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Guests gather for the wake of Dieter Roterberg in The Magician's Table, the new immersive close-up magic show from Right Angle Entertainment at a secret London location. Magic is currently having quite the moment within London's immersive scene. This month, two new shows - Rhythm & Ruse and The Magician’s Table - have opened, both promising an unforgettable night of music, cocktails, and close-up magic. They're also both laying claim to being the best close-up immersive show in town. With our five-star review of Rhythm&Ruse already posted, it's time to see what tricks The Magician's Table has up its sleeve. Photo: The Magician's Table The Magician’s Table invites guests to attend the wake of Dieter Roterberg, a famed carnival owner, magician, and collector of curiosities. Magicians from across the globe have gathered within his private performance space to celebrate his life and legacy alongside his widow, Calliope (Shea Wotjus). Under strict instructions left by Dieter, Calliope is tasked with following his meticulously planned script—covering everything from lighting cues to seating arrangements. This final night of music and magic is designed to be a fitting farewell to Roterberg, as well as an opportunity for his closest friends to attempt a trick that evaded him throughout his life.   The show has been written by BAFTA and Olivier award-winning writer Iain Sharkey, who is best known for co-writing several of Derren Brown’s TV specials and live shows, including Svengali, The Push, and Sacrifice. Photo: The Magician's Table From the moment you enter the venue, magic is front and centre, with every corner of the pre-show bar playing host to one of the show's numerous magicians performing for crowds as they mingle around the room. It's an atmospheric space to have your first taste of what's to come later, as well as your only opportunity to get a drink directly from the bar, with drinks being   served by table service only once seated. The drinks on offer are the usuals - beer, wine, snacks, as well as a selection of cocktails from a menu that includes Cinnamon Espresso Martinis and Negronitas alongside Spicy Margaritas, Rum Punch, and Raspberry Gin Fizz.   The bulk of the show takes place within Dieter's private performance space. With 10 semi-circle tables holding up to 12 people each, it's got ample room to house his closest friends and family. Overlooking them all from centre stage is Dieter’s illuminated death mask, a dramatic and fitting tribute to a man who clearly had a flair for the theatrical. Photo: The Magician's Table During our visit, we spent time with Richard McDougall, Harry De Cruz, Dee Christopher, Nick Stein, and Martyn Rowland. Collectively, their magic covers a wide spectrum - from sleight of hand to mentalism, card tricks, and cup and ball. While most of the tricks were impressively done, there were a couple of moments in which they were a bit too simple to not be quickly worked out. This may be an occupational hazard with doing close-up magic, but it does pull you out of the immersion somewhat when the solution to a trick isn't concealed quite as well as it could be.   Out of everyone we saw, the most extreme act was Dee Christopher, whose tricks incorporated both a syringe and a vile of Dieter's blood. The gruesome details are best left unsaid, but it had our table enthralled - half unable to look away, half averting their eyes in fear. Inherently, there's a thrill from seeing these performances up close, and the willingness of the cast to involve everyone at the table means we all had a part to play in the tricks. Photo: The Magician's Table In addition to the up-close magic, several set pieces are orchestrated by Calliope on the main stage, highlighting impressive feats of mentalism. During her opening remarks, she reflects on how she was often relegated to the role of assistant, spending too many nights being sawed in half or preparing props behind the scenes. With Dieter now gone, this is her chance to step into his shoes and achieve what he never could. Photo: The Magician's Table One trick recounts the night in Paris when Dieter and Calliope first fell in love. Dieter, an avid painter, attempted to read her mind and, through his brushstrokes, recreate the image she envisioned—a trick they now re-enact with the help of an audience member lying on a chaise lounge, alongside magician Gareth Kalyan. Later in the show, the elusive trick that Dieter spent his life chasing, known as The Magician's Table, is attempted by Calliope and Gareth with the audience’s participation. To reveal what happens would be to spoil the climax of the show, but it's an affecting and tender conclusion to the night that is the most reminiscent of the kind of tricks you'd see in a Derren Brown live show.   While these moments with Calliope enrich the world of The Magician’s Table, giving insight into her and Dieter's relationship, there’s a noticeable flaw in the way her role is handled. Despite her earlier commentary on spending much of her life relegated to the sidelines as an assistant, she continues to play that part as a male magician executes the tricks. It feels like a missed opportunity not to have Calliope perform this final trick herself. Seeing her succeed where her late husband could not would have been a far more satisfying and empowering moment. Photo: The Magician's Table It's clear that The Magician's Table has been created and directed by people with a deep love and respect for the craft - the show is a wonderful showcase for what makes close-up magic so enthralling to watch. Although the range of tricks on display is diverse, sadly, the show's cast is quite far from it. While in part this is a systemic issue within the UK magic industry, with as little as 5% of the 1700 members that make up The Magic Circle identifying as women, it's hard to justify having a lineup of magicians that are all male, when just 2 miles up the road Rhythm&Ruse has no such problem.   With two competing immersive magic shows currently open in London, people may well be weighing up which show to prioritise seeing first. Regardless of their choice, the act of witnessing close-up magic is undoubtedly a joy, and to see the form have this sudden resurgence will likely open many people's eyes to how great magic can be when done right. Despite some uneven moments within The Magician's Table, it's an enjoyable night out that's likely unlike anything else out there (unless you've also seen Rhythm&Ruse). ★★★ ½ Correction: We've updated this review to remove mention of the show's magician cast being ‘all-white, all-male’ as Gareth Kalyan is of South Asian heritage. The Magician's Table is currently booking until 16th February 2025, with tickets priced from £37.50. Find out more about the show and book via magicianstablelive.com To stay up to date on news, previews and reviews of more immersive shows like The Magician's Table, follow us on Instagram .

