Live In Theater is a live entertainment company that features a variety of immersive theater experiences, ranging from historical reenactments to murder mysteries. Each performance is highly interactive, so the viewer plays a substantial role in the progression of the performance. Each performance is also inspired by real New York City events.
At any given time, Live In Theater features about 5 performances. We tried the “Lombardi Case,” one of their longest standing, most popular performances. The backstory of the Lombardi Case is the murder of a rich girl living in a drug-infested squat on the Lower East Side. Upon arrival, everyone is taken to a room and greeted by a cop who sets the scene and provides all available facts of the girl’s murder. Each person is given a notepad and pencil to take notes. Then the police chief arrives to give pointers on how to solve the case. She explains the types of questions to ask each suspect and what to look for. You are divided into teams of 5-10 and sent into the streets of NYC to solve the murder.
As you wander the Lower East Side with the help of a map of relevant locations, you encounter different characters, each of whom knew the victim and could have information that will help to solve the crime. Treating each one as a suspect, you speak with them and question them. You look for helpful clues and objects and try to poke holes in their stories. As you make your way to the next stop, you discuss your findings and theories with your team. Afterwards, you make your way back to the starting point, where all of the suspects are lined up. Each team has the opportunity to engage in a final round of questioning. After some deliberation, each team states who they think the murderer is, how the crime was committed, and what the motive was.
The Lombardi Case was very well done and we all had a great time. You get to interact with a group of strangers and collaborate in solving the case. It’s nice to chat with different people between each of the stops, particularly in a fun and light-hearted setting. Plus, the story arc actually makes some sense, unlike in some other versions of experimental theater, presumably because this is based on an actual murder case. At the end of the production, the truth comes out, whether your team has solved the case or not.
Finally, the actors were great. Each of the suspects we came across really held character and portrayed them realistically. Each one was also completely different from the next, so it was great to interact with a wide range of suspects. And many of them had big personalities, making it quite fun to have a conversation with them.
The experience surpassed our expectations and the two hours flew by! Everyone on our team was fully absorbed into the experience and we were all having a great time piecing clues together, drawing conclusions, and interacting with the vibrant characters.
I would highly recommend trying one of Live In Theater’s cases! You can sign up as an individual or a small group and will be matched with a few other people to create a larger team. You can also sign up with a larger group of your own, allowing you to be an exclusive team. Private and corporate events are an option as well. It’s a very engaging and unique experience and you certainly won’t be disappointed!
