Roma Torre reviews the new Broadway production of "The Encounter," an immersive piece of theatre that uses 3-D audio to draw you in.
"The Encounter" tells the fascinating true story of an American photographer whose forays into the uncharted Amazon jungle should rank him right up there among the world's most legendary explorers. But the stage has its own world-class explorer - Simon McBurney - whose stunningly imaginative use of audio technology in his solo show marks a first in the annals of live theatre.
Headphones are mandatory. Everyone gets a set at their seat; and with the help of sound designers Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, McBurney teases us by demonstrating how sound can be easily manipulated from different directions. And he does it with a microphone that's actually shaped like a human head.
And then the story begins. He recounts - with life-like sound effects - the journey of Loren McIntyre, a National Geographic photog who lands in the most remote section of the Amazon in search of a primitive tribe. They find him and the experience is a harrowing one.
But while "The Encounter" could easily settle as a radio-play, McBurney's up to something far more ambitious. Overlaying his "Heart of Darkness"-like tale are allusions to time and space, spiritualism and his own personal life featuring interruptions from his 6-year-old daughter.
The nearly two-hour intermissionless performance is a tour-de-force as McBurney entertains, enlightens and instructs with mesmerizing talent.
McBurney performs his own magic, penetrating our deepest thoughts. At times it may feel like sensory overload. I zoned out at points but much like the most vivid dream, this Encounter is impossible to shake.