With the final performances of Rhythm&Ruse at The Vaults in Waterloo on the horizon, we sit down with Morgan Howson (Executive Producer) and Abigail Smith (Associate Producer) to discuss the conception and development of the show, the communities that have developed around The Starling, and the challenges that come with producing independent immersive theatre. Photo: Rhythm&Ruse Hi Morgan and Abi, thanks for speaking with us today. For those who haven’t yet visited The Starling, can you explain what Rhythm&Ruse is all about? Morgan:  I think the sentence we got to in the end was ‘Magic, music, cocktails, and conversation’. That came about through improv on stage, Sam [Booth] said it one night and it just stuck. The Starling is an underground club that you've been invited to, it's not a place where you can just get an invitation walking down the street. You enter through this kaleidoscopic corridor that separates the real world from the world we've created inside, which isn't the 1920s, but you're not in the now either. You're in this weird state of stasis, where you can't quite place the show and that's just how we want it. As guests come in and sit down they're serenaded by the incredible Naomi Banks, and our other singers, with a bunch of jazz and jazz recreations of modern pop songs as the evening progresses . Four of our secret society of magicians visit your table and showcase their sleight of hand throughout the show, and our society members visit you too to share some stories. Maybe they'll be giving a tarot reading, maybe they'll be taking you to one of the little back rooms or secret corners of the club to tell you a bit more about them and about what's going on, why you've been invited and the purpose of the gathering.  How did the initial idea for the show first come about?  Morgan: In December last year, Fania [ Grigoriou] and I were sitting in a not-very-good cocktail bar in the middle of Chinatown spending £20 a drink on not-very-good cocktails while waiting to go to dinner. We were having a discussion about how experiences in London can be very poor value. You go to a bar, you have a few drinks, you spend £60 each, but you've not really got anything out of that, and it’s also not hugely communal. You're sitting at a table for two while there are all these other conversations and stories going on around you that you're not hugely aware of. We wondered if there could be a theatrical version of that night out where we could deliver value in buckets and we give people a good time, as well as encourage community. Obviously Fania’s background is with Punchdrunk. When you think about those great show bars that Punchdrunk have created like Manderley at Sleep No More and Peep at The Burnt City, they became these gathering places with entertainment and a real sense of world and story. I think for a lot of people, particularly people who end up going to their shows a lot, those watering holes became such a core part of the experience. While no reviewer is ever going to extol the benefits of spending a third of your time at the show sitting in Manderley and idly chit-chatting, it became a huge part of what makes those spaces feel like home. The question then became can that be a full-blown show? Can we build something that feels like it's a real world? A real immersive experience, that takes place in a cabaret club and includes drinks so it feels really good value for money. I remember finishing the evening having had a lovely meal and going to another cocktail bar. We were quite drunk, and I remember thinking that maybe I wouldn't think of it again. My background is in product creation, mostly in the digital and tech sectors, and my curiosity got the better of me. Within a month the show existed on a spreadsheet. It was like ‘Oh here's how you could do it and here's how the numbers would potentially look’ and then we just grew it from there. A lot of people wanted to back it knowing the risks because immersive theatre is hugely risky, and independent theatre is hugely risky, but they wanted to help us to give it a go, so we sort of built we built off of that. But the idea literally started in a little bar in Chinatown on the eve of my birthday in the depths of winter last year, which is very quick for an immersive show like this. Abi, how did the two of you first meet and what was your reaction to the concept that Morgan and Fania had when you first heard it? Abigail: Well, I first met Morgan after she came to an event I put on four or five years ago through my TikTok. We kept this little friendship going where we would go out for dinner once a month. I would tell her all the drama that's going on in my life and she would tell me what an idiot I am. Because I had built this community, and as Morgan said, so much of this show is about community building and about creating a communal feeling, which is something I’d done via social media, she approached me and said ‘I want to make this show’. I was like ‘Babe, you work in tech. What are you talking about?’. Like so many people, my initial reaction was 'Who would want to do a magic show?'. She explained it to me more, and I then went ‘Oh no, actually that sounds amazing’. There’s a perception of magic that it's not cool or sexy.  Morgan:  Like it's a children’s birthday party kind of thing... Abigail:  Yeah, children’s birthdays and weddings... there's a perception that it's an annoying guy who comes to your table while you're just trying to have some champagne, but when we talked more about the show and the idea of it having an Alastair Crowley-style secret society of the occult to it, I thought it sounded really cool. This woman - she’s honestly a mastermind in making things sound amazing. With that initial concept developed, you then approached Sam Booth and Mallory Gracenin who helped devise the show. How far into the process were you before they became a part of the project? Morgan:  I'd say we had a framework. We knew roughly what we needed the show to look like to make it work operationally. What people forget when you're building a concept like this is you're not just building a show, you're also effectively opening a bar, and have to figure out all those service windows and things like that as well. The full story and full concept were definitely fleshed out once we got them on board, and it's a dream team right? These are great powerhouse performers, really doing what they do best and being given the opportunity to do that in such an intimate environment, as such a close-knit group and to move fast and develop fast. I’m really grateful for their decision to come on board and that happened very early on. Their names were attached during the funding process. I think the goal really was to demonstrate that we had the credibility to build an experience of this nature and then bring it to market. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse We created a place where it was okay to come as you were and to discover other people coming as they were as well.  After stepping through the doors of The Starling, I think it's fair to say the place has an inviting and friendly atmosphere. You mentioned earlier wanted to create a show with a sense of community. Can you tell us a bit about why it was so important to create a welcoming space? Morgan:  You've been to the show a couple times and have seen what happens. Yes, there is magic at our tables in terms of magicians performing, but I think there’s social magic there too in how people feel able to connect with others on a deeper level.  I've been in London for a decade now and I grew up in the North, I come from Scarborough in Yorkshire. In Yorkshire, you see someone on the street and they say hello, and you say 'How’s your day going?', you have a little chat. You get in a lift going from floor one to floor fifty and you have a conversation. The thing that is starkest to me about London is the lack of community, and the lack of conversation. You can go through, and I did go through when I was living alone, weeks where you've not talked to another human being. Particularly over the pandemic when we were just talking to screens. I think a big part of what we wanted to accomplish with Rhythm&Ruse, is a true sense of community and a sense of belonging for people who visited our tables. I think that's been created with such brilliance by our creative team because you have to have the right environment to do that. It has to feel intimate enough. Our set designer, Issy, did such a great job of making those tables feel intimate and warm. Skylar, our lighting designer also made sure that people are lit enough to talk, but not too lit, so it feels like a confessional where you can say whatever you want and you can communicate with others and not feel too self-conscious about it. The inebriation provided by our guest services team helps that too, but there's a sense that you're in a world of possibility where anything can happen, I think it really opens people up to the experience of getting to know each other. We created a place where it was okay to come as you were and to discover other people coming as they were as well.  