As I entered the Roguelike Tavern, I was met with the familiar din of a lively bar. Conversations filled the air, as wait staff flitted about. The host quickly greeted me and asked me to write my name and favorite blood type on a name tag. I giggled to myself as I wrote down “Fresh” and started my night with the BOSTON BAR BLOODSUCKERS (BLOODSUCKERS).

BLOODSUCKERS is the newest production from Cricklewood Immersive, following their past productions “The Sleepover” and “80s Office Party: An 80s Office Party”. Cricklewood Immersive has been delivering entertaining pop culture experiences. BLOODSUCKERS took elements from the popular 80s sitcom Cheers and added their own unique, and dare I say bloody, twist!

Prior to my evening at BLOODSUCKERS, I had received two emails priming me for the festivities planned to celebrate the 200^th birthday of a vampire by the name of Lilith (played by Ona Zimhart). A night of games, revelry, and blood seemed to be in store for me. I quickly rushed to find my own set of vampire fangs and signed up for their version of speed networking (cleverly called “Neckworking”). I would soon discover that my excitement prior to BLOODSUCKERS would only grow as the event went on.

Lilith’s birthday party was held at the Roguelike Tavern in Burbank. From the minute I entered, I was plunged into this world of vampire bar patron politics. BLOODSUCKERS utilized the space brilliantly, and I was amazed at how effortlessly I was immersed into this world. The entire bar became the stage for the drama to unfold. Witty banter between characters was met with a chorus of laughter from both the audience and a laugh track. I found myself giggling more due to the laugh track and loved how that added to the feeling of being within a sitcom.

During this set up, we met a whole cast of characters and participated in the Neckworking event. The Neckworking portion of the show was a quick and fun game like speed dating. It presented a nice opportunity for us get to know our fellow vampire attendees and set us up for the format in the second portion of the show. Unfortunately, the festivities came to an abrupt end, as a murder was discovered, thus starting the murder mystery portion of the show. From there, BLOODSUCKERS seamlessly transitioned into the interactive format of murder mysteries that many have grown to know and love. We were then divided into groups and were allowed to ask questions of all the characters to determine who the murderer was.

I absolutely loved the melding of different show formats. I never thought I would find myself in a sitcom/murder mystery combo but adored every second of it. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed all elements of BLOODSUCKERS, the cast were the driving forces behind such a successful production. Standout performances were seen from Jordana Lilly (as Liane) and Ona Zimhart (Lilith). Both Lilly and Zimhart masterfully crafted dynamic characters within minutes of being introduced to the audience.

I was incredibly impressed with all the performances delivered by the cast and enjoyed my entire BLOODSUCKERS experience. BLOODSUCKERS provided an enjoyable look at how combining show genres can prove to be incredibly successful. I highly recommend sinking your fangs into the BOSTON BAR BLOODSUCKERS.

For more information and to try to catch the last showing of BOSTON BAR BLOODSUCKERS, visit Cricklewood Immersive on Instagram!