While purchasing theater tickets, it is not common to receive a follow-up email requesting audience members to wear all black and bring a masquerade mask to the performance.

However, The Alchemist Theater, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., made this dress code a requirement for their production of “Faust: An Evening At The Mephisto Theatre.”

This memorable first impression introduced a unique rendition of the legend of “Faust.”

The story of “Faust” sets the foundation for various artistic renditions of humanity’s struggle with good versus evil. The original tale is one of a man named Faust who makes a deal with the devil, selling his soul for temporary power and success.

The Alchemist’s version focuses on a Milwaukee theater company during the Prohibition days of the 1920s. The company puts on a production of “Faust,” and the play becomes wildly successful.

The characters struggle with success and temptations of alcohol and lust in their lives offstage as they rise to stardom with promises of Broadway and the potential to broadcast the show on the radio.

The show begins on the Alchemist’s main stage with the characters of the Mephisto Theatre in rehearsal. Eventually, the actors leave the stage and go their separate ways, returning to their lives outside of the theater.

The dynamic of the show completely changes from this moment on. At this point, almost every space in The Alchemist becomes a stage. The audience is encouraged to move into the basement, where the show unfolds across all 6,000 square feet of the venue.

From speakeasies and alleys to a chapel and more, each room in the basement is set as a different location in the same 1920s Milwaukee neighborhood where all the characters live.

The musty, dimly-lit basement setting really enhances the show, generating a dark and tantalizing mood. Even the unintentional old basement smell adds character to the show.

The audience is not guided by a specific chronological order of events or scenes, but encouraged to explore the characters’ lives on their own. The audience members walk around, viewing scenes at their own pace. Even if the scene is not over, audience members are allowed to travel between rooms and move as they please.

The actors also move around the space and engage in scenes with all characters while moving in between rooms. Most of the actors do not engage with the audience, except for the bartenders at the speakeasies, who bridged the gap between actors and audience members by tempting them with drinks from the Prohibition era.

The show is not meant to take place in chronological order, but rather to feel like a dream.

There is no way that an audience member can know everything that is happening, as so many scenes are taking place all at once. Some of the major scenes were repeated, and the important points were incorporated into more than one scene, so the audience is never lost, no matter what order they view the scenes in.

This way of storytelling can be confusing, but also interesting. Each audience member sees the show in a unique perspective. Everyone witnesses different scenes, so no one has the same viewing experience. Anything left unexplained is up to the viewer’s interpretation.

“Faust: An Evening At The Manifesto Theatre” runs Oct. 6 to 29 Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. at the Alchemist Theater, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Tickets are $17 online and $19 at the door. For tickets and info, visit alchemisttheater.com.