The show’s got a huge revolving cast of magicians. What was it like trying to assemble that group? Did you find yourself getting sick of card tricks? Morgan:  I tell you what, one of the weirdest experiences of my life will be conducting interviews with magicians in a WeWork on a Saturday afternoon. We had a huge amount of interest from a whole bunch of magicians, but the one thing that was really important to us was that our cast reflected the world. I think magic is a profession that is 97/98% cis white men and it's quite easy to fall into the trap of only casting cis white men. As a trans woman, I believe very vehemently that you can't be what you can't see. I transitioned fairly later in life because you figure out who you are once you see other people doing it. Obviously, this is not the same thing, but if you're an aspiring female magician or you're an aspiring Southeast Asian magician, I think it's so important that you can see people like you getting opportunities and working in a professional environment for an audience. Our magicians I think do our show for the love of magic. There's a reality that no producer can pay a close-up magician what they would get for a wedding or a corporate booking, because magic, like many self-employed professions, is one where you get three days of work a month, but the three days that you get work are big paydays, then you spend the other 27 days trying to find work. That is the standard. Magicians don't get as often as they would like the opportunity to perform close-up. When you ask most of the magicians we have what their favourite kind of magic is, they'll say close-up, but there’s no environment in which to perform close-up magic. We set out to create an environment that let magicians do the thing they want to do in as near to optimal conditions as you can get economically in terms of giving them the right sight lines, casting the light in the right way against the tables so what is seen is seen and what shouldn't be seen remains unseen. Also, we've created an environment where they can work with other magicians, which is so rare, because being a magician is a hugely solitary profession. Other than catching up at The Magic Circle, most magicians work alone and are booked alone. Every night for the past three months, for us to have had eight magicians in a room together performing as a team and networking and communicating with each other, that's a really big deal. Abigail:  It's so cool seeing them all backstage. One of them will come in and go ‘I'm gonna do something new tonight’ and everyone goes crazy and they all nerd out together. You’ll be walking backstage and you’ll just see people levitating things and people slicing things into their head. You're just like ‘What's happening? Am I in a dream world?’  Photo: Rhythm & Ruse Naomi Banks comes out and starts singing, suddenly everyone goes silent... In that moment I was like ‘Oh my god this show's amazing’. What was it like having the doors of The Starling open for the first time and having guests enter? Morgan:  We call that first preview Black Thursday. I'll tell you why… there is a truism of immersive theatre, which is that as much as you prep and plan, you cannot know how it will go until you sit 192 people in 192 chairs and find out for yourself. What we quickly found out is that trying to get 192 people to read a 12-page menu and make drink choices in a very quick and very dimly lit environment leads to service challenges.  The first night, my recollection of it was that I was running around like a crazy person and at some stage going into the bar and shouting, not in a negative way, but just shouting at our guest services manager Lois, who has done an incredible job, ‘Just put wine on the tables! Just put bottles of wine on the tables!'. Lois was going ‘Are you sure? I think we can recover this’ and I went ‘Nope. You cannot recover this. The oldest order in the system is from 40 minutes ago, just put wine on the tables!’.  That first night, I presume a show happened? My mind was mostly on the operational challenges. As I mentioned earlier, opening an immersive show is only partly about the show. We sat down, we regrouped and moved to the concept that you're familiar with, where we significantly cut down on choices and instead have this eclectic, ever-changing menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings as the show progresses, and that worked much much better. Thank goodness for that because otherwise, I worry we wouldn't have had any bar staff on the second night. Abigail:  Morgan came up to me because I jumped behind the bar, and she said ‘How are you?’ and I was like ‘I feel like I'm in a war’. Morgan:  Once we'd stabilised from that challenge, I think you feel an immense sense of pride. There are moments that were really important to me as the show was being built where I thought ‘This is going to be a really beautiful audience reaction moment’. The theatrical unveiling of the space after you get the welcome speech from our society members, you see the golden wings of The Starling. You see that, you see the room, you see Rosie sitting there writing her premonition ready for later in the evening. The moments where you're sitting at a table and the other side of the room is consuming magic, the lights are shining down on the tables, you look across and it feels a bit otherworldly on the other side of the room. I think it was little moments like that that told me we had made the right decisions and done the right things along the way, but you can only really see that with an audience. Abi, any strong memories of seeing the show being performed in front of an audience for the first time? Abigail: This is terrible of me, but I had never heard Naomi Banks sing until Rhythm&Ruse. Morgan was like ‘She's amazing, trust me, she's incredible’. The third preview we ever did was open to my TikTok audience only, so we had an audience of just the queers in for one night. It was such a great community atmosphere, it all felt very alive and vibrant in there. Naomi comes out and starts singing, suddenly everyone goes silent. What a voice! Where has that voice come from?! In that moment I was like ‘Oh my god this show's amazing’. I've seen the show many times now and every time she sings I think ‘Oh my god. A siren walks among us.’ Morgan:  You start to see flash points and moments as you're wandering around the space. There's a rhythm to it that you start to feel, which is a privilege to be able to experience. There's a lot of joy in that, knowing the pace of the show. When you're actually sitting watching it I think it goes so fast it doesn't feel like a two-hour-long experience because there is always some kind of stimuli. Photo: Rhythm&Ruse Some people latch on straight away to what we're going for, some people have no idea what's going to hit them. I'd love to dig a bit deeper into the occult elements that are bubbling under the surface of Rhythm&Ruse. There are a lot of bird references within the show. 'The flock' is mentioned a lot by Tom and Rosie on stage, and the club is of course called The Starling. Can you tell us about why these elements were all integrated into the show? Morgan:  It's always interesting isn't it, to have something brewing under the surface even if it doesn't really matter what it is? It's nice to have that sense of layers in the piece. It was really important to Fania and the team to build a sense that there was something else going on. A lot of the themes that you mentioned are explored in the more private intimate moments of the show - they're explored in 1:1s and they're explored at the tables. To some extent, that's how we wanted it because 97% of people are there for an evening of magic and music and fun. If you overwhelm them with story, it can detract from that, particularly if they're four drinks in, so it's a delicate balancing act.  Our goal at least for this initial season of The Starling was to do our best to hit that balance and to not go too far in the other direction.  I'm going to give you a funny story… the range of reactions you get are very diverse. Some people, like you, latch on straight away to what we're going for and maybe where our inspirations lie, some people have no idea what's going to hit them. There was a couple early in the run who were taken to one of our side rooms and invited to join the flock, which is an interaction that, as with all of our interactions, is scripted and ends in the same way regardless of what the audience member does or doesn't do.  