Brendan de la Hay takes on a role fit for a prince with some regal twists and turns, in the immersive theatre experience Eternityland.
One of the great things about theatre is the variety of structure it can take. A current trend is the immersive theatre genre, an innovative style where the audience interact with the story and players.
Recent examples include Because the Night, The Great Gatsby, and the Murder Mystery at Melbourne’s old Labassa Mansion. A popular production has been A Midnight Visit, which is cleverly and eerily based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. It is this show’s same writer/director, Danielle Harvey, who has created the new large-scale experience of Eternityland.
Set in a world within a world consisting of villains, heroes, and monsters, Eternityland features a shadowy group of bureaucrats, known as the Department of Legend & Myth (DLM). The gods who created this world are restless for new drama and the DLM are searching for a new hero. Enter the audience.
As part of the DLM, popular cabaret performer Brendan de la Hay plays a very lost and gender fluid Royal, joined by other characters including a villainous Clown, lazy knight, cool cowboy, mother of monsters, retired warrior, and a crooning Mr Money.
Brendan de la Hay
“The Lost Royal is a wildly fabulous character,” says De la Hay.
“They are of course a royal of some kind, or at least think they are, however there are some issues with memory, alongside extreme pride, and so the comedy ensues. The character is a very chic, Moliere inspired and Ariana Grande-loving narcissus.”
“Immersive theatre is a like traditional theatre’s crazy aunty, a few wines in!”
Playing the other roles, amidst a cast of minions and sidekicks, are Bobbie-Jean Henning, Challito Browne, Christopher Tomkinson, Jerome Studdy, Lou P Scarlett, Paige Walker and Tim Hansen.
A speakeasy style bar leads into a maze of surreally designed rooms, with bizarre characters and interactions based on stories of heroism. Combining art, circus, live music and theatrics, the lines between spectator and participant are truly blurred.
Brendan de la Hay with the cast of Eternityland
“Immersive theatre is a like traditional theatre’s crazy aunty, a few wines in!” says De la Hay.
“It’s loud, colourful and a sensory overload. When you attend an immersive experience, you are not only seeing live theatre, but become part of a story. You create the moments with us, which we react to – or ignore, if we can tell you are shy! But together, we go on an adventure that is one of a kind and unrepeatable.”
The immersive theatre world is somewhat the perfect space for De la Hay, being an international and award-winning cabaret and performance artist, designer, and director. As a gender queer artist, he is known for blurring the lines of performance, especially through wearable visual art.
Brendan de la Hay
“I think immersive theatre is the future,” says De la Hay.
“Whether fully immersive, like this experience, or in the form of audience inclusion in the narrative which we are seeing in cocktail bars, themed restaurants, circus, and burlesque fusion shows, and even children’s theatre and outdoor activations. I hope the audience experience something they’ve never seen before, and that they come back, because you never get the same show twice. I also hope they get fresh content for their social media feeds and make their friends jealous!”
Eternityland is playing at Barangaroo Ave, Darling Harbour
For more visit: eternityland.com.au
