Experiential entertainment has come for the house party in “The Last Floor.”
A new limited-run show is applying the more and more popular concept of “immersive” theater with the classic activity of drinking while socializing.
For four nights only this May and June, a limited audience is invited to be “immersed in a cocktail party experience” that includes an open bar, light bites, live music, sweeping views of Manhattan, a “fabulous party” and a show that “unfolds around them, according to press materials.
“The Last Floor” — which will use the storied penthouse at 80 W. 40th St. as its stage — will take place over the course of three hours and promises not just to entertain its patrons in an exclusive space, but also to serve as a mixer of sorts.
Tickets are limited to 50 people per performance and cost just under $270 per person.
“It’s the perfect date night or a fun night out with friends, and it’s also a great way for solo audience members to meet new friends and have an unforgettable night out,” Alfredo Guenzani, who co-created the play with “Sleep No More” alum Assaf Salhov, explained to The Post via email. “I believe most people take a nap during a two-hour theater show, so I created a three-hour cocktail party with several ten-minute theater episodes within it.”
As for what the show portion of “The Last Floor” is specifically about, the release is light on details besides that it’s “a dark comedy about immigrants” and the power of human connection.
The venue, however, speaks for itself: The stunning atelier in the landmarked, 10-story building once known as Beaux Arts Studios features a stained glass dome, double-height windows and a colorful history — it was designed and long occupied by the building’s benefactor, the artist and rancher Abraham Archibald Anderson.
The show is created in partnership with Luxuny, a multifaceted business that is based out of the top-floor Bryant Park spread and bills itself as a combination luxury store, art gallery and private club on a mission to create a space where “commerce meets culture and community,” as its founders recently told the New York Times.
In the same vein, “The Last Floor” is also a multifaceted concept, more a “luxury entertainment experience,” as Guenzani described it, than anything traditional theater generally offers.
It may sound more convoluted than romantic, but in an era defined by loneliness, in an eye-wateringly expensive city brimming with performers eager for a well-paying gig, it may be exactly what many New Yorkers are willing to pay just under $300 for right now.
“The Last Floor” will take place at 80 W. 40th St., Manhattan on May 11th, May 25th, June 8th, and June 22nd. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.