These audience members were so surprised by the interaction to the point that they made an official complaint about the fact that perhaps our cast members were going ‘off book’ and were trying to convince them to go and do things with them after the show that we might consider to be unsavoury. They said the cast members should get a talking to. The next day I got an email in my personal email inbox, from a police officer. All it said was ‘Hi, we would like to talk to you regarding a potential crime. When can we call you?’. I had the back and forth with the police officer to arrange and schedule a time which was arranged for a couple of days after, and the whole time I was like ‘Am I going to have to explain the nature of immersive theatre to this police officer?' Abigail:  As if they were convinced we were soliciting sex in the middle of Waterloo! Morgan:  As it happens, the call was just about a phone that I'd had stolen from me several months prior, but for 48 hours, just because of the timing, I had the joy of game planning in my head what my official response would be to a police officer if I was asked if two of our cast members were indeed inviting people to some kind of unsavoury gathering which I had not approved of after the show. Abigail:   My favourite part of the complaint, there was an addendum at the end that said ‘If the request had been made outside of the show, perhaps afterwards, maybe my response would have been different’. So they were like ‘I maybe would have gone for the foursome had it not been during the show.' Morgan:  I think it speaks to the challenge of trying to produce a piece like this. Because people are coming in just expecting a fun night out with some magic and some music and cocktails, if you are too overt with that stuff it can be quite alienating and potentially even scary to your customers, so finding that balance has been something that I think Fania and the team have really had to reckon with. I think it is quite easy to go too far, particularly in an environment where we know that people would be somewhat inebriated.  That’s quite the reaction to a 1:1 scene… Morgan:  It demonstrates that the acting was very good! It's probably the best review the cast could ever hope to receive. Morgan : If people believe that they're actually being invited to an after-party, then clearly it was convincing... Photo: Rhythm&Ruse Alongside the main Rhythm&Ruse show, there was also a series of Rhythm&Ruse Lates performances in which The Starling was used as a more traditional cabaret venue. How did you go about finding acts that would be a good fit? Abigail : I think we wanted to take a few risks on people. The Vaults as a venue was previously known for hosting really cool new writing and new performers. That space doesn’t exist as it once did, but as someone who grew up with new writing and found my feet in this industry with original new work, I wanted to create a space where people could explore that. We did a risk-free deal for people, we did a straight box office split, we paid for the techie, we paid for the tech time, and we helped them with marketing. I really wanted to create a space where it felt very equitable on that front so we could support cool new artists. We found some really fun drag queens, we had some great names like Elf Lyons, Flat and the Curves, and people who we knew would bring in a nice audience, but maybe wanted to try some new work. We went to the Edinburgh Fringe, went to see stuff all around London, and just looked for things that felt new, cool, and different. Sadly we're now a couple weeks out from Rhythm&Ruse having its final performance. Can you tell us about the challenges of sustaining a show like Rhythm&Ruse in the current climate? Morgan:  It’s a hard market and it's been a very difficult year for all theatre, not just immersive. We saw what happened with Cake at The Other Palace and the early closure announced for Why Am I So Single? I think the reality is that there are a few different market forces at play. People are going out less, they spend less when they go out, and they are less likely to try new experiences if there isn't a brand name attached, maybe even less likely than ever before. I think when you look at the range and diversity of immersive experiences in London, going from the escape room style immersive experiences like Monopoly and the Taskmaster experience to the narrative-driven experiences like Paddington, and even The London Dungeons, to the two magic concepts that are currently open in London and that would be considered immersive, there is a huge diversity of options for consumers in London right now. I think there is a possibility that we are starting to reach a stage where there are too many options. and where there's a lot of capacity for the market to support at a time when people are tightening their purse strings. Something I’ve thought about a lot over the last few weeks is that technically, every time you open an immersive experience you're creating new capacity for theatre in London, often in places that wouldn't usually have any capacity for theatre, at a time when even our West End houses are struggling to fill. I think there are some incredible things out there, produced by hugely talented creative teams, and produced with clear intent and goals to deliver something sustainable, that unfortunately are just failing. Not to capture critical attention, not to capture audience attention in terms of the feedback that they receive, but just to capture enough audience consistently at a high enough price point to make theatre sustainable. The vapid criticism of shows like The Manikins or The Key of Dreams is that the price points they are charging aren’t accessible, but the commercial reality is that this work is expensive to produce and if we want it, we have to support it, and we have to buy tickets. If we don't, it just becomes impossible to deliver. It's very difficult for all theatre companies to get any kind of Arts Council Funding, but particularly so for immersive theatre. The risk is if as a community, and I'm speaking really as a consumer of immersive theatre now, as much as a producer, aren't able to pay sustainable prices and aren't willing to take a risk on things that don't have a brand name attached, it will lead to a homogenised version of immersive where everything is branded, everything is linked to some kind of existing IP or property, and producers will feel even less able to take risk. You need small-scale commercial productions as a stepping stone from indie productions to get large-scale commercial productions right? This middle sector has to exist and has to be able to survive. At the moment it's just very difficult. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse You're not the first producers we've spoken to who have mentioned the lack of Arts Council funding available for immersive theatre. Morgan:  Arts Council funding or foundations and grant programs have an opportunity to fill the gap, but at the moment that funding is very directed towards conventional theatre. The way you have to build the business case is built around conventional theatre, and that's just not the reality for small-scale commercial immersive theatre which has a very different problem set and very different challenges associated with it. In many ways, this country is a birthplace of modern immersive theatre if you consider Punchdrunk to be the impetus of this industry, and I think it is a shame that the only commercial immersive theatre producer that doesn't rely on IP and that does seem to be able to get Arts Council Funding is Punchdrunk. There are so many opportunities out there for different producers to build really exciting and interesting projects, and we just need apparatus to support them, wherever that might come from. The challenges are huge, not just in terms of getting an audience and getting to a price point but also in finding venues and building them in a cost-effective manner. There’s so many challenges in trying to produce really interesting stuff and very little support. Abigail:  I used to do conventional theatre and the first thing that everybody told you when you're getting advice about planning for funding is ‘Can you do it with fewer people?’ It's always ‘Can you halve the cast size?’. I was applying for a four-hander, and everyone was like ‘You’ve got to make it a two-hander. That’s the only way you’ll get funding for it'. There are some really cool immersive shows with tiny casts, but the vast majority will have chunky cast sizes to make it work. That's the beauty of it, isn't it? You get that 1:1 or 1:2 small-scale interaction that you’re just not going to get if you’re one of a thousand in an audience. Unfortunately, that does mean big cast sizes, it means big money needs to be invested, and big payrolls. There’s got to be some kind of flex when it comes to arts funding, and recognising the value that the immersive theatre industry has. Think about the incredible amounts of political art and groundbreaking stuff that could be done with this beautiful art form, that can’t always be done with your traditional proscenium set-up.  