Most people don’t know this about me, but I do not like IKEA. Sure, they may have affordable furniture, but the labyrinthine layout of the store always gave me bad vibes, and my mind would often wander of all the terrible things that could happen in there if I got lost. Fast forward to years later, and I receive an email from Last Call Theatre about their latest production, THE SHOWROOM, an interactive murder mystery set in the Infinite IKEA, which is part of the SCP universe. And it looked like all my nightmares were going to come true…
For those not in the know, the SCP Universe is an online collaborative-writing wiki project that details the adventures of the
Foundation, an organization responsible for capturing, containing, and studying various paranormal entities and situations. The Infinite IKEA, also known as SCP-3008, is part of that, so I was instantly intrigued as to how they were going to translate the store for the show. I wasn’t disappointed when I arrived and saw that we were essentially stepping into a pseudo-IKEA showroom, made up in a home in North Hollywood, complete with price tags on all the pieces, stark white lighting, and faceless employees roaming around outside.
It was here that we met the cast of characters and find out what is going on: we guests have someone made our way to this particular settlement in the IKEA where a murder took place less than 24 hours before. To make matters worse, every evening when the lights go off, the Dash Twos (the name we humans call the faceless IKEA employees) develop a taste for blood. And even worse than that, some Dash Twos seemed to have evolved to be more human in appearance, and there may even be one hiding amongst us…
The good news is this: the murderer has been caught. The bad news? Someone was working with them, and we need to find out who it is before the Dash Twos come back. Who did it? Why? Well, it was up to us to determine that. And after the initial group set up, we were set loose to do just that. The show was essentially part murder mystery, part fetch quest & scavenger hunt, and part immersive.
The cast of eight characters that inhabit this settlement within the Infinite IKEA were all great! I had moments with pretty much everyone, each more memorable than the last. Izzy, the eccentric man who has been living in this space for ten years, was my first interaction, since I couldn’t resist him talking to himself in the kitchen. Played expertly by Mikey Takla, Izzy was my first real taste of this settlement and all it had to offer…and hide. Iris, the distraught fiancée now widow (played by Ashley Kim), was another great interaction. I managed to catch Iris one-on-one a few times, and she was delightful. Hearing her side of the story, and what she thought happened, was one of my favorite parts of the evening.
However, my absolute favorite character was Dr. W (as played by Brit Baltazar). This off-the-wall entertainer was the most fun storyline of the evening, where I found myself making a presentation board, cutting images out of magazines and taping them to a piece of cardboard. What did it have to do with the murder? Nothing! But it was hilarious and truly a highlight.
The actual format of the show, which was open world-esque, is something we’ve come to expect from shows like this over the years: a big group moments are broken up by periods of exploration and smaller scenes, so everyone can walk away from the experience having done different things. For the most part, it works here, allowing guests to explore the storylines that they want to uncover while also not missing the bigger beats. However, one minor flaw is that it felt like the house was too crowded. Too many audience members sometimes made it difficult to interact with those you needed to, creating a bottleneck to speak to someone or even just getting around the house in general. However, this over-crowdedness sometimes worked to the advantage of the show, adding to the frantic nature of what was happening in the settlement.
I also think that, because of the show’s origin coming from the SCP Community, there was an overabundance of lore that was dumped on us right off the bat. From the on-boarding before the show to the opening scenes, there was an information overload. While I do commend the show runners for trying to get all that out in one fell swoop, it did cause some confusion amongst some of the guests. That said, much of the integral story pieces were doled out by cast members throughout the show anyway, so a simpler on-boarding may just help with that process. The character moments I had throughout the course of the evening were
a much more effective way to get the story across, and filled it with more emotional impact.
While the show itself is centered around a murder mystery and is based in a scary universe, there is actually quite a bit of humor in this show. Like, A LOT. I found myself laughing quite a bit due to many of the character’s zany humor. In retrospect, it did mention that in the programming notes before hand, but it was a pleasant surprise for me to have that much fun during a show like this. And depending on how guests interact during the show and what they uncover, the ending can change. While I was not thrilled with the ending of my particular show (only because I liked the character who wound up being the villain!), I do love that it can change at any time, depending on audience interaction.
Despite some slight missteps, THE SHOWROOM was still a lot of fun and a good way to spend a few hours. Last Call Theatre made one heck of an interesting show, and it makes me even more excited about their future in immersive theater.
THE SHOWROOM runs now through March 5th. You can buy tickets at https://lastcalltheatre.ticket
