Life and Trust is a spin on the Faust story by Emursive, the immersive theater company that reworked Macbeth in the style of Hitchcock for Sleep No More. The German legend of Faust tells the tale of a dissatisfied alchemist who makes a pact with the devil for success, riches, and love. But when your soul is for the taking, the deal is bound to go sour. In Life and Trust, Faust is Mr. Conwell, a banking magnate. On the evening of a big celebration at Conwell Tower, a bank built upon the fortunes of a magic syrup that cured his ailing sister, the wearied executive learns the stock market has plummeted. His entire fortune disappears in a blink, delivered to the audience members in his office with a mix of casual venomous disdain. Before he tries to take his own life, one of Satan’s minions offers him the chance to return to his original sin. From there, audience members follow various characters in their pursuit of pleasure, power, and legacy.

A year ago, Life and Trust opened and promptly closed after only 210 performances. This Emursive production was the successor to Sleep No More, a much longer running show. Pictured is the bar at the Conwell Coffee Hall, a shop that doubled as the lobby for Life and Trust. Located a block south of Wall Street, we met Dan there for lunch. He had been doing set construction on this project for almost a year. The set was huge, six floors, 160 rooms. Both of these Emursive productions are part of a new theater trend called immersive theater. In these shows both the audience and the cast roam about the set and are allowed to intermingle. Dan and Britt got to see Life and Trust before it closed. I tried to take us all to see Sleep No More before it closed but was too late. As it turns out Emursive owed their landlord $4.5M in back rent. This may also have something to do with the quick demise of Life and Trust, which closed after only a brief run. Its reviews were positive too. I am reminded of The Producers, a show about theater flimflam artists. Dan got paid and got comped tickets too.