ANDSOFORTH Jr. presents 22 Stories, a brand-new immersive theatrical experience nestled away from the city at PeopleUp@Pandan. What they lack in accessibility, they make up for in size and pizzazz. The interactive play area sprawls across 20,000 sq ft and features 22 Insta-worthy experiential rooms, along with many classic characters from your childhood.
Witness your favourite Disney and storybook characters come to life at 22 Stories from Wednesday, 1 May 2019 to Sunday, 30 June 2019, which promises plenty of laughs, fun and all-around wonder.
Split into four “worlds” – Wonderland, Land of Nights, Grimmsneyland, and Storyland – visitors are allocated four hours to check out the 22 rooms. As all the rooms have the same showtimes, you may not be able to experience all 22 rooms. Each visit could cover 20 rooms at best, so you may want to consider not viewing the croquet room and the magic carpet ride if you are running out of time as these rooms do not have any characters.
You will still have a chance to check out rooms you have not visited during break times. Each four-hour slot includes three long breaks, during which you are allowed to enter all 22 rooms freely. As a tip, keep a mental note of your favourite Insta-worthy photo spots during your interactive experience, and visit those spots later during the breaks to get your shots. This way, you will be able to fully immerse in the interactive experience and get great shots – with no photobombers – after!
No two visits will be the same as the characters’ appearance are divided into “even emerald” and “odd orange” weeks, with some characters such as Aladdin and Cinderella only making an appearance on alternate weeks.
What makes 22 Stories unique is that – while there are storylines or tasks for each character to execute – the cast have not committed themselves to a fixed monologue. This makes them highly adaptive for any situation or to suit each group they meet. They even stayed in character during breaks, so long as they were within visitors’ sights.
You may also realize that not all the stories were how you remembered them as a child, notably Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid (read on to find out more). 22 Stories have reimagined your favourite classics to suit to suit with the changing times – you may end up liking the newly-improved tales more!
Here’s what you can expect at each of the four “worlds”:
Wonderland
Follow the young, curious Alice as she uncovers a secret passageway in her father’s library. At the end of the tunnel, you’ll meet the Mad Hatter at his tea party – who needs your help to tell the correct time. Have a go at croquet with the guidance of a friendly playing card, before having an audience with the Queen of Hearts – make her pleased and you shall leave with your head still intact.
Land of Nights
Inspired by the Arabian classic, One Thousand and One Nights, Land of Nights features Ali Baba and characters from Aladdin. Solve a riddle to enter the Cave of Gold, but beware of the thief that lurks in the shadows – protect your treasure at all costs!
Aladdin awaits at the renowned marketplace, where he guides visitors around the area to boost tourism while Jasmine is away. After getting a tour of the castle, meet the uninhibited genie to get your wish fulfilled – but this time, it might come at a price. Lastly, end off your journey at the world of Aladdin with a magic carpet ride to see “a whole new world.”
Grimmsneyland
At this realm of 22 Stories, filled with twisted fairy tales, sees princesses and fairy godmothers take charge of their own lives. What if Sleeping Beauty was never cursed? Mariah Mackerel Mermaid, Grimmsneyland’s rendition of Ariel, shares that it is merely Aurora’s way of pickpocketing strangers who think it’s ok to walk up to a random woman and kiss her while she’s sleeping – surely, they had it coming?
Mariah recently broke up with her boyfriend and has since swapped back her legs for her voice, but she’s lost and can’t find her way back. Help Mariah find the missing pieces of the map so she may return home safely.
Meet Cinderella and get on board her magical pumpkin – but only if you can pass a simple etiquette test. Next, meet her fairy godmother who will teach you all about the power of self-belief, and that you too can be anything you want to be when you set your heart and your mind to it!
Storyland
Help Mama Swan find one of her precious children, and climb the giant beanstalk to escape as quietly as possible before the giant returns. There, you’ll meet a narcissistic Emperor who will teach you the ways of royalty – or learn the way of narcissism at the room of mirrors.
Lastly, Hanzel enlists your help to find his sister, Gretel, while nibbling away at the doors and licking the windows of the witch’s candy house. However, it becomes a race against time as you are tasked with solving the code for the padlock and escape before the witch returns.
22 Stories
Date: Wednesday, 1 May 2019 to Sunday, 30 June 2019
Time: 10am-2pm (Saturdays and Sundays) and 5.30-9.30pm (Fridays to Sundays)
Venue: PeopleUp@Pandan, 200 Pandan Gardens, Singapore 609336
Ticket prices start at $38. For more information, visit https://22stories.com.sg
Photos by Goh Jing Wen of the DANAMIC team.
