Room Escape Artist

The Show Must Go On is one of the best escape rooms around Sydney, Australia. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms near Sydney.

Update : If you enjoyed this article, we hope you’ll check out our interview with Aaron Hooper and Leanne Yong, from Next Level Escape on S4E3 of The Reality Escape Pod.

Encore! 👏👏👏

Location: Sydney, Australia

Date Played: March 14, 2024

Team Size: 2-5; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: $60 AUD per player for 2 players down to $55 AUD per player for 5 players

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: Fully accessible

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

A cross between an escape room and an audio play, The Show Must Go On presented an experimental format that pushed the bounds of escape room storytelling in some truly intriguing ways.

The experience alternated between segments of audio-based narrative and of puzzle solving. These modes were mutually exclusive, giving each other space to breathe. While listening to audio segments, the main lights turned down, we typically had just finished whichever puzzle we’d been working on, and we could fully focus on the next audio scene. While solving puzzles, we had a clear sense of purpose behind our actions without needing to receive or recall any substantial narrative details. Throughout, our talented actor-gamemaster played the role of the assistant stage manager, both supplementing the prerecorded audio with improvised interactivity and occasionally entering the room to retrieve items needed up on the “stage” above us.

This approach felt meaningfully different from the vast majority of other escape rooms that present verbose stories through either writing or audio. Narrative and puzzles complemented each other rather than competing, and we knew upfront that the narrative segments were not puzzles. Never did we enter into the mindset of scouring a page of text for that one clue that’s relevant to the next puzzle, disregarding the story content in the process. The characters were compelling and entertaining, with top-notch campy voice acting.

The Show Must Go On experimented in relatively uncharted territory for escape rooms. Most of the risks it took paid off surprisingly well, while other elements showed room for further calibration. The writing was all excellent but could have been more concise. The environment wasn’t physically designed for lengthy periods of listening, and, lacking that, I frequently found myself sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring awkwardly up at the ceiling. Puzzles almost always cleanly gated narrative, but the occasional exceptions to this flow felt mildly disruptive. Through this all, the game fully committed to the bit and was all the more interesting for its unique strengths and shortcomings alike.

Each experience at Next Level Escape presented a witty, nerdy, and thoroughly innovative take on escape rooms. Incorporating many of their learnings from The Show Must Go On, Next Level Escape struck a substantially smoother balance of narrative and puzzle elements in Forest of Echoes. While I’d recommend saving Forest of Echoes for last to best experience Next Level Escape’s evolution over time, The Show Must Go On — along with truly every game at Next Level Escape — are not to be missed.

Who is this for?

• Story seekers
• Theater kids
• Puzzle lovers
• Best for players with at least some experience

Why play?

• An innovative hybrid of narrative and escape room
• Cleverly contextualized puzzles
• So many theater jokes
• A memorable final act

Story

We joined a local amateur dramatic society’s production of Romeo and Juliet as stagehands. It was our job to assist with lighting, rigging, and the like, and surely nothing would go wrong…

Setting

The Show Must Go On took place below a theater’s stage, in a narrow hallway lined with lockers, various backstage tech controls, and memorabilia from past shows.

Gameplay

Next Level Escape’s The Show Must Go On was part audio play and part escape room with a moderate level of difficulty. The experience alternated between segments of story, presented via a mix of audio and light actor interactions, and segments of more traditional escape room gameplay.

During the story segments, we overheard various ridiculous escapades happening on the stage above us. No actions required of us during these segments, though they each provided integral framing and an actionable setup for the ensuing puzzling.

Analysis

➕ The Show Must Go On presented a stellar narrative and meta-narrative about a comically terrible regional theater production of Romeo and Juliet. The writing was witty, dynamic, and well-paced, if at times a bit overindulgent. In theme, style of humor, and incessant fourth wall breaking, it felt like a distant cousin of The Play That Goes Wrong.

➕ Our game host was a talented and attentive actor who played an integral role in the experience. Demonstrating some legit improv chops, he actively played with us throughout, guiding the energy and seamless transitioning between segments and modes.

➕ The Show Must Go On was layered with nerdy theater humor while still being funny and accessible to less theater-literate audiences.

➕ In most escape rooms, there’s no real reason for why the gamemaster’s voice comes from a randomly placed speaker in the ceiling. In The Show Must Go On, our setting below the theater’s stage perfectly justified the overhead narration.

➕/➖ As we alternated between “story mode” and “puzzle mode,” it was consistently clear when we should be listening and when we should be puzzling. Each and every puzzle was narratively motivated, with exceptionally incremental plot beats. There were also ways in which this dichotomy worked less well: with little to look at or handle during often lengthy narrative segments, we were entertained but felt physically passive. The environment would have also benefited from some thematic seating.

➕ Spatial lighting and sound made a small environment feel dynamic.

➖ The set felt more like the idea of a theater’s backstage than the actual thing. The props and decor all fit the theme, yet the environment was too many different things overlaid — at once a green room, dressing room, stage manager’s office, and stage wings. This served the gameplay sufficiently, yet with a few small edits, could have communicated a stronger sense of place.

➕ With puzzles designed around narrative and narrative designed around puzzles, we always had a sense of purpose. Our actions and their consequences were both fun and funny.

➕ An elegantly thematic puzzle pulled us in, truly making us feel like stage hands.

➕ The final act gave players the opportunity to shine while also appropriately wrapping up the story. Throughout some nonstandard escape room interactions, we were fully guided and supported.

🎙️ Listeners of Escape This Podcast may recognize familiar voices throughout the game.

Tips For Visiting

• The Show Must Go On is best appreciated by players open to somewhat experimental experiences. If you’re a theater fan, you’ll love it. If you’re looking for a by-the-books traditional escape room, this might not be the game for you (or maybe it is and you just don’t know it yet!)
• Next Level Escape is located downtown and best reached by public transportation.

Book your hour with Next Level Escape’s The Show Must Go On, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Next Level Escape comped our tickets for this game.