Bottom Of The Ocean / BOTO 1139 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11221

"Like a spa day. Totally unique, intimate, and immersive journey through the selves. The visuals and sound bath at the end was the coolest."

"Not to be the usual contrarian, but I beg to differ from the multiple 5-star reviews out there. [SPOILER ALERT] First, the actors are great. They act, sing and always stay in character even in the weirdest moments. No complaints about that. However, the whole storytelling is lacking. There is sort of a common motif, which is introspection and redemption. But that is not clear from the beginning. The journey starts with repeated references to the undersea (not to mention the name of the play itself), but the message is quickly lost during the play and completely absent in the end. For example, while we waited for the other participants to go through the journey before us (entrance is staggered and the tickets with the least rooms enter last), the actor asked us to “vibe in synch with the building” using a diapason. Leaving aside the fact that we felt a bit silly doing that (that’s the beauty of immersive theater—I told myself), the vibration theme is nowhere present in the play and nothing to do with the undersea theme. Perhaps come up with a game for those entering last that is more in tune with the undersea motif? Moreover, the decoration is not that well-crafted and along the journey I kept questioning my life choices (why did I pay $150 to wear a silly cape while wandering in a Brooklyn basement on Saturday night?) To be clear: I’ve been to Sleep No More (my best so far) and Then She Fell and I greatly appreciate immersive theater. We got the 2-person tickets without access to the extra rooms, so perhaps that extra room (and a half) is life-changing. I doubt. Seems more like a case of collective drinking the Kool Aid, at least at that price point. And most of all, a bit disappointed by the NYT running this as the show of the year."

"One of the best immersive theatre experience I have been. Very exclusive and highly recommended their solo experience tidal wave. Amazing sound effects and spiritual experiences!"

"Interacting intimately with talented actors is always a very special experience. However, I cannot recommend this show at the current price point of >$100/ticket. BOTO doesn't come close to the elaborate production value of Then She Fell, Sleep No More, and Meow Wolf, but I was most disappointed in the storytelling. Similar to The Grand Paradise (actually similar storytelling elements/themes!), there's not a lot to hang onto and it feels shallow. I wonder if leaning into the horror element may be more interesting...there was one particular experience that stood out, but I'll withhold from spoilers!"

"I hope future reviewers know to leave their opinion without any spoilers; BOTO takes you on a metaphorical journey through a series of rooms and asks you to open yourself up and share a sliver of your human experience and emotion through a sensory experiment and at the time of this review was $100 a ticket which I believe is very cheap for this type of intimate, personal performance. Though a tad general at times, BOTO manages to carry away even the most sarcastic participant (me) and charms you into playing along with whatever scenario or ritual you find yourself in. I recommend knowing as little as possible when you go and leaving your doubts at the door, be genuine, honest and just be yourself, leaving the character acting to the talented cast. The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the general production quality (props, set designs, etc). BOTO feels on occasion like a small town high school haunted house then a truly professional NYC production. Hopefully it will improve in the future."