![]() ![]() Occupying 17,000 square feet and themed as a restored 1960s motel, The Madcap Motel reimagines immersive art and theater through a magical wormhole, hidden passageways, and 18 distinctly decorated rooms. On East 4th Street in the downtown Los Angeles Arts District, near the ordinary sights of a dog park and a gym, exists a portal to another dimension. It’s plain, unassuming, and just like any other hotel room I’ve entered.As the pandemic alters the performing arts scene, Los Angeles’ Madcap Motel offers actors work and visitors a new way to experience theater. But this hotel is different – and the other side, however, is remarkable. #ELSEWHERE MADCAP MOTEL FULL#The inside is a beautiful blue sky full of clouds. I stare in wonder at the vastness before me when I hear a woman behind me: “But have you touched them?” I reach out my hand, brushing the fluffy white clouds with my fingertips. The woman speaks again: “Push harder.” I push my hand deeper into the clouds, and a galaxy splits open before me. The brainchild of Paige Solomon, Elsewhere at the Madcap Motel is a multi-sensory immersive installation that transports guests of all ages to a universe full of wonders – all behind the façade of a 1960s motel. The experience begins with a linear (relatively, given the sci-fi context) narrative with live actors, before opening up into a wheel-and-spoke-styled sandbox for participants to explore freely – each room having some ability of interactivity. When guests are ready to leave the sandbox portion – which could range from thirty minutes to an hour – a final room, and scene, provides a conclusion to the narrative and a gentle way of releasing guests back into reality. ![]() While the before/after scenes set up an interesting and mysterious narrative, the sandbox portion of the Madcap Motel mostly functions as rooms full of photo ops, with occasional actor interaction. Those who wish to dig deeper and unravel a mystery can find that at other immersive experiences, like Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at Area 15 in Las Vegas. The narrative bookending Elsewhere at the Madcap Motel is a simple one: Scientist J.D. Sando has discovered a time-warping wormhole that opens doorways to other dimensions, all within the Madcap Motel. This basic structure allows the rooms within the motel to range drastically, while still making sense under the overall thematic umbrella. Each room within the motel is a doorway into another world, so each room can be distinct and self-contained – from a room of just sky to an underwater coral reef to a space-aged laboratory. The final scene (Room #7) concludes the narrative nicely and also allows for participants to come back to the motel to escape their reality again and again. This structure is a clever one, for it allows for the creative team to switch up some of the rooms/installations in the future if they so desire, and it would still fit within their universe. ![]()
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