The only thing scarier than a night in the factory-laden and desolate area of Bushwick, Brooklyn is the thought of a cabaret, theatre performance in a warehouse in the area, but Jake Thomas’ “Dead Dream Machine” will quickly have you unclench your hands off your wallet pocket and put a sultry, sexy smirk across your face.
Powered by the uber charismatic Eric Schmalenberger and sexy Aurora Black, the show is essentially a “Tales From the Crypt”-styled show, with live Ballerina/aerial artists and puppetry, woven together seamlessly into a gothic showcase full of talented individuals who obviously care about their craft.
Thomas, an assistant editor at Marvel Comics, takes eight creepy and deliciously evil tales and puts them together in a way that’ll immediately connect with the average comic book fan. There are clear roles for all of the characters and while some are a bit generic, take the crazy queen in the puppetry scene for instance, the moral and essence of each story is captivating and dark.
The story is cool and relatable in the fact that it centers around a group of kids who sneak into an abandoned theatre and find out why the townspeople have told their children to stay away from it. The crude language, fourth-wall asides and pop culture references are enough to keep you in your seat, regardless of the humidity in the theatre, but it’s the attention to classic noir and horror story telling that will keep you there when the beads of sweat start to roll down your forehead.
Schmalenberger’s performance is what brings it all together. Hypnotically evil as the magician Impresario, his eyes tell of an unknown darkness the audience must watch for themselves to find out more about. His haunting smirk will send chills down your back, but will make your mind race with the thoughts of what could happen next. It also helps that dark breaks up each performance with what can only be described as some of the hottest ballet dance you’ll ever see.
Simply put, “Dead Dream Machine,” in spite of a sometimes dragging two-hour performance time, deserves a larger stage, in a more-theatre-friendly neighborhood. Considering the need for new characters and series in the comic book industry as well, this would make a finer Off-Broadway production or monthly comic book series.
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