Paradiso is an immersive theater experience and interactive game that was created by Michael Counts. It is expected to span four chapters, the first of which opened in New York City during July 2016. Counts drew inspiration for Paradiso from

Dante's Dante's is a nightclub and live music venue in Portland, Oregon. The venue, located along West Burnside Street and owned by Frank Faillace, hosts a variety of acts ranging from burlesque to rock music. Dante's is housed in an unreinforced masonr ...

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

'' and the experience features elements of

crime noir Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...

Paradiso: Chapter 1

The first chapter's premise places ten participants in a locked apartment that they must escape while also evading the Virgil Corporation, a shadowy crime gang. Players must solve puzzles within a certain span of time, otherwise they will not be able to complete the entire experience. Special effects such as 3D technology and actors are used during the experience to enhance game play.

Reception

Paradiso: Chapter 1 received praise from media outlets such as ''

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

'' and the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'', the former of which felt that it was an "intense and reinvigorating escape room experience" and compared it favorably to similar immersive theater experiences by Counts. ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' was mostly positive in their review, noting that while the puzzles and plot "feel desultory" the show worked as a haunted house experience. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' commented that "What you get out of it will depend on what you put into it, and perhaps on whom you bring along", further remarking that knowing the strengths fellow participants ahead of time would potentially make it faster to solve puzzles, as time was limited. ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' was more critical, as they felt that the plot was too thin, a criticism shared by '' Exeunt Magazine''.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.paradisoescape.com/ 2016 establishments in New York City Theatre in New York City