A Journey Most Unusual
Hotel Palisade
Sydney, Australia
27 August 2022
The creation of immersive experiences and finding ways to augment everyday life by blurring the lines between reality and imaginary worlds that the recipient can interact with has become commonplace.
Stimulating as many senses as possible has become de rigour to ensure the audience feels like they really are in that environment and one of entities that has mastered the craft to create unique live performances that matter and capture the imagination is the trailblazing collective known as Broad Encounters.
As example par excellence for how well Broad Encounters channels its alchemy and curates remarkable experiences was its multisensory ode to the world and legacy of Edgar Allan Poe, which allowed guests to meander around over thirty mood-specific rooms to interact with characters and detailed sets, making the audience an integral ingredient that determines unique outcomes.
Needless to say, given how taken we were by Broad Encounters first large-scale work A Midnight Visit, we were intrigued when we learned about the collaboration between Broad Encounters Productions and Hendricks Gin that was meant to take over the uniquely positioned Hotel Palisade.
The experience aptly called A Journey Most Unusual amounts to a cohesive well-choreographed whole that is much more than the sum of the individual components would suggest: One leaves the confines of the mundane day-to-day behind as the threshold into a
a night out of frivolity and oddity is crossed only to step into a parallel universe that is accentuated by textures, smells and delectable tastes of Hendrick’s Gin to create a cosmos of its own.
Along the way the willing adventurer visits an array of engaging, mysterious multi-faceted characters like Mr Foggerty, a seductive siren, a fragrance alchemist and many more, which inhabit their specifically designed idiosyncratic worlds, in which everything from dance, drinks, song or performances can ensue.
Trying not to spoil the experience, what can be claimed is that Broad Encounters once again honed in on what the core experience should be and masterfully chose the elements that bring that idea to life, with the details making the individual intuitive experiences really shine.
The result is a truly enjoyable immersive experience that provides a sense of place, entertains and increases brand awareness that is carried by a narrative in a meaningful way, evoking emotion and imagination in equal measure, with visitors having a stake in the outcome and feeling empowered as active participants instead of passive viewers.