I wrote an immersive show about LGBTQ activism during the AIDS crisis, and I was very lucky to get some mentorship for it, but they were like ‘It's a beautiful show, but it’s unproduceable because you couldn't have a bar.' Unfortunately, that's the reality of it. Morgan: I think the question ultimately becomes how do we bridge that gap? For every hugely ambitious independent immersive theatre project that fails, there's a bunch of investors that will be slightly more trepidatious next time, who might not be in a position to take the same risk. Coming up against the reality of trying to produce independent immersive theatre in this current climate, would you say the experience has put you off producing more work in the future? Morgan: We’ve brought together an incredible group of people that have done some really beautiful work. From our creative team to our magicians, our guest services team, our band, and everyone in between. We have built what feels like a real family and a real community behind the scenes as well as in front of them, and we brought people together who otherwise would never have met each other. Just as we've been forming connections in front of house, we’ve done the same in the back of house too, but this has been a challenge and that challenge has taken its toll not just on me, but on all of our people. We've had to cut back our schedule, we've had to close earlier than we would have hoped, and all of these things have real-world consequences for the people that we have brought on this journey with us. I'm so grateful to those people for coming on this journey and producing something so brilliant for the thousands of people who have been able to see it. I'm so appreciative of their time and their talent and their patience, and I’m apologetic for the fact that not everything has been as smooth or as easy as perhaps we would have liked it. All that being said, I wouldn't change anything about this experience. If I knew this was the end game, I would probably still be tempted to do it again. I think everything you do in life you learn lessons from, and every production, everything you deliver, and every product you bring to market, gives you an opportunity to make the next thing you do even better. A process like this is incredibly draining and challenging, but I remain very excited by the medium and very infused by the potential that I believe it has. I don't believe in closing doors all the way.  As with everything in life, at some stage, we turn on the lights and the party ends. We clean up the broken bottles and glasses and sweep up the pieces. I think it's raw and it’s difficult. It's been difficult for everyone on the team as we've come to terms with the last few weeks but it doesn't make any of us less proud of what we set out to accomplish, or less proud of what we built. I think there are lessons to be learned from the challenges people face along the way, just as much as there are lessons to be learned from the successes. Too often we only hear about success, and in many ways, this production has been a success. It has been a critical success, it has brought people together, but we also have to acknowledge some of the challenges and that has to be okay, that has to be an acceptable part of the story that you tell about what you did.  Photo: Rhythm & Ruse As we now approach the final performances of Rhythm&Ruse, looking back on the entire process of creating and mounting the show, what are you most proud of? Morgan:  I think if I had to give you one word it would be community. From the community that we built in our audience - both people coming back, and people exchanging Instagrams and saying they want to go get dinner together and things like that, I think is incredible. Secondly, the community that we have created backstage across our magicians, musicians and cast members. I think that's been an incredible thing too - it's people who wouldn't normally work together getting to come together to produce something really incredible. Thirdly, our investor community, who have also I think grown quite close to one another. The benefit of building a show this way and building it on investments from as little as £500 is that it distributes risk, which makes it easier to fund a project like this. It means that no one put in more money than they could afford to lose if it doesn't work out, but the benefit I wasn't expecting is that these people are friends now. They talk to each other about the show, and about their lives. There's a WhatsApp community that I have on mute because it moves too quickly.  Abigail:  I specifically remember once, I said to the WhatsApp group ‘I'm really enjoying that we have an investor community where we can have dinner and then I can say to the investors ‘I have to go home to my super hot girlfriend’’. Everyone was very appreciative of that. Thank you both for making the time to speak to me today. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances, but I think there's a real value in being able to have a record of things like this, even if they don't work out as hoped. You should both be incredibly proud of what you created with Rhythm&Ruse, it'll be sorely missed. Morgan: Thank you for having us. I think the reality is that the majority of theatre productions fail to make a return and that the default scenario for any production, and for any producer, is this one right? It ends hard and sometimes it ends messy. People who are thinking of doing work like this have to know that that's okay. If you don't have people who are willing to take the risk, who are willing to stick their neck out, and who are willing to sometimes to be seen as the enemy when things go wrong, then you don't get new and challenging work, you just get the same simple cookie-cutter formulas, so I think it is important that people read and understand the realities of it because it sets them up better to do their own thing. If you go in and all there is is unknown, or even worse if you go in and all you see is success, then it can be quite hard to reconcile your own experiences and figure out what you want to do. I think it's helpful to read a warts-and-all description of this stuff and understand some of the machinations behind the scenes, not just because it's interesting, but because I think it holds a lot of value. To tie it back into the show, producers shouldn’t embrace the unknowing then? Morgan:  I think embrace unknowing but with context. Rhythm&Ruse is booking until 23rd November 2024 at The Vaults. Tickets start at £17. To book and find out more, visit rhythmandruse.com

Ever wondered what it takes to be a Traitor or outsmart one? Set to open Spring 2025,  The Traitors: Live Experience will open its doors in London, offering players the opportunity to be plunged into the heart of the drama as they take part in the UK’s first-ever playable experience based on the BAFTA and Emmy award-winning TV show,  The Traitors. In this high-stakes game of deception, strategy, and teamwork, players will find themselves at the centre of the experience, sitting at ‘The Round Table’, collaborating on missions and forming alliances – but the question is, who can they trust? Guided by a dynamic live host, players will work to uncover the Traitors hidden amongst them with thrilling missions guaranteed to deliver an unforgettable experience complete with intrigue, competition, and camaraderie.    During the action-packed experience, players will be thrust into the suspenseful world of the hit TV show, featuring recognisable gameplay such as a blindfolded Traitors selection, several heart-racing missions that will test both physical and mental endurance, as well as ample opportunity for the Traitors to strategise whether to murder or recruit from the rest of the group.  Photo: Hugo Glendinning Claudia Winkleman,  host of the UK version of The Traitors , comments : I am extremely excited for The Traitors: Live Experience to open in London next year. I can’t wait for players to immerse themselves in their own drama, strategy and deception. They’ll love the game and should definitely expect twists. Please can you add an evil cackle here?   Leading the creative vision for the project is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at Immersive Everywhere, whose track record includes  The Crystal Maze Live Experience ,  The Tomb Raider Live Experience  and other ground-breaking immersive experiences.   Perfect for friends, colleagues and fellow thrill-seekers,  The Traitors: Live Experience  promises to be entertaining and nail-biting in equal measure and will be home to a luxurious themed bar where guests can indulge in a pre- or post-game drink as well as table service once sat at The Round Table.  Photo: Hugo Glendinning   Tickets to The Traitors: Live Experience will go on sale in early 2025, priced from £29.50 per person.  Sign up at www.thetraitorslive.co.uk to receive presale access and further event information.

