60Out presents Miss Jezebel Online: 2020 Review

Los Angeles, CA

Hi, folks! We’ve been noticeably quiet since the novel Coronavirus shut down 2020 as we know it, focusing more on retro updates. And even as places are slowly starting to open back up again, a large part of our content generators—large crowd attractions and seasonal events—remain on hold as officials track the spread of the disease and figure out how to adjust their own operations to provide a safe but still enjoyable experience for their guests who attend.

One might think this means the fun police are in control for the foreseeable future, but the greatest challenges breed the best innovations, and that has already shown itself in at least one popular entertainment medium: escape rooms!

But wait a minute, you say! How can escape rooms even operate in the Era of the ‘Rona? They require a group of people to be together in close quarters, touching a bunch of things, and sometimes even breathing heavily as the anxiety of the time crunch creeps ever closer to 0:00. That’s a breeding ground for virus spread! Well, do that, I present 60Out’s Miss Jezebel. The popular escape room franchise is home to multiple locations across Los Angeles County and features literally dozens of games to play, but earlier this month, with all physical locations shut down, it launched its first virtual escape room, using one of its most popular games, Miss Jezebel, as the guinea pig. And Westcoaster got to be one of the beta testers for this new twist on interactive and puzzle-solving theater.

The premise of Miss Jezebel is simple and salacious. Participants play a detective in the 1930s who has been on the trail of a black widow—a mysterious seductress who has left multiple dead husbands in her wake. Known only as Miss Jezebel, this woman is cunning, charismatic, and as it appears, a killer. Going undercover, the detective must meet with Miss Jezebel herself and uncover the truth before he, himself falls victim to her wiles and deadly ways!

Traditionally, guests have played the part of a singular character in many escape room plots, but with Miss Jezebel Online, this takes on a more literal approach. Utilizing the Zoom online meeting platform, participants join via the interwebs and are presented with the point of view of the unnamed detective (and effectively, our game master), who maintains the presentation view and does the actual interaction within the game. Members can communicate with each other via the video chat and provide instructions to the detective, acting like thoughts inside his head that are conveyed to Miss Jezebel in their interactions. In addition, the participants direct the camera and movement throughout the room, exploring the space and checking out potential evidence and clues.

It sounds like a classic film noir, but there’s a naughty twist, and it is Miss Jezebel herself. Raunchy, and inappropriate, she is an absolute riot to interact with. From dirty innuendos to outright sexual gags, Miss Jezebel (played by the ravishingly excellent Patrick Cooley in our session) flirts and scandalizes to great comedic effect while also functioning as a reminder of the countdown in a decidedly risque kayfabe way. The interactions with Miss Jezebel were by far the highlight of the game. Incorporating elements of improv and immersive theater, they allowed for different ways of completing individual objectives as we proceeded through our investigation. And though some of the dialogue sometimes created a big of anxiety as to when we could finish the conversation and resume our search, the back and forth constantly had us lurching with laughter.

Getting our briefing before our investigation (and game) begins.

Participating in an online version of an escape room does pose challenges over the traditional physical experience. Confined to a singular point of view, groups are unable to fan out and explore multiple sets and clues at the same time to cut down their time to uncover the mystery. The web camera also literally limits the field of vision, which sometimes requires a bit of backtracking to study a prop again or hone in on a particular item.

But surprisingly and pleasantly, these restrictions don’t really inhibit the experience that much at all. Other than having to look at things “one at a time,” we were able to clearly and quickly communicate instructions to our increasingly nervous detective as we were pulled into increasingly awkward and bizarre (and hilarious) plot progressions. A headlamp worn by our detective / cameraman helped literally illuminate certain details, compensating for the lower dynamic range of a camera compared to the human eye. Plus, working through the case from the beneift of our homes allowed us to take notes and jot down clues for future use—a luxury that most escape rooms prohibit in person and an advantage that balanced out the isolated point of view.

On the technical side, the connection remained strong the entire hour, with clear audio and smooth video that helped our team communicate well and virtually see almost as well as if we were in the room itself. Even the first person view cinematography was well handled, allowing us to see the results of certain solved puzzles and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing devices unlocked.

Ultimately, we were able to solve the puzzles and complete our mission, cracking the case within the hour allotment. The puzzles themselves were challenging, but they were also fun to engage and never felt difficult for the sole sake of being difficult. Not every part of the full, in-person version made it into Miss Jezebel Online—some items had to be cut to realistically allow for time to complete tasks over an online format. But the primary beats of the story and the clues remain, and the entire session was wildly enjoyable.

We finished our trial thoroughly impressed with the creativity and efficiency of the 60Out staff and actors. Miss Jezebel Online was able to offer a fantastic and very gratifying experience despite the absence of tactile interaction that has traditionally been elemental in escape rooms. It shows that with technology and innovation, many artistic endeavors remain possible. And as a group activity outing, Miss Jezebel Online allowed our group of friends to get the satisfaction of working and interacting together while staying safely social distancing within our homes!

The lewd content isn’t only limited to the dialogue—it’s also found in props and some of the storyline action!

Miss Jezebel online is limited to 5 maximum players who must all be 18 years of age or older. Participants must download the Zoom app prior to playing, and a link is provided to the online meeting shortly before the scheduled reservation time. A game is $125—a $25/person bargain with a maxed out group and comparable to a typical $40 - $50 per person live escape room price. If you’re itching for some activity but don’t want to venture out of the house quite yet, invite yourself to this most lascivious tea party. You won’t regret it!