Where The Others Are

The first show from E3W Productions that I saw was “In Another Room Season 2.” I don’t have a review for it because I went as a customer. I had heard such good things from people that I bought one of the last tickets in 2018 and went in nearly blind. I was very impressed, so I was excited to hear about a new immersive production from them.

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More Than Meets the Eye

On the surface, the story of “Where the Others Are” seems like a riff on “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” From the description on their website: “A desperate plea from an old friend brings you to the doorstep of her neglected trailer. She’s finally ready to leave her abusive husband, and she wants your help. But he may not be what he appears to be. And her problem may be beyond human comprehension.”

Despite the topical familiarity, it’s got a lot more depth to it and gets into some downright philosophical territory. So how much do you like introspection in your alien invasion stories? I tried my best to take in the existential dialogue and discern the underlying message, with moderate success.

Under the Skin

“Where the Others Are” is very intimate, with only two actors and two audience members. At various times, each audience member will be alone with one of the actors–your own personal performance. Both roles are double cast, so the actors will switch on alternating nights. My performance had Terra Strong Lyons and James Cowan, as Maggie and Ben, respectively, playing a married couple whose relationship has recently taken a turn.

Both actors were wonderful, with James giving an oddly distant vibe (fitting the plot) and Terra exuding desperation and resolve. They convincingly delivered the ambitious dialogue, yet I still found it hard to keep up with the flood of ideas that made me think about the nature of life. It was easier to follow along when the story was less introspective and focused more on their marriage, which was falling apart. The conflict felt authentic and informed by a history together, a shared life before we met them. These scenes discussed quite clearly the otherworldly nature of the story, and what Ben really was, yet it rarely felt like “science fiction,” for better or worse.

A Sky Full of Stars

As with “In Another Room,” the set design and production values are amazing. Each location has so much detail and creativity to soak up and explore. This is a good thing and a bad thing. The performance looks wonderful, of course, but my eyes and focus immediately went to my surroundings in each new place. Related to that, the lighting really stood out as exceptional. It was bright enough to see detail, dim enough to create atmosphere, and used shocks of color to highlight particularly eerie or important scenes. Great work was done here.

With so much to take in visually, I confess that I was unable to give my full attention to the dialogue during some of these moments. No doubt this contributed to me feeling slightly overwhelmed by the heady ideas being presented. With so much food for thought, though, there’s bound to be something to latch onto. I managed to single out one of the themes (probably the most obvious one) that spoke to me. There is a good opportunity for discussion with the other audience member after the show, both about the individual scenes you missed, and the thematic takeaways.

The Adjustment Bureau

Ultimately, “Where the Others Are” is experimental. It’s a sci-fi story with very few of the usual genre trappings. A scene in the middle seems to be part of a different show. It mostly uses its Alien story to talk about Humanity. For those who appreciate big ideas, great acting, and wonderful sets, this hits all those notes. Someone looking for flashy thrills or scares based on the synopsis may not get what they hope for. Set your expectations accordingly!

“Where the Others Are” has postponed all shows in March due to the current public health situation. They are hoping to re-open on April 1st. When they do, tickets can be found at their website here. As of my viewing, before the corona virus situation, they were considering an extension based on demand. For updates on that, their Instagram is a good place to stay informed.

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