Some things can only be solved with an Axe. The Kansas Collection

Press photos Courtesy of The Speakeasy Society

The Axe is the second show in a series called the Kansas Collection. The exciting and emotional show was put on by the Speakeasy Society. The series revolves around the story of Dorothy in a way I’ve never experienced. Get ready for a raw look into the world of Oz and the chaos that lives there.

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The Kansas Collection Chapter 2 | The Axe

I walked into The Axe knowing a lot more than I did with the first show, The Key (read the review here first). I felt a lot more prepared for whatever the Speakeasy Society could throw at me. And I’m happy to say that their new show still surprised me!

The Axe Synopsis | Spoilers inside

*SPOILERS BELOW*

The Axe began with an email informing me that I must infiltrate the Patchwork militia for the Scarecrow. I was to gather as much information as I could and report back to the Scarecrow. It would be dangerous, but the land of Oz is in turmoil, so danger was to be expected.

I was put into a group of 4 and introduced to a Patchwork militia recruitment officer…or at least that’s who I thought she was. Not too long after meeting her, we discovered that she actually worked for REVOLT, a secret organization led by none other than Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. After a few minutes of grilling, the recruiter believed or just didn’t care that our group were looking to join the Patchwork militia. She led us to meet Glinda.

We immediately discover that Glinda had changed a bit since Dorthy left. The happy and kindly pink-dress-wearing witch was gone. Instead, we found a grime-covered, axe-weilding young woman in the midst of interrogating a tearful chained prisoner. We watched as she interrogated him and soon discovered he was none other than the Tin Man himself. As the scene continued, our group learned of his love and hurt with some of the best acting I’ve ever seen at an immersive theater event. At this point, one of our group members was sent away with a mischievous woman, and we did not see her again for another 10 minutes. The rest of us remained in the tent and continued watching and listening to Glinda’s tale.

Then at one point, while Glinda was occupied with other business, the Tin Man asked if we knew the location of Dorothy. When he finally realized that we were all ignorant of her location, he grew upset. He finally jumped up and threw off his chains, crying out that their ruse had failed. As it turned out, the Tin Man and Glinda were working together to try and get info from us. The interrogation had been a fake. Glinda ordered us out, as we were no longer useful.

Outside the tent we were reunited with our last group member and the mischievous woman she was with. We spend only a moment with her, and during this time discover that she is none other than the cowardly Lion. She then leads us outside the tent and back to the entrance room, to end the play.

Our group reconvenes in the entrance room, to discuss what we’d seen. It turns out that our final group member had engaged in a very intimate and intense conversation with the Lion while she’d been away. The Lion had revealed that she had no alliances to any side, but instead played both sides to see how she would most benefit. She’d already found Dorothy, and was keeping her at a safe location until she could decide how best to use her. She’d given our friend a card with a phone number that was a direct line to Dorothy.

Once outside the venue, we called the number and connected to a recording of a frantic angry woman who told us to stay away from Dorothy. She hung up and left us excited to discover more.

The cast of The Axe

Press photos Courtesy of The Speakeasy Society

Review: The Axe by the Speakeasy Society

Acting

I can’t even begin to praise the acting of this show enough. I hate to put a value on talent, but some of these actors were worthy of a $150 Pantages event. I found myself emotionally caught up in a number of the scenes. I had originally been worried that The Key might have set the bar too high, but am happy to report that the Axe pushed it even further.

The Story

I love a unique angle on a story I am already familiar with. If Wicked shook the concept of the Wizard of Oz, the Kansas Collection turns it even more fully upside down. The audience is exposed to a visceral look at the underbelly of the land of Oz. I eagerly await the next part of the Kansas Collection to discover more about the Oz universe.

The Price

The Axe cost me a grand total of $15 per ticket. Anyone who goes out in LA knows that is often the cost of a drink at any old bar. I can’t imagine a show that had better value for its cost than The Speakeasy Society’s show The Axe.

Press photos Courtesy of The Speakeasy Society

Length

The Axe lasts 20-30 minutes, just enough time to get completely absorbed.

The Set

The set for The Axe was definitely better than The Key. It was in an abandoned building in Little Armenia. It felt creepy and very underground-society-like. They didn’t have too much in the way of decorations, but luckily it didn’t really detract from the show.

For the first installment of The Kansas Collection (The Key), I had mentioned that I had been a bit disappointed in the set and decorations. But now that I have experienced two, I realize that the pricing and pop-up nature of the show would make it near impossible.

And as it turns out, I am quite happy to give up some ambiance in exchange for the price and quality of the acting.

Summary:

9.6

Name: The Axe | The Second Part of the Kansas Collection Oz Immersive Event
Item: The Axe
Rating: 9.6
Author: Lucy Fairweather

/10

The Axe Review Summary

Ride the nearest tornado to the Kansas Collection as soon as you can. The Speakeasy Society has created something amazing and exciting with this immersive series. I don’t know what is coming next, but I’ll be the first in line.