‘New Orleans: The Beginnings’

You need to use your imagination to make “New Orleans: The Beginnings” work. But that’s the whole idea behind this interactive-theater piece that revolves around a talisman that may or may not be cursed, could be imported from Haiti and might be sold to your friendly neighborhood ghoul.

The setup: Audience members are part of a research team that goes back to 1840s Louisiana. There they encounter various characters of the era, including pirates, vagabonds, perhaps a vampire. The goal is to find out what they know about the talisman.

There are also individualized tasks — I was looking for 10 small coins to buy “protection.” Somehow all this informationgathering allegedly affects the outcome of our evening. And while the actors are spot-on in maintaining character and theme and steering us along, at times I felt like an outsider in a big inside joke. The Fringe Factor:

The venue is nontraditional. It’s a tent set up outside the black venue. Yeah, it’s as hot as those old downtown buildings where Orlando Fringe grew up and, conveniently, as humid as an 1840s bayou. Again: Imagination.

Curtain Call: Your partners in New Orleans will be a mixed bag. There will be aggressive truthseekers mingling with folks who don’t give a fig about the talisman. (Advice: If you go, go all in.)

Where & When: Black venue lawn, 60 minutes, $12, 13 and up. 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. May 20; 8 p.m. May 24; 8 p.m. May 25; 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. May 26; 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. May 27.