Santa is propping up the bar in his favourite watering hole, and lacking in Christmas spirit. Can we save Christmas and get him back on his sleigh, or has he hung up his boots for good? Our review of Humbug, the immersive Christmas dive bar. Photo: Humbug Temperatures are dropping, and it's getting dark at 3pm again, so that can only mean one thing: Christmas is fast approaching. Kicking off London's immersive offerings is Humbug, the immersive Christmas dive bar, which has recently opened its doors at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. Back for 2024 after a successful debut in 2023 on Leake Street in Waterloo, this year's edition of Humbug has had quite the festive glow-up. Not only has it doubled in size, but it's also added a bunch of new activities, new areas, and a live band, alongside an updated 2-hour-long immersive experience. Photo: Grant Walker Guests first enter Humbug through an elaborately decorated hallway covered floor to ceiling in wrapping paper and bows. It's our first introduction to the maximalist design displayed throughout the venue. Every inch of Humbug is covered in Christmas memorabilia, referencing classic Christmas films like Home Alone, The Grinch, and Die Hard. Daphne (Savannah Beckford), a disgruntled waitress who has long since mentally clocked out of their job, welcomes guests at the end of the hallway before letting them know that Santa (Drummond Bowskill) is inside and has been propping up the bar for some time. With him refusing to pay his bar tab and loudly denouncing the holiday season at every given opportunity, it's safe to say he's lacking in Christmas spirit. Daphne explains that we must try and help Santa find their mojo again in order to save the holiday season before ushering us to our seats. Photo: Grant Walker Once inside, we're quickly introduced to the other regulars at Humbug as they roam the space. Guests can expect to meet Rudy (Neil Frost), the overworked bar owner, who's recently taken over day-to-day operations from their father. Struggling to stay on top of everything and live up to the high standard set by their predecessor, their storyline largely revolves around trying to maintain some element of control over the goings on in the bar, with a special focus on getting the bar's snow machine to trigger on his cue - something that proves to be an uphill battle from the start. Howard (Perry Meadowcroft), the bumbling mailman, is also having an equally rough day at Humbug, having lost all the letters due to be delivered to Santa after a few too many after-work cocktails. They spend a good amount of the show running around desperately trying to cover their tracks, stuffing letter after letter back into their postbag. Daphne, Rudy, and Howard make up a large part of the immersive interactions on offer throughout the evening, with each stopping by tables sporadically to interact with guests. Howard provides the most substantial immersive interactions away from people's tables, with their mail room hosting small groups of guests across the evening. After being sworn in as honorary Humbug Mail workers, we're tasked with helping Howard restock their mailbag by writing new letters to Santa. A frantic search through all the pigeonholes within the sorting office for any stray letters bound for the North Pole adds a fun moment of interactivity before guests are told to exit the mail room through the 'Die Hard tunnel'. There's no explanation for its existence, but any chance to act like John McClane is a welcome one, even if half the group find themselves trying to crawl through the air vent with drinks in hand. Photo: Grant Walker VIP ticket holders also get a chance to speak to Santa in the bar's stockroom, which has been taken over to create a makeshift grotto at the back of the venue. Groups of roughly 15 are ushered into the bar's stockroom, where Santa confirms that they're lacking in Christmas spirit this year. Sporting a pair of red Crocs and surrounded by empty bottles, Santa invites the group to share their own cherished Christmas memories, all of which they confess to having no memory of. Both of these main interactions, along with the smaller moments with Rudy and Daphne, are all light-hearted and fun. While the cast all do a great job of involving guests and improvising based on any given interaction, they're sadly spread too thin given the number of guests, which ultimately prevents Humbug from feeling like a complete and satisfying experience for immersive fans. Those happy to explore at their own pace and forgo these interactions will find a range of other activities to enjoy instead, including Beer Can Bowling, Santa's Sacks (cornhole), and Rudolph's Rings (ring toss), as well as a private karaoke booth and plenty of photo opportunities. The self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, gets an entire shrine for worshippers to enjoy, and there's also a huge painted mural of Kevin McCallister on one of the venue's walls. On top of all this, there's a series of competitive party games that take place on the main stage for a few selected guests, with the winners receiving a free shot from the bar. Photo: Humbug It'll come as no surprise that by the end of the evening, Santa has regained their Christmas spirit. With the big man in red playing the role of MC on the main stage, each of the bar's regular patrons enjoys their moment in the spotlight, which rounds off each of their storylines nicely. While the show’s finale delivers the biggest sing-along moments, one standout performance is a true deep cut likely unfamiliar to most. Santa, backed by Humbug’s house band, Johnny Whisky and the Barflys, performs 'All I Want For Christmas Is Booty', a song from a 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live. Photo: Humbug Overall, Humbug is a booze-fuelled evening of festive cheer, sing-a-longs, and light immersive elements. For those who are looking for a Christmas-themed night out with friends or colleagues or are sick of visiting Winter Wonderland for the umpteenth time, it's a great alternative, even if some of the magic present in last year's more intimate version of the show has been lost. ★★★½ Photos: Grant Walker/Humbug Humbug runs at The Vaults near Waterloo Station until 31st December 2025. For more information and to book, visit feverup.com . Tickets start from £22.00.

