I will start by saying this was really hard for me to write. As someone who is a huge believer in following your dreams I really wanted to be head over heels in love with this immersive experience. That, unfortunately, was not the case regarding the Bar of Dreams.

Bar of Dreams: LA is described as follows:

Audience members are invited to experience the Bar of Dreams: Los Angeles, an intimate and absurd immersive comedy. After drifting away into the dreams of a peculiar bartender, four participants find themselves at the whim of his unconscious mind. In this two-hour surreal experience, prepare for delicious drinks, intimate one-on-ones, and hilarious shenanigans — all with a dose of childhood nostalgia!

The evening starts with an Uber ride to North Hollywood. I’m given directions, told not to be late and to come in pajamas (I don’t own any but I popped on sweat pants a comfy shirt and slippers). 8:00 pm arrives and my fellow mates on this strange adventure are all waiting around on a dark corner. 8:05 arrives and a man who we will come to know as Connie comes jauntily walking down the street. I recognized the bad wig and was ready to see where the night took us.

The banter was silly and kept us moving towards our destination. Once we arrived we found ourselves in a small apartment that may have doubled as their actual apartment. Now I will say off the bat the Connie and Will were 100% dedicated to the characters they portrayed, which was fun to watch.

Without giving too much away I will just try to hit some of the high and low points for me. Alcohol is a part of the experience as it’s called Bar of Dreams. I’m not a drinker which was fine, but it would have been cool if they had anything to offer people who don’t drink. Tons of people go to bars and get sodas or non-alcoholic versions of popular drinks. So this was a low point for me. Also, the story itself seemed to get really convoluted and at a few points, some of the other participants asked, “I don’t even remember what we were supposed to be doing or what’s going on.”

With that said, I enjoyed my chat with the character of Cupid as well as the thought behind what they were trying to accomplish overall. Then you look at the $75 price tag and I had to say to myself would this be worth paying $75 to see, and sadly the answer for me would be no.

It feels thrown together, and disjointed. While they have some great attention to detail in some of the bar areas, the overall feel is one that lacks cohesiveness and a strong through line. Again, I really wanted to like this and I even gave one hell of a Eulogy for my good friend Mario. You can see the potential in Bar of Dreams: LA, but did it live up to my expectations? No. Do I think you should see it? Sure, your cup of tea might not be mine, but I do think you should see it so as to set a baseline for what you like and don’t like about immersive experiences. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I’m glad I got to experience an immersive experience that I can truly say was different than any other I have been a part of before. For more information on the Bar of Dreams: LA, visit www.barofdreams.com.

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Kamarra Cole

Kamarra Chamberlain, born in San Diego, currently resides in Hollywood. Raised on all things Horror and Gore, she's an actress, competitive outrigger canoe paddler, constant hugger, and is always on the search for the best California burrito.

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