Plague masks and ambisexual witches: Sleep No More’s immersive experience leaves behind endless gimmicky imitations

Punchdrunk’s revolutionary theater piece is no more after over a decade in New York. Now we’re drowning in structured fun

The “immersive experience” is one of the defining scams of our young century, in which the content-hungry and reality-starved will pay good money to take selfies in a ball pit, or pretend to be locked in a room by an MFA candidate in a top hat. These are spaces where entertainment is enmeshed with audience participation, often with alcohol and dining options.

To be “immersed” means to be inside of something, but buildings already accomplish that, so we now understand “immersive” to mean a building-sized gimmick. Immersive Van Gogh poses the question: “What if Starry Night were a giant screen saver?” Meow Wolf’s “mind-bending art installations” offer a return to the womb with their warm, EDM-hued tunnels. The Museum of Ice Cream allows adults to ride a pink slide into a pool of sprinkles.