The Spirits’ Speakeasy

Tweet

Broadway Murder Mysteries, a live entertainment company which was formed in 2020 in response to the pandemic, presents The Spirits’ Speakeasy, an immersive evening of magic, mysticism and mentalism in the East Village bar uniquely named Sincerely, Ophelia. By its own description, the venue “offers music and vibes that connect with the Gen-Z and Millennial audience;” such was the overwhelming composition of the audience in attendance, present company excluded.

We are greeted at the entrance by a friendly hostess dressed in flapper gold sparkles who, after giving us very particular playing cards that would never be referenced again (the painstakingly selected 3 and 4 of diamonds), escorts us through the main room to the VIP lounge in the back. We are seated at a little round table with little round chairs and given wee pieces of paper upon which we are instructed to write our real names and dates of birth (which one of us did), along with one thing we didn’t know about ourselves. We fold our “billets” two times as instructed and drop them into a box.  We are then given more than ample time to procure craft cocktails at the bar and to chat amongst ourselves. After a sufficient interval, one dapper, cheerful, and animated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (jovially played by Brian Silliman) informs all in attendance that we are in for a delightful evening of magic and mysticism.

Thus begins the evening where, between rather large gaps, Harry Houdini’s (Patrick Terry) wife Bess (Rori Nogee) entertains us with songs and magician Howard Thurston (Lee Allen Barrett) treats us to humor and magic tricks. Nogee as Bess gustily commits to every note, bright and cherry at first then drunkenly deteriorated toward the end. We aren’t sure if we are clapping for Nogee or for Bess, the latter of whom did enjoy a vaudeville career prior to marrying Houdini and after his death. Barrett’s witticisms between magic tricks are sufficiently amusing, perhaps surpassing the tricks themselves.

In between Bess/Thurston’s appearances, my theater companion and I hear frequent sounds of laughter and other commotion coming through the curtain in the main room behind us, and we wonder if we are supposed to get up and roam between the rooms. A few guests are flitting back and forth, but we assume that is only because they didn’t secure tickets which included seating. Fearing we’re missing out on something, we consult with Thurston, who, without dropping character, informs us we are in the best place to enjoy the evening, especially since the celebrated (ooh) medium Margery (Krystyn Lambert) will soon enter and begin telling fortunes.

The Sincerely, Ophelia bar is decidedly the perfect ecosystem to host this event. The ambiance and lighting are inviting, spooky, and highly conducive to the goings on. The venue decidedly inspires the festively dressed bar-goers to have a good time, just as much as the antics of the actors themselves. Continued sounds from the other room finally motivates us to venture away from our seats (quelling our fears that our seats will be taken by others), but upon doing so we find we cannot get close enough to whatever is going on there to hear or see, the crowd is so thickly surrounding the brouhaha. Passing the bar, we overhear another guest telling an unbilled actor that he is by far their absolute favorite performer of the evening; we’ve never seen this actor at all, and we feel we have missed something, but nevertheless, we scurry back to our chairs.

There is no program for the event nor a press script, which makes sense, since The Spirits’ Speakeasy is less theater and more experience. There are missed opportunities for the actors to move the attendees around so they experience more of what is going on in both rooms. My companion and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with each other, so much so that when Margery finally arrives in the lounge to give a few lackluster readings (based on the billets dropped into the box but presumably not seen by her, and half of the guests names she calls out do not answer anyway) we are unfazed. Finally, Houdini bursts into the room, challenges Margery’s authenticity by calling her a fraud, and insists she participate in a mysterious magic box trick, which was dramatic and fun. All told, although the activities of the evening are infrequent, we do not feel the evening is a disappointment at all.

Co-creators Monica Hammond and Sarah Sutliff (who also directs) have created an enjoyable environment for some haphazard songs and a few thematic magical and mystical tricks, suspended on the thinnest of plot strings and ultimately elevating the evening above a casual bar hop. If you’re up for an evening out, with drinks and occasional pleasurable diversions, throw on something festive and head to Sincerely, Ophelia for The Spirits’ Speakeasy, especially with a friend to fill the spaces in between.

The Spirits’ Speakeasy (through November 3, 2024)

Broadway Murder Mysteries

Sincerely, Ophelia, 221 2nd Avenue, Suite B, in Manhattan

For tickets visit https://thespiritsspeakeasy.com/

For more information about Broadway Murder Mysteries, visit https://www.broadwaymurdermysteries.com/

Running time: approximately one hour and 45 minutes without an intermission