LA theatergoers charged $60 to watch play in which entire audience is BLINDFOLDED

A theater in Los Angeles is charging $60 for audience members to be blindfolded for the whole performance in a bizarre new experience.  

A debut show, titled ‘Poe: Pulse & Pendulum,’ offered theatergoers a whole new experience – letting them pay $63.80 to see nothing at all. 

Theatre Obscura LA has taken on modern interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ and ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by requiring audience members be blindfolded during the two one-act plays, according to The Los Angeles Times. 

Paul Millet, who founded the experience, told the outlet that removing the visual elements from the audience was to further add to the unease that the show is intended to have. 

‘If you take the visual away, it’s going to make you feel uneasy,’ Millet said. 

The two stories, works by one of the world’s most recognized writers of horror, are that of a disturbing and uneasy nature in their own right. 

‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ tells the tale of psychological horror, where a man is being tortured during the Spanish Inquisition. 

The story surrounds a narrator, played by Melissa Lugo in Millet’s adaptation, who has been immersed in a completely dark dungeon after being sentenced to death. 

The debut show, titled ‘Poe: Pulse & Pendulum,’ offered theatergoers a whole new experience – letting them pay $63.80 to see nothing at all

‘If you take [sight] away, you’re already naturally uncomfortable,’ Millet explained to the outlet. ‘So we lean into that. We know you’re going to be uncomfortable. We know this is not the norm.’

‘But get on that ride with us. Be willing to be uncomfortable. Discomfort, I think, helps to heighten the experience and ideally allow it to trigger the emotional reactions that the story does.’

Millet’s vision includes jump scares, loud noises and, if an audience member consents, limited touch. 

The Times described the feeling of air from a fan held in the hand of an actor at a critical moment in the story in which a sword was described swinging above the narrators head. 

However, the use of touch remained restrained as Millet explained to the outlet: ‘We want people to feel unease, but I don’t want anyone taken out of the story because a boundary or line was crossed.’

He also occasionally uses smell and certain scents to add to the narration, but, again, without costing too much of the audience’s attention.  

The room, covered in ornate old chairs and rugs, is bathed in a red light – serving as the only light of the room and adding to the general eeriness of the show. 

Millet’s concept for the show was in the works since 2023, according to the Times, and may seem like a rip-off if you’re looking for a visual delight. 

But Millet defends the idea, and believes it offers a unique experience that plays on human senses. 

Paul Millet, who founded the experience, told the outlet that removing the visual elements from the audience was to further add to the unease that the show is intended to have

‘You can feel the movement of the characters around you,’ he told the outlet. ‘You’re in the environment with the story as it unfolds. You can experience it on a more visceral level.’

The second story, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ which follows themes of guilt, paranoia and madness, saw more sounds of crashing glass and creaky floorboards, according to the outlet. 

Millet said his goal was to ‘really try to engage the audience’s imagination.’ 

‘I was intrigued,’ he said.  

The show is set to run from March 20 to April 12 every weekend with only twelve performances. 

The Daily Mail reached out to Paul Millet and Theatre Obscura LA for comment.