For the past few years Third Rail Projects has produced The Steampunk Haunted House each Halloween season. This year they discontinued the Haunted House concept and launched Then She Fell, an interactive theater experience based on the works of Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland). They crowd funded it on Kickstarter (Harknell and I were backers.)

The arrival area is creepy

Fans of The Steampunk Haunted House will not be disappointed in Then She Fell. TSF appears to be a natural outgrowth of TSHH. They are producing a show this year on a larger scale with a bigger range of things you can do in the space.

At the start of the show you are sat at a table and given a small “elixer”, which is a custom blended wine drink. Throughout the show you are given elixers, and small bites of food that make sense in the storyline. There are also many documents you can read that add to the overall story line and atmosphere.

Records of the past

You also receive some items to look through and a key ring that you are to keep with you for the duration of the show. The keys unlock certain items throughout the space. You can look at and unlock everything, but the only condition is that you must return everything as you had found it so that the next person has the same experience.

The keys to your trip

Small groups of people are taken into various doors of the venue and your version of the show begins.

The show is different for everyone and there are rooms you may not even get to enter. You may have most of the performers in your room or just 1 at various times. You may be with a group of 4 or 5 or by yourself depending on where you are directed. The performers skillfully lead everyone through a complicated circuit for 2 hours. There are 15 audience members total.

This show is not about scaring you, it’s about letting you watch a performance and interact with the venue props. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but I will tell you that you’ll interact with child and adult Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and Lewis Carrol himself. It takes place in an asylum, so you might be able to guess some of the others.

The Mad Hatter in close proximity

When Harknell and I went through we both had different experiences. Normally we have a critique to offer in our reviews – I got nothin’. They nailed it.

It’s not every day that something comes along that I’d classify as “so good i want to get a sombrero and ride a walrus to the spatula store”, but here it is.

To say that this is the best thing I have ever experienced would be an understatement. Sorry for you, but general admission tickets are sold out as of this writing. They have some limited opportunities remaining for $250/person to attend a performance and fund raiser. (I actually thought about it.)

You’d best keep an eye out on their site. I have a feeling these guys will have more for us soon.

EDIT: This show has expanded into a permanent production in NYC. View their website for updated information.

If there is 1 event worth a plane ticket and vacation days, this is it. Cough it up, slappy. Get in the plane.