Wicked Lit: The Chimes & The Corpse

Reviewed by Lara J. Altunian 
Unbound Productions 
Through November 10

RECOMMENDED 

Autumn may be dominated by pumpkin spice lattes, but a good (read: better) reason to anticipate the arrival of October is the spooky-themed events that take place leading up to Halloween. Joining the fun for the tenth year in a row is Unbound Productions’ Wicked Lit, an immersive theater experience taking place within a beautiful, but chilling setting: Altadena’s Mountain View Mausoleum. Designed partially as a walking tour, the performances take place beside the vaults of the dearly departed. The two plays featured this year, Teig O’Kane and the Corpse and The Chimes: A Goblin Story, are both charming tales that lend themselves well to Wicked Lit’s interactive theme.

Upon entering the building, viewers are greeted by two Irish guides, Siobhan O’Leary (Meghan Lewis) and Eoghan Hogan (Aaron McGee), who divide them into two groups, each of which sees one of the plays while the other is performed simultaneously in different areas of the mausoleum. After a brief intermission, the two groups switch off. My experience resulted in my viewing the world premiere of Teig O’Kane and the Corpse first. Adapted from Ernest Rhys’ Irish Gaelic story of the same name (translated by Dr. Douglas Hyde and playwright Kerry Kazmierowicztrimm), the plot revolves around Teig O’Kane (Flynn Platt), a young man mourning the loss of his mother, said to have died a year prior. While visiting her grave site within the mausoleum, he is confronted by his lover, Mary (Kelley Pierre). She chides him for his inability to move forward in life after he is unable to accept her happy announcement that they are expecting a child together. Moments after she storms away, a ghostly voice calls out his name and beckons him down the corridor that leads to a doorway filled with mist so thick, nothing is visible on the other side. The audience follows Teig through the wall of smoke into a room completely transformed to look like an outdoor graveyard where a creepy corpse (Kevin Dulude) with an interesting request awaits his and our arrival.

The more mobile of the two plays, Teig O’Kane and the Corpse’s most appealing aspect is Wicked Lit co-producer Paul Millet’s direction and staging. The action takes place a few feet away from the audience members, who are seamlessly guided within the mausoleum via silent gestures and head nods that occasionally break the fourth wall without interrupting the show’s flow. Despite the echoey sounds heard along the marbled hallways (which frankly add to the eerie ambiance), the room within which the majority of scenes take place features an expertly executed sound design (Drew Dalzell and Noelle Hoffman) and creative yet not overtly cartoonish props (McKenzie R. Eckels) that help (ironically) bring the story to life. The main actors’ performance of their characters creates an endearing quality, with many touching moments breaking up the few jump-scares scattered within the production.

After the first play is over there is a short intermission during which both groups are lead though Mountain View’s main corridor. There, the hand-painted ceilings take on a slight, Michaelangelo quality with Christian-themed murals. After a few facts about the architect, Cecil E. Bryan, and a chance to look around and admire the building’s gorgeous design, the guides switch off. From there, Eoghan led my group into the Chapel of the Gardens to watch writer and Wicked Lit co-producer Jonathan Josephson’s The Chimes: A Goblin Story, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella of the same name.

Toby Veck (Richard Large) is the chapel’s Irish custodian. Addressing the audience in a monologue, he talks about the difficulty of life and the power of choice. His daughter Meg (Hope Lauren) arrives promptly to announce that her love of three years, Richard Wells (Daniel Dorr), has proposed to her. Toby refuses to give the couple his blessing, announcing that Richard’s foolish choice to be a writer and philosopher will not allow them to thrive and start a family, declaring that Richard needs to work a real job for a few years before considering marriage. After a heated argument, the two storm away, with Meg proclaiming she may not return to see him again. As Toby approaches the altar, firm in his stance as he recounts his opinion out loud, ghoulish voices can be heard calling his name before two goblins, Danzos (Christopher Wallinger) and Globlassi (Lamont Webb), appear to warn him of his sins and show him how his decision has affected his daughter’s future.

The sound design (Dalzell and Hoffman) and lighting effects (Hilda Kane and Darrell Clark) in The Chimes: A Goblin Story are even more prevalent than in Teig O’Kane and the Corpse, with the projections (Clark) creating an especially resonating impact by way of a holographic mosaic undulating at the front of the chapel as a representation of time travel. Unlike its newer counterpart, there is no walking and little standing involved with the experiencing of this play. Audience members sit through most of the scenes on the chapel pews, and comfortably watch as the events unfold around and above them, thanks to Darin Anthony’s direction. The acting is about the same as in Teig O’Kane, except that Large as Veck is more natural in his delivery. Dorr occasionally slips out of his accent, as does Pierre who performs as Mary in the other play. Other than that, the production is solid, with Wallinger and Webb’s goblins causing the audience to jump even more effectively with their clashing movements and booming voices.

Though neither show is particularly scary or racy, they are not suitable for children.

Both plays embody the classic style of a Halloween fable told around the campfire. Wicked Lit does a good job of reviving two semi-forgotten, classic pieces of literature by adding an interactive, modern twist to their production. Though the themes are romantically sad at times, each play contains light elements of humor that add a playful tone to the shows. The evening is more fun than scary, and Unbound Productions’ use of the space within Mountain View allows audiences to enjoy and discover the hidden LA architectural gem, which may be worth going for alone.

Mountain View Mausoleum, 2300 Marengo Ave., Altadena; Wed.-Sun., 7:30 p.m. & 9 p.m., except Wed., Oct. 10 & 17, Nov. 7, and Thurs., Oct. 11; through Nov. 10. https://ci.ovationtix.com/34952/production/997502. Running time: 85 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.