is too ephemeral. Haus of Creep doesn’t want to pander to you, but their efforts to create a challenging show may have made it too hard to find a touchstone. They need to provide a way in, an entry point to the crazy labyrinth. If you can do that on your own, and hopefully my suggestions help, then you’re in for a treat to start the Spooky Season. If you can’t, you might feel tricked.

Haus of Creep is running four nights per week now, expanding to five nights per week in mid-October, and finishing on November 3rd. There are 3 or 4 shows per night, depending on which day, and tickets are $69. It is located at The Row in downtown LA. More information, including ticket purchasing, can be found at their website here.