Punchdrunk's Viola's Room will receive a festive makeover with A Christmas Tale as part of its final extension, ahead of closing on 23rd december 2024. Punchdrunk, the internationally acclaimed company that pioneered the breakthrough of immersive theatre in the UK, announces the final extension of Viola’s Room, which will conclude its run at Punchdrunk’s Woolwich home on 23 December. Photo: Punchdrunk From 31 October to 2 November Viola’s Room will celebrate Halloween with a special 90s Nostalgia Weekend. At selected time slots, visitors will receive with their ticket a bespoke cocktail and exclusive access to The Prop Store bar where you'll be able to make your own 90s themed friendship bracelet and enjoy some nostalgic board games with friends. Photo: Punchdrunk From 20 November through to the end of the run (23rd December), Viola’s Room will undergo a festive transformation with the launch of Viola’s Room: A Christmas Tale. Featuring Christmas music alongside other seasonal twists, visitors will be able to experience a different version of Punchdrunk’s intimate, linear immersive tale.  Photo: Punchdrunk Written by Booker Prize-shortlisted Daisy Johnson, Viola’s Room reimagines Barry Pain’s classic gothic mystery The Moon-Slave for a new audience. It distils two decades of Punchdrunk’s immersive practice into an intimate, linear, audio-driven adventure that promises to suffuse the dreams of those who dare to follow the light. Photo: Punchdrunk The production is conceived, directed and designed by Artistic Director Felix Barrett, with co-direction by Associate Director Hector Harkness (One Night, Long Ago; The Third Day) and design by Casey Jay Andrews, who was part of the design team on The Burnt City. Working with Punchdrunk for the first time are Lighting Designer Simon Wilkinson (Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Vanishing Point’s Metamorphosis), and Sound Designer Gareth Fry (Complicité’s The Encounter; V&A’s David Bowie Is, Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser and Diva exhibitions). Photo: Punchdrunk Viola's Room will run until 23rd December at One Cartridge Place in Woolwich. Tickets are on sale via punchdrunk.com ,  priced from £28.50 per person. To keep up to date on the latest immersive experiences in London, follow us on Instagram . ​

Photo: Grant Walker Santa’s back, baby! This November, London’s immersive Christmas dive bar, HUMBUG, is back in town and, this time it promises to be even bigger, even better and even more raucous than before. Shaking things up for the festive season, the team at HUMBUG will be firing up the snow machines and sprinkling a little mischief into the magic at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane from 14 November – 31 December.   Revellers are invited to step into Christmas and Santa’s cherished watering hole where an unbelievable world of live performances, sing-a-longs, games, immersive storytelling and festivities awaits along with an increasingly weary Santa who needs cheering up … and fast! Photo: Grant Walker   Santa’s been working overtime for centuries and he’s hit breaking point so, of course, he’s back at his favourite dive bar where Christmas cheer (and booze) is available on tap. Along with some of Santa’s closest friends, guests will be tasked with bringing their Christmas A-game, ready to help the big man get his groove back and, as long as they do, everyone will be rewarded with an epic party complete with confetti canons, merriment and festive surprises.    Double the size for this year, guests will be able to enjoy brand-new rooms and spaces including a hectic mailroom, Santa’s ‘Grotto’, a shrine dedicated to queen of Christmas Mariah Carey and a festive-themed beer can bowling alley. Along the way, guests will encounter a line-up of the finest cabaret from HUMBUG regulars including Daphne the waitress, Rudy the landlord, Howard the mailman and the big man himself. With space for over 200 guests per night, it’s the ultimate festive knees up with the greatest holiday tunes of all time (step up Mariah), live on-stage entertainment, a massive hit of nostalgia and an epic house band playing every night, all set against a backdrop of colourful Christmas lights, dazzling neon’s, mistletoe and festive memorabilia – too much tinsel? There’s no such thing at HUMBUG!  Photo: Grant Walker   Throughout the night, guests can sip on festive tipples from HUMBUG’s ‘Naughty or Nice’ cocktail menu including the ‘Bah F*****g Humbug’ –  rum, chocolate liqueur, oat milk, crushed Oreos & whipped cream, topped with a mince pie  – before refuelling in the spacious outdoor courtyard where they can tuck into a full menu of festive-themed street food from Bang Bang Burger including an epic Christmas burger, festive bites and desserts with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.   Photos: Grant Walker HUMBUG! runs at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane from 14th November to 31st December 2024. Tickets are priced from £25.00 for Balcony and £35.00 for General Admission. For more information, and to book tickets visit humbugchristmas.co.uk

A heady mix of cabaret, close-up magic, and curated cocktails creates an unforgettable night at The Starling in new immersive show Rhythm&Ruse 'Embrace unknowing' is a mantra that's repeated often throughout Rhythm&Ruse. It's an encouragement to accept that not everything we see can be explained, not every question will be answered, and not being in control can be liberating. Within the world of The Starling, there's little choice but to give over to that mantra and be taken along for the ride. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse Directed by Fania Grigoriou, devised by Sam Booth and Mallory Gracenin, and with musical direction from Naomi Banks, Rhythm&Ruse carried a heavy weight on its shoulders from the moment it was first announced. There's a certain pedigree that comes with having such well-known names within the world of immersive collaborating on an entirely original production, and thankfully, the show not only meets those lofty expectations but exceeds them. With a five-piece jazz band, close-up magic, and a curated selection of five cocktails included with your ticket, the show may well be London's best night out.   Our introduction into the world of Rhythm&Ruse begins with a welcome speech from Ruby (Jessica Hern, The Great Gatsby Immersive/Doctor Who: Time Fracture), a society member at The Starling who immediately sets the tone for the evening's proceedings. We're told to prepare for an evening of wonder in which we'll leave the real world behind and be able to embrace our truest selves. Bubbling just below the surface of this speech, and many others throughout the evening, is the fact that there's much more to the speakeasy than first meets the eye. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse Hosts Tom and Rosie Archer (Sam Booth and Mallory Gracenin, The Burnt City/Sleep No More) do little to quell these suspicions. We're introduced to the pair long before the show begins, with Rosie sat blindfolded on stage, transcribing a vision onto a piece of paper while Tom silently looks over her as guests as shown to their seats.   Once the show begins in earnest, there's talk of how we should all be in the habit of believing in the impossible every day to help make our dreams come true. Is it merely a motivational speech or part of a recruitment drive for their secretive society? Either way, the pair complement each other wonderfully, with Tom's charismatic steadiness anchoring Rosie's more mischievous and free-spirited approach to hosting. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse Rhythm&Ruse quickly settles into a rhythm that sets the pace for the evening. A performance takes place on the main stage, followed by a break. During that break, either a fresh round of drinks arrives as Tom, Rosie, Ruby, and Charlie (the second society member, played by Elliot Rodriguez) mingle and interact with guests, or one of the show's nine close-up magicians will arrive at your table for a personal performance. Afterwards, the focus shifts back to the main stage, and the cycle repeats.   It’s no surprise that every encounter with one of the close-up magicians is an intimate and thrilling experience. The close quarters in which they operate, with everyone mere feet away, allow you to interrogate their every move, and across the evening every guest gets a chance to be part of the action. Throughout the show, four magicians will sit alongside you at your table to perform. During our visit, we spent time with Laura London, Puck (Eddie), Saavan Thethy, and John Welles, who were all excellent. Photo: Rhythm&Ruse   From seeing someone's jewellery vanish into thin air before reappearing moments later attached to a set of car keys to having a billiard ball thump onto the table out of a playing card pack or collectively powering a lightbulb through a daisy chain of hands linked to a non-existent battery, each performance would elicit reactions of amazement and awe.   The on-stage performances from Naomi Banks and The Revellers have a similar effect. Under the musical direction of Banks, who regularly drew large crowds as Orpheus within The Burnt City's Peep, the five-piece band delivered a series of phenomenal renditions of songs, including I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone and Why Don't You Do Right? by Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman. These performances are perfectly suited for the show's decadent jazz age setting and are a great showcase of Banks' powerhouse vocals. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse A select few guests at every performance have the opportunity to pull back the curtain and discover more about the mysteries surrounding The Starling in intimate moments away from the main room. During our visit, an out-reached hand from society member Charlie midway through the show was our invitation to talk privately. According to Charlie, our auras were so radiant that he and fellow society member Ruby had no choice but to pull us aside to talk, away from inquisitive ears.   We're told that we're right for the flock and are on our way to becoming a part of it. "You make the shadows disappear. A light beams out of you that just... attracts people towards you" said Charlie as we locked eyes intensely. While it's impossible to get to the core of what all of these allusions to secret societies add up to in just one visit, it's a tantalising starting point for the ongoing narrative that Rhythm&Ruse will reveal over the coming months and years. Before the end of 2024, there are planned seasonal updates to the show for Halloween and Christmas. With the producers holding the answers to what else is at play within The Starling close to their chests for now, we're seemingly playing the long game when it comes to finding out exactly what they have in store for us and our radiant auras. Photo: Rhythm & Ruse If you asked us how any of the magic on display at Rhythm&Ruse is achieved, we wouldn't be able to answer you. The satisfaction of witnessing magic up close doesn't come from knowing how a trick is done; it comes from the unknowing. There is one thing we can say with certainty though... Rhythm&Ruse is one of the best nights out we've had all year, and we can't wait to return. Photos: Rhythm & Ruse ★★★★★ Rhythm&Ruse is booking until 23rd November 2024 at The Vaults. Tickets start at £37 and include five curated cocktails. To book and find out more, visit rhythmandruse.com To stay up to date on news, previews and reviews of immersive shows like Rhythm&Ruse, follow us on Instagram .

