Once Upon a Crime in Paris: the immersive show where you become the detective and rewrite the ending of the fairy tale

What if your childhood fairy tales became the starting point of a live criminal investigation? In Paris, at the Alliance Française Theatre, the show Once Upon a Crime offers an immersive and interactive experience that reimagines Little Red Riding Hood as a crime scene investigation staged on the theater stage. This immersive performance in Paris, lasting an hour, encourages audience members to participate actively through a voting system that influences the story’s progression and multiple possible endings.

On stage, a detective conducts interviews with characters from favorite childhood stories. Little Red Riding Hood suddenly emerges as the prime suspect in a crime whose details unfold gradually. Alibis are scrutinized in front of the audience. Contradictions surface throughout the investigation. Revelations start to challenge the original story we all know. The writing employs a tone tinged with dark humor. The show is aimed at an adult audience, offering a darker reimagining of these beloved figures. You follow each step of the investigation from your seat, observing the suspects’ reactions. You're invited to form your own opinions as each piece of evidence is revealed.

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At certain moments, the show pauses to allow the audience to cast their votes. These collective choices steer the detective’s investigation along different paths. Some secrets are uncovered based on the direction chosen by the crowd, while others remain hidden if the votes head elsewhere. This interactive element crafts an ever-changing story. No two performances of Once Upon a Crime in Paris end the same way.

This immersive show is built on a simple idea: placing the audience at the heart of a dynamic, unfolding story where each decision shapes the course of the investigation. The voting system turns the performance into a collective experience, leaving the outcome uncertain until the very last moment. As the mystery unfolds, certainties waver and different versions collide. The revisiting of the tale questions the concept of innocence and how stories have been shaped since childhood. As you leave the Théâtre de l’Alliance Française, one question lingers: if you had voted differently, would the story have gone in an entirely different direction? All that’s left is to carry out the investigation.

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