For its Black History Month season opener, the venerable M Ensemble Company is giving a new generation of patrons a chance to experience a true piece of American theater history
Seven Deadly Sins is neither immersive nor interactive, strictly speaking. Call it experiential event theater.
After undergoing a temperature check and picking up wristbands at the Colony Theatre box office, theatergoers head west across Lenox Avenue to a pop-up, open-air bar called Purgatory, at the center of the 1100 block.
There, under the stars, with celestial white lights, devilish red ones, and burning tiki torches decorating the space, singer Kareema Khouri and keyboard player/musical director Wilkie Ferguson kick things off with theme-appropriate numbers such as “Sinner Man” and “Fever.” The passion driving her singing and his playing underscores the joy of performers and audiences reunited.