The Illuminati Ball is the latest production from playwright Cynthia von Buhler, a production that allows adventurous theatergoers to have an extraordinary theater experience in a secret location outside of Manhattan.
Creator of such acclaimed immersive theater experiences as Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic at The Liberty Theater (2015), Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth at The Players Club (2014), and Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning, which ran in an historic Lower East Side speakeasy from 2011–2014, The Illuminati Ball is von Buhler’s latest work.
This project was inspired by leaked photos from the infamous Surrealist Ball hosted by the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild in 1972. The Surrealist Ball drew elaborately masked guests like Salvador Dali and Audrey Hepburn to the powerful couple’s massive mansion in France.
Similar to that legendary ball in France, The Illuminati Ball will have loaned masks for every guest, as well as a bevy of multi-sensory experiences, including but not limited to: a fire performance by Lady Blaze, opera, aerial silk acts by Rachel Boyadjis and Sara Zepezauer, and esoteric ritual ceremonies. On certain nights, guests are even treated to a performance by Prodigy, from the legendary hip hop group Mobb Deep, as he performs a song written specifically for this ball, combining elements of rap and opera.
“I find The Illuminati Ball to be a very intriguing play and I am extremely honored that Cynthia invited me to be a part of the production,” said Prodigy.
In keeping with the exclusivity of the de Rothschild’s affair, the list for each performance is limited to thirty guests, resulting in a 2:1 actor to guest ratio. The guests must first complete an application and be approved prior to purchasing the prestigious $450 ticket. Upon approval, they will be asked to choose an animal kinship of pig, monkey, cow, chicken, or mouse, which will shape their experience throughout the evening.
Von Buhler describes this play as “a surreal, bourgeois dinner party filled with power struggles, morality tests, and anthropomorphic escapades.” Coining the term “immersive excursion,” von Buhler explains it as “travel for the curious who enjoy actively engaging in a performance, rather than passively watching it.”
Besides the incredible theater experience, those lucky enough to be taken to a secluded peninsula an hour away from Manhattan in a luxury limousine bus will also be treated to a night of lavish dining. On the way there, guests will be served champagne while being masked and rehearsed. Once there, guests are treated to delectable delicacies and libations on behalf of Chef Erin Orr and mixologist Bootleg Greg. The dining experience will also add to the mysterious aura of the excursion, as the first course will be served while guests are blindfolded. Some of the recipes for the tasting menu served at The Illuminati Ball can be found at Orr’s food blog, Big Sis Little Dish.
The cast of TJ Hospodar (Pig King), Travis Moore (Chumazee), Delysia LaChatte (Circe), Prodigy, Justin Moore (Moloch), Kat Mon Dieu (Demeter), Luka Fric (Vacanti), Eden Atencio (Kamadhenu), Katie Kat (Parthenope), Vincent Cinque (Dr. Rubenstein/Pig King), Koppyr Snyder (understudy) and Persephone, a miniature pot-bellied pig as herself, with help from costume designer Kat Mon Dieu, will be wowing guests twice a month until August 20, 2016, from 6 p.m. until midnight, when guests will be taken back to Manhattan in the same limousine in which they came. The Illuminati Ball is sure to give participants a theater experience unique to all five senses.
