Secret Cinema
I was challenged by Secret Cinema to write a review of their April/May 2014 show. If you don't know much about this grand-scale, awesome event, each time it's on it's based on a different theme and era from history. You get given a character, you're told the location days before the event, and you turn up dressed suitably for the period. You're handed some fake money to spend, and then your adventure begins in a world of immersive theatre that provides clues to the film you'll be watching later. Secret Cinema wanted me to not mention the location, the names of the characters I met, specific clues, or the film - oh, and they wanted me to write it in my character. Here goes nothing....
I pull up at Beaumont City Square, in the pouring rain, and straight away I'm ushered in through the back door. What kind of an entrance is that for a business woman of my stature? That's east coast prohibition for you, everyone wanting a good time has been reduced to some kind of hoodlum. I'm Gudalupe Polk, owner of the finest confectioners this side of the USA, probably the whole of the USA. I make the sweet stuff that folks can't get enough of. Straight away I've got some government official guy after me and my money, trying to get my vote, and who knows what else. He seemed like a nice, middle of the road kinda guy, until we all saw him turn into a brute and lay hands on his secretary. I was outta there like a shot.
Everywhere you go in Beaumont city the atmosphere is electric. There's people offering you snacks, and whispering sweet nothings in your ear, and giving you juicy gossip about the place. A girl can't get a moment to powder her nose without someone sidling up to her and asking if she wants to come and meet so and so. More often than not a very powerful so and so, one in particular tried to get me to steal some official papers for him, telling to use what god gave me to create a distraction - can you imagine! You don't get a night out like this back in the suburbs. I was involved in one drama after another, I'm even in a bank robbery at one point. Luckily they didn't get hold of any of my precious Polk dollars, but the cute dame on the door of the nearest bar didn't need to know that. Whereas my friends had to slide her twenty bucks a piece to get in, she listened to my sob story and gave me the nod to go in, not before winking and telling me she likes a hustler. In this bar I wanna try a tall lemon drink that everyone's raving about, but the barman tells me it's got gin in it. Yuck! Gudalupe is more of a rum cocktail girl. The barman is such an A-grade sweetie that he tells me he'll make me one and if I don't like it I can have something else. Turns out I LOVE it! I actually liked a gin cocktail. The bartender is shaking his head at me, "Lady, don't come crying to me when gin has taken your home and job, and ruined your life", he says. I guess he sees a lot of gin-related misery.
I was sure glad to have my best dames Judy and Maria with me, fellow classy broads letting our hair down and living it up with some gins as God intended. And what a night we had! We lost all track of time, roaming this huge and exciting city, meeting one interesting person after the next. Luckily I wore my green headband as requested (though it was a little bit a trouble to get), and this helped people seek me out and come up to me. All the right people, the ones who could help the Polk business boom. I'm so glad I wore it. Before we knew it, everyone's being ushered into one place, something big was going to go down. Is the night just starting? It felt like the party had been in full swing for hours. That's how it goes down round here. I'm still thinking about Beaumont City, what an experience! Of course though, you won't get any more out of me. I'll Tell No One.
Thanks Secret Cinema! What an assigment! Maria and Judy were played by Jamina from Gingle Lists Everything, and Jesse from Hecticophilia respectively. I had a free ticket from Secret Cinema and Nuffnang. All words and views are my own.