Delusion is back at the Phillips Mansion in Pomona for 2023 with another jaunt into the interactive unknown. This year’s show is called “Nocturnes and Nightmares” and includes echoes of other Delusion stories including His Crimson Queen, The Blue Blade, and Lies Within. The show this year is another prime example of modern interactive theatre, but it never reaches the thrilling heights achieved in previous years. That’s not to say it’s bad, far from it. This is quintessential Delusion complete with hair-raising suspense, interactive moments, and the expected caliber. But this year plays like a recap and closure of sorts.
We return for a final story at Phillips Mansion and things are rearranged again. We check in at the steps of a stately house and are asked for a phone number that will be used to reach us when our show time is up. We are then encouraged to explore the entire mansion before us as well as the grounds out back where the facilities and refreshments are.
Explore
A word of advice; If you must, hit the restrooms out back, then head straight up to the second floor of the house pictured above and immediately reserve your spot to take a tour of the attic. Once that is done, grab a drink at the bar and wander around the house. There is plenty to see, including an intimate magic show and a host of creepy vignettes scattered about.
Once you are called, you will be guided to ascend a very steep set of stairs to the topmost level of the structure. Here there is a ghostly encounter that was surprisingly cool. Make the time to go visit this distraught spirit. It will enhance the story ahead.
Drinks, Bites, and More
Venturing through the now familiar grounds, we go out back to see the new outdoor arrangement. Seating, vendors, and restrooms are immedieatly available with a sprawling lawn and a path to the VIP area just beyond.
In the VIP area, guests have the opportunity to further explore the Phillips Mansion and enjoy a private bar. Another interesting feature is that VIP guests have the opportunity to become a part of the cast and perform in one of the scenes in the show. A rack of period clothes stands in a corner while monitors share the view from a key scene in the room next door. Those interested in flexing their acting chops, can throw some costumes on and with a little coaching, be a part of one scene in Nocturns and Nightmares.
The Show
The show begins and immediately, the shades of Delusion’s 2014 effort, Lies Within, are apparent. We, as the audience are Delusion fans, aka “Delusionals.” We are at the home of the author who has been responsible for writing each chapter of the show that we have experienced. The Author is in search of her daughter who has been lost in the storytelling. Our job is to sneak into the mansion, find the daughter, and reunite the two. It’s a very meta take on the Delusion Universe that works well enough.
We venture forth and are immediately stopped by a groundskeeper with a shotgun who warns us that all of the characters from previous Delusion shows are on the loose, including an army of vampire queens. Just then, the vampires attack. And so it goes. Newbies will be enthralled by the freewheeling storyline that features an array of strange characters. Veterans of the event will wistfully remember other shows and their personal moments within it.
We make it to the larger mansion out back, which is no longer that much of a reveal, and the hits continue. We encounter various characters from all of the shows including The Alchemist from Lies Within during a wonderfully interactive and suspenseful sequence.
As we venture further into the labyrinthian structure we encounter other “Delusionals” that assist us on our journey to find the Author’s daughter. In fact, the Daughter is the Macguffin that may or may not lead us to The Author herself while encountering a slew of memories from shows past.
Nocturns and Nightmares is a worthy entry into the Delusion Universe. It’s not the aberration that The Blue Blade was, but a sort of greatest hits of the franchise. Interactivity is kept to a minimum on this particular story with only a few key moments that command the audience to engage.
Don’t go to Delusion Nocturns and Nightmares looking to be scared out of your wits. That’s not what this is. Instead, go to Delusion for the fully immersive environment and storyline. You will feel as if you ARE a character in a much larger story.
