Why do we love being scared so much? If you took a Psych 101 class at some point, it had to do with a concept called “sensation seeking.” It’s an inherent love of being on the edge and ending up okay. In short, it’s a thrill.
In entertainment, escape artists have been providing those thrills for more than a century. Houdini is easily the most famous of these artists, but there is a long legacy of incredible artists who are willing to go to great lengths to amaze an audience. While there may be some illusion involved, these are feats that require incredible physical prowess, skill, and, of course, as Noel Coward would say, “a talent to amuse.”
Popular as they are, these shows are seldom seen in New York; they are more likely to be in Vegas, but through the end of the month, audiences here will have a chance to experience a truly remarkable show firsthand.
“Lord Nil and the Seven Deadly Sins” was devised by a performer who calls himself Lord Nil, and it involves seven increasingly elaborate (and dangerous) acts as Lord Nil battles with a character called Vice, a deliciously scary Steph Payne, to earn his freedom from sin. Yes, there’s a simple storyline, and it’s engaging. Vice challenges the audience, and a corps of dancers (excellent choreography by Stefano Alessandrino) keeps the energy high between escapes.
More than just entertaining, though, Lord Nil hopes that the act will encourage people to face their own fears and push themselves to overcome them. We probably don’t need to go as far as being suspended over flaming torches in a straitjacket or being at risk of being cleaved in two by an ax, but the classic relief of a hair’s breadth escape from certain doom may, in fact, allow one to put their own fears in perspective.
Lord Nil has designed each of the escapes, and in a conversation with Gay City News, said that for every one that makes it into the show, there are perhaps dozens of ideas that won’t work.
“You see a movie, or read a book, and you think, ‘okay, this is cool,’” Lord Nil said. “Then you talk to designers and ask if it’s possible to do, and you consult with doctors. You may work on something for three, four, five, or even six years to get it right.”
Lord Nil didn’t set out to become an escape artist. He has multiple degrees, is fluent in several languages, and studied martial arts, but he didn’t know escapology could be a career. “It’s not something a kid says when they’re growing up as in ‘I want to be an astronaut,’ or something.” As he explains, he was studying Shanghai, and he got interested in escape artists, and he said, “I had time to train. I met the right people in the right moment,” and his new course was set.
In the ensuing years, Lord Nil has refined and developed the act. He appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” and has traveled the world. As he’s traveled, he’s discovered that, as with many forms of entertainment, what audiences expect is different in different parts of the world. For example, he notes, that in Japan, audiences are much more into what Lord Nil calls “superhero stuff.” However in the West, he says, you have to do something “beyond imagination, overwhelm your limits, your fears, and your endurance. However, no one wants to be scared for 70 minutes, so it’s important to find the right balance of risk and entertainment.”
One of the most intriguing parts of the show, at least from the audience perspective, is how the escapes are perceived. As Lord Nil points out, audiences know that there was a show yesterday and there will be one tomorrow. That provides a kind of emotional safety net for the audience that allows them to fully engage with the apparent risks of each escape. It’s the sensation of danger — and wonder at how all of this is achieved — that provides the excitement.
As to how it’s all achieved, it’s a big undertaking. Lord Nil says there are a lot of people backstage, and it’s demanding. “You should see the backstage between the matinee and evening shows. You will see 11 people just lying on the floor trying to get the strength back to do the next show. We have to run 70 minutes as fast as possible and never stop.” That, Lord Nil says, is what creates the tension and the drama of the show.
There is plenty of that. At the performance I saw, audience members screamed nervously at each successive escape attempt…and cheered joyously at its successful conclusion, and that’s the point.
Lord Nil said he hadn’t expected to play in New York, but he and his company have been pleased by how they’ve been embraced by supposedly sophisticated urbanites enjoying classic entertainment.
And, as you might expect, the show moves from here to a residency in Vegas in the months to come.
In the meantime, escape to Stage 42 for a lot of high stakes fun.
Lord Nil: 7 Deadly Sins | Stage 42 | 422 West 42nd Street | Mon, Tues, Thurs 7:30 p.m.; Fri 8:30 p.m.; Sat 3:30 & 8:30 p.m.; Sun 3:30 p.m. | $40-$154 at Telecharge | 70 minutes, no intermission
