I love unconventional theatre. Anything that takes a play or performance outside the normal confines of a traditional space is exciting to me, because anything could happen. These pieces can give you an experience like no other that will keep you talking about it more than a typical show can. The element of surprise in this form of theatre is what sells it, and allows you to see and do things that you might not normally see or do.

A Moment of Madness is an immersive show that does just that. As a member of the AMOM organisation, you attend a seminar which briefs you on an operation to expose a corrupt politician. Once this briefing is complete, you and your team go to a nearby car park, sit in a car, and begin a stakeout to gather as much information as possible, allowing you to make a decision on what further action needs to be taken.

From the moment you go to collect your ticket, the immersion has begun. Throughout the entire show, you are not a theatre-goer, you are an AMOM member, which makes the entire experience truly special. It felt less like a series of scenes, and more like a slightly tongue-in-cheek mission you were a real part of.

The real highlight of the show was the stakeout. You sit in a car, and use a phone to communicate with your operation leader and genuinely look for any suspicious behaviour. As this was in a real car park with some real people trying to go about their business, our group often had to ask “Is that black van really a family who’ve gone to McDonalds and are paying for parking, or are they actually criminals trying to manipulate this politician?” These moments made the show all the more entertaining.

Within immersive productions, there are always limits to the immersion. You can’t run out of your car and start attacking characters, because that’s assault. But whenever less violent limits were exposed, there was always a humorous response that meant you never felt cheated by being unable to do something. Admittedly it would have been nice to interact with more of the characters, but this never ruined the experience.

Towards the end, there is an element of choice. Many shows (and other interactive mediums) opt for the good or bad ending, which can leave you feeling deflated if you picked the wrong choice. Here, however, the use of a “grey” ending opened up the chance for discussion of the environmental themes of the show. Finishing the show in that way was much more interesting than basically asking the audience if they want to see a good or bad ending.

There is a fair bit of depth beneath the comic cover of A Moment of Madness. It is wonderful seeing something so different and definitely memorable. If I had the chance I would happily see this show again. Its incorporation of technology (and cars) is very original, and is one of the most interesting shows I’ve seen this year. If you can get tickets, go: AMOM needs you.   ★★★★☆   Jeremy Ulster   3^rd, May 2019