The Wolf of Wall Street (London)
Not all experience hunting expeditions go well, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t valuable lessons to be learned.
So in this post I review what I picked up at The Wolf of Wall Street. This is London immersive theatre production by the makers of the previously wonderful Great Gatsby. This time, they aimed to bring to life the glibness and debauchery of the Wall Street enfant terrible Jordan Belfort and his colleagues at the investment firm Stratton Oakmont.
Things started strong, as my ticket was packaged as an induction manual with clear instructions of when and where I should present myself as well as the attire that was expected on my first day at work.
But things quickly went downhill. In spite of some really impressive acting, The Wolf of Wall Street failed to impress. Some people left during the intermission, others complained to the staff. I myself, was fairly underwhelmed.
So what went wrong? And more importantly, what can be learned from the Wolf’s mistakes.
Lesson 1. It’s hard to be immersive when there is a crowd
Anyone who’s ever run an immersive theatre business case knows that profit is very dependent on the number of people that can go through an experience simultaneously. To make break even and make money, you need to push that number as high as you can.
But the folks at Wolf pushed it a little ‘too far’. Sure, there was some charm to being riled up as a crowd for the next Stratton Oakmont IPO. But the excitement quickly faded when 50+ of us were cramped in a small room to watch two or three actors play out a scene. Not to mention when a group of 30+ people had to hunt a small room for a handful of clues.
Point to remember: Don’t overdo throughput. While pushing up the attendance per show is commercially sensible, there is clearly an audience size where immersive shows stop being ‘immersive’ and just plain busy.
Lesson 2: If you charge VIP prices, give a VIP experience
Because I was a late booker, the only available tickets were in the £100 VIP segment. I doubted for a moment, but because my earlier great experience at the Great Gatsby and my admiration for the actor playing Jordan Belfort, I took the plunge.
Things started good, as instead of having to wait for the start of the show in the regular employee bar, I was welcomed by a personal assistant to Mr Belfort who led me to his private quarters for a glass of champagne. Unfortunately, this executive bar turned out to be much less impressive than the main bar downstairs and, once people started coming in, the room was way to small for comfort.
Then, during the intermission, guests discovered that the bar had become ‘paying’ and thus realised that the glass of champagne, and a little pin, were the only ‘perks’ the VIPs got for their 60 pound surcharge. While everyone in the room could probably afford the extra drinks, this led to instant complaints for the lack of value for money and some people even left the show.
Point to remember: VIP means VIP. Fans and premium customers don’t mind paying extra for a special experience. But when taking their money, it’s important to really make the experience noticeably different from what a regular ticket would buy. Or at least clearly manage their expectations.
Lesson 3: don’t mix your theatre orthodoxies
I don’t know if it was deliberate or simply bad organisation, but the Wolf of Wall Street actively mixed traditional theatre practices with immersive.
We were immersed in the world of Jordan Belfort, but then there was a sudden intermission in which everyone was thrown back into the real world, which broke the magic for Act 2. We roamed from room to room, but there was also a clear narrative going from point A to point B, which meant that many audience members got the rights scenes in the wrong order. In my group, at one point, the audience point of view/role even shifted from being an employee at Stratton Oakmont, to being an agent in the FBI.
Point to remember: the word ‘immersive’ is no excuse for bad storytelling. Either take your audience by the hand on a journey, or let them explore and create their own story. Keep the point of view consistent. And my most important lesson learned … be VERY CAREFUL with intermissions. They can work, but they have to be part of the story. Once the magic is gone, it’s impossible to bring it back.
Lesson 4: getting audiences to cheer is a real energy builder
From this article, you might think that Wolf of Wall Street was all bad. The quality of the acting was excellent and the characters were very effective at dropping F-bombs at a speed which was only matched by the movie. Also, at multiple occasions the production was able to get the crowds really excited through the use of music, light and chanting. This each time gave the audience an energy boost which consistently made the next scene extra exciting and memorable.
Point to remember: let them cheer. It needs to fit the story, but as audiences ‘float’ along on your story, it can be useful to give them an energy boost in the shape of a chant or cheering session. This is fun, memorable and also gets their blood pumping for the next step in of the experience.
All to say that Wolf of Wall Street wasn’t the most enjoyable immersive theatre experience I’ve ever visited. But I did learn a few things. And that’s what my experience hunt is all about :-)
