"No ordinary theater experience." - The Wall Street Journal
"an ornately turned-out, unique, and well-produced experience." -Flavorpill
"Thrilling and delighting all of the senses." - The Huffington Post
"Cynthia von Buhler has the kind of family footnote any writer would kill for." - New York Post
"The Speakeasy Dollhouse is an inspired and unique mission, and the period aesthetics of the set are also begging to be admired." - Bust
"Don't miss your chance to see this truly unique show." - Joonbug
"Speakeasy Dollhouse is an ingenious project jam-packed with creativity." - Show Business
"The acting was superb...the Speakeasy Dollhouse is a fantastic immersive event and a great night out." - WBAI NYC Radio (99.5 FM)
SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE, ONE OF NEW YORK CITY'S MOST THRILLING IMMERSIVE THEATRE EXPERIENCES, RETURNS FOR EXTENDED RUN THROUGH DECEMBER 2013 www.speakeasydollhouse.com
Transporting audiences to an era of mobsters, moonshine, and murder, one of the city's most unique, interactive, and surreal theatre experiences will return by popular demand for an extended run through December 2013.
Originally intended to be a one-night-only event, Speakeasy Dollhouse will kick off its new season in February 2013, bringing an actual unsolved Prohibition-era murder to life in the downtown building that once served as mobster Meyer Lansky's hangout. Replete with live jazz by Howard Fishman and his band, burlesque dancers, and real moonshine, the attractively-priced production (tickets start at $30/$35), offers up a meticulously detailed slice of New York City history on the first Saturday and Monday of each month.
The experience begins with a series of emails featuring actual 1935 news articles, court documents, and autopsy reports. Audience members also receive special instructions to show up dressed for a 1930's night on the town at a secret address, including the password they will need to enter. Upon arrival, each audience member is assigned a role or task which can range from passing notes to key characters to aiding in an autopsy. Once they step through a tiny door, they are transported into a perfect replica of a speakeasy, where they eat cannoli, play cards with gangsters, sip hooch disguised in coffee cups, enjoy burlesque performances and witness a shooting, funeral, murder investigation, and trial.
The show is the brainchild of artist and author Cynthia von Buhler, whose Italian immigrant grandfather, a speakeasy owner named Frank Spano, was shot and killed on a Manhattan street in 1935. Though the shooter was caught, his case was inexplicably dismissed, leaving the question of motive forever unanswered.
Long haunted by the mystery, von Buhler, whose mother was born the day her grandfather died, began interviewing family members about the killing and scouring autopsy reports, police records, and court documents. Inspired by a 1940s investigative technique called "nutshell studies," von Buhler first recreated the crime scene in an elaborate dollhouse diorama that can be explored during each performance.
Von Buhler brought her miniature set to life in what was intended to be a one-night theatrical staging via a Kickstarter campaign. It has since become a hot underground theater ticket, selling out regularly and attracting a roster of guest performers that has included bestselling author Neil Gaiman, musician Amanda Palmer, downtown theatre icon Edgar Oliver, Nino Giaimo (Uncle Nino on "Jersey Shore") and others.
Each month's show explores a different motive behind the murder, from jealousy over a suspected affair to a Mafia hit. As audience members meander through a speakeasy bar, a private alleyway, a bakery, and more, they are privy to conversations and whispered bits of gossip from cast members about the victim's marital infidelities, mob connections, and other clues. The piece is constantly evolving based on new scenarios sparked by spontaneous interactions between cast members and guests, who are encouraged to become full-fledged participants in the unfolding drama. Von Buhler is using discoveries and research culled from the performances for a book she is writing on the murder.
"Speakeasy Dollhouse is more than just a play it is a time capsule that transports audiences to the scene of a riveting crime and then invites them to live fully in that world, erasing the boundary between themselves and the performers," said von Buhler.
Discussion
Location
A Secret Location (View)
102 Norfolk Street (approximately)
New York, NY 10002
United States
