In Melodiam | Here + There Productions

“Oh, you can hear me!” 

And with that perfectly mysterious introduction, our group is thrust into the world of In Melodiam by Here + There Productions . 

Our Hero, (Clare Alcock), had been mournfully replaying the same few notes on her piano, seemingly trapped in a monotonous purgatory. She slowly realised that our group had been watching her every move. We were huddled  together in a corner downstairs at Cinnamon & Bond Cafe in West End, but as soon as Edie acknowledged us, the outside fell away and we were thrust into the world of In Melodiam.

Here + There Productions returns to the Anywhere Festival after their impressive debut production The Shelter. While it incorporates elements of escape room of last year’s show, In Melodiam turns the genre on its head. It is described as an ‘escape room in a suitcase’, but this description barely does justice to our experience. 

In Melodiam centres on our Hero and the secrets locked away in her suitcase, an incredibly sophisticated and impressive puzzle box designed by Regan Henry. The Hero is an essential part of both the show and the puzzles, which makes it feel like it’s part of a new genre of live performance. The show is more than your typical immersive theatre or escape room, as all three elements of the Hero’s performance, the puzzles and the audience’s discoveries drive the story forward. I want to imaginatively call it an immersive theatrical escape room or a live alternate reality game, but that doesn’t quite capture what a memorable time I had.

When we meet our Hero, she has no memory of who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that there is something in her suitcase that will help jog her memory. To say much more risks spoiling any of the puzzles or surprises of In Melodiam. I would highly recommend going in fresh to get the most out of the show, so I’ll just highlight some of my favourite elements of the show.

Alcock played the Hero with a beautiful nuance. She was full of life, chock to the brim with facts & figures about her passions, with a tendency for forgetfulness and getting lost in her memories and in melancholy. She provided gentle guidance to the group when we got off track, possibly a little too much on occasion, and launched into full-fled conversations with anyone who wanted to engage her. She was truly a joy to watch, and shone a light on one of the many untold stories of women in history. Her performance and story were ultimately very moving, with more than a few members of our group holding back tears at times as her story unfolded throughout the show

Massive props must also go to the team’s design of the puzzles we had to decipher and particularly Henry’s design of the suitcase/puzzle box that held all of our Hero’s secrets. There was an impressive mix of physical puzzles, cyphers and even equations for us to solve throughout In Melodiam, most of which were linked to the story and the era that our Hero came from. Together, this helped to immerse us further into our Hero’s world. Kudos to the team for creating so many puzzles that both fit the era of our Hero and which helped us to better understand her story. And for creating a portable riff on an escape room that could be performed anywhere. Save those luggage and transport costs where you can, people!

At times my ever present fomo brought me a little frustration, because I couldn’t help solve every puzzle presented to us or follow all of our Hero’s conversations. This is my constant battle with any immersive production, as much as I love them. Ultimately, having the in-character support from Alcock and taking away the time pressures of a typical escape room meant that our group never got too frustrated or stuck by the puzzles and the group worked well to keep everyone involved and up to speed throughout. 

Here + There Productions have once again proved to be leaders in this relatively new genre of performance with In Melodiam, pushing escape rooms and immersive theatre in new and interesting directions. They have created a moving and charming show that follows its own melody in the best ways. Building on a great debut with The Shelter last year, any Here + There Production is now buy on sight show for me. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next.