Berated, mocked and told to get on all fours: This buzzy L.A. show tests the limits

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Set us as preferred “The Pineapple” promised to be intense, but even hours before the show had begun, it had me startled.I was warned, via a waiver attendees must sign to experience the production, to expect “intimate, and/or aggressive physical contact,” “confined spaces and passageways,” and that I may be asked to crawl, kneel or lie down.

All of it would happen in a show that I was cautioned would present simulated violence or “disturbing imagery.” As much as I love participatory, immersive theater — productions that often rely on some form of audience participation — “The Pineapple” was providing me with a checklist of things I generally avoid.It was a feeling that only grew when I reached the waiver’s end, and signed off that I was OK with claustrophobia (I am not).

What had I done?None of it, though, had fully prepared me for what Candle House’s “The Pineapple” actually was.By the time the hourlong experience in North Hollywood had reached its conclusion, I had been straddled by a woman who forced a gloved finger down my throat, outfitted with hooded, vision-impairing face masks, grabbed by the wrists as they were taped together, ordered to crawl toward a blood-stained room, and spooned or kissed by multiple male performers.“The Pineapple” is a buzzed-about show among the tight-knit immersive community, one that fits into the medium’s long tradition of productions designed for a sole audience member.

A short run last year in New Jersey sold out.Candle House has such a devoted following that its L.A.

shows have been selling out almost as instantly as they are announced.While it’s thus far been shrouded in secrecy — “The Pineapple” will not even release a program or cast list until its run has concluded — it comes highly recommended from acquaintances who saw it on the Ea...