Fritz Lang's *Metropolis* Performed Live in Second Life

For the last several months, a metaverse theatrical group called CARP (for Cybernetic Art Research Project, official site here) created and staged an incredibly ambitious live action adaptation of Fritz Lang's masterpiece Metropolis, incorporating avatar-based acting, dynamically changing sets, and a new soundtrack composed for the show. NWN events writer Chestnut Rau was enthralled, but I wasn't able to attend. Fortunately for me and everyone else who missed it, CARP recently uploaded the entire production recorded as machinima in a series of chapters, with the total running nearly an hour. (A chapter featuring Lang's famous Maria robot above.) Since it originates as a live production based on a silent film, the narrative unfolds at a slower pace than most machinima -- in other words, probably not something you want to casually watch during a quick work break -- but it's absolutely worth a look, as an archive testament to the ambition and talent that CARP's Debbie Trilling and her large ensemble brought to the production.