January 18, 2012

Royds Rogues step out to client’s Secret Cinema

Dressed as Rogues and armed with a map, a codeword and strict instructions to arrive promptly, we ventured across to the designated meeting place; a small cemetery down a dark lane behind Smithfields market. Around every corner we discovered an increasing number of ‘40s clad characters until we were accosted by a mob of soldiers of varying nationalities who shuffled us into orderly lines and, with a continual and bemusing dialogue, frog-marched us across to the main event.  Along the way suspicious characters darted across our path with offers of stolen watches and bootleg goods but quickly shoed by the soldiers they vanished into the night.  We arrived at a discreet doorway through which we were welcomed into a Viennese hotel where in-character actors dressed as period bar staff ensured we were well looked after before we drifted into a world of fading grandeur with specially designed zones and rooms dressed to represent key locations in the as yet unannounced film.  The sets, characters and plot began to unravel as live performances and music enveloped us and we were totally submerged into an atmospheric glimpse of life in post-war Vienna at the start of the Cold War.

There seemed to be endless possibilities depending on the rooms you entered, the narratives you were drawn into and who you spoke to during the course of the evening.  We were interrogated by sergeants recruiting linguists in one area, gently directed towards a sewer in another and with all manner of bizarre encounters in between, constantly kept on our toes with unexpected twists at every turn.  Names were whispered in hallways and key characters introduced in small scenes acted out all over the impressive and atmospheric Victorian warehouse.  Ushered towards various viewpoints, depending on your location, the film was announced and the unfolding story pulled together the details and snippets of information imparted on each persons personal journey.

A brilliantly executed concept and a must do event for lovers of film noir!  Still bewitched it seems somewhat difficult to delve back into the legal world of 2012 this morning….


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