From family-friendly frights and creepy soirées to intense experiences that promise big scares, here are our recommendations for London's best immersive experiences this Halloween... As always, October is looking to be a bumper month for spooky immersive experiences in the capital. To help you make the most of the spooky season, we've gathered together all the information you need to make your next night out a great one. Below is our pick of the best experiences on offer across the month for those looking for various levels of frights. From family-friend spooks to intense experiences, there's something on offer for everyone's taste this Halloween, if you're brave enough... Phantom Peak - Hallowed Peak We've spoken at length previously about how good Phantom Peak is. In our opinion, this platypus-loving mining town is the most enjoyable immersive experience currently on offer in London. While it's open nearly year-round with regular updates and re-themes, Halloween is when the place comes into its own. Their Lunar Festival returns for a third year, with both previous Hallowed Peak seasons having enjoyed multiple sold-out dates. There are 10 brand new story trails available for guests to experience this season, and if they are anything like previous years you can expect to be doing anything from banishing demons to encountering haunted dolls, visiting the Undertakers for a coffin fitting, and almost certainly lending a hand to the town's resident paranormal investigators - Spectre and Vox. Brand new for Hallowed Peak 2024 is The Lunar Remedy, a cocktail experience add-on that will see guests in search of a remedy to a series of strange afflictions that are spreading among the townsfolk of Phantom Peak. In a race against the clock, guests will need to explore the town and interact with its characters in a self-guided experience that culminates with a mix-it-yourself cocktail, along with an exclusive trail card. Photos: Alistair Veryard This is an important and eerie time of year for the residents of Phantom Peak. It’s the time of year when the moon is closest to the Ridge, and Diamant begins to react in strange and unpredictable ways. Spirits rise from the grave, creatures lurk in the shadows, and the Church of the Cosmic Platypus raves in style! Expect a thoroughly original take on the Halloween traditions that made this unique event so popular in 2023! Phantom Peak is a family-friendly experience, and the free-roaming, experience-at-your-own-pace design of the show means you can take a break from the storylines at any time and pick them back up without missing anything. There's a string of other activities on offer including carnival games, the annual costume competition and multiple food and drink options. The show's creators describe Hallowed Peak are 'more spooky than scary', so it's an ideal experience for those wanting a Halloween experience that's not intense. 📍 Canada Water 💰 From £42.00 👻 Scare Level: 1/5 🕒 27th September - 10th November 2024 🎟️ Book via phantompeak.com Open House: The Escape Room - Screamworks In recent years, ScreamWorks has earned a reputation for creating London's best immersive horror experiences. Their debut show, Bloodbath, launched in late 2022 and was unlike anything else on offer in the capital at the time. It pushed the boundaries and conventions of immersive theatre to an extreme and saw visitors being force-fed, tied up, undressed, and chased through an air vent on their hands and knees. Last year saw them debut The Ghost Hunt - another exceptionally scary immersive horror experience that had guests make their way through a Victorian house illuminated only by torchlight. Set within the abandoned home of the Luff family, who all met their end in bloody murder-suicide back in 1937, visitors were invited by paranormal investigator Hector Phoenix to explore the family home and discover the truth behind what really caused their horrific deaths. For 2024, they return with Open House: The Escape Room. The experience is a combination of immersive theatre and escape room elements, and ScreamWorks CEO Gary Stocker describes it as their most exciting immersive concept yet - being the culmination of everything they've learnt in the last few years. East London’s most haunted house is up for sale and seasoned ' escape agent’ Jason Shepherd has teamed up with ScreamWorks to present one of the most innovative house-hunting events of the season: Open House – the immersive escape game. What better way to explore and experience the highlights of this unique property than to be locked inside, with a delicious drink from our brand sponsor and a host of fun games and challenges to complete? This enormous Victorian mansion is dripping in history, full of characters and the perfect forever home for a young couple or family looking to take their lives to the next stage. With a bathroom to die for and a suite of bedrooms that will guarantee you rest in peace, this captivating property won’t cost you an arm and a leg! While the house has a guide price of £666k, the current vendors are keen for a quick sale and are willing to accept any offers whatsoever. Photos of previous ScreamWorks shows. Open House will run between 60 to 90 minutes depending on the type of booking made - the 90-minute experience is set to be more intense and be warned - includes moments of climbing and crawling. Those who are curious enough during the house tour may also uncover hidden paths and secrets, leading them down even more terrifying routes through the experience. 📍 Bethnal Green 💰 From £45.00 👻 Scare Level: 3.5/5 🕒 From 27th September 2024 🎟️ Book via screamworks.london Tales of the Strange The creators of Tales of the Strange are well-versed in providing great Halloween outings. For several years they ran Ghost Newington, a must-loved immersive walking tour that had visitors exploring the winding backstreets, cobbled yards and haunted ale houses of Stoke Newington under night fall. Last year saw them swap the streets of Stokey for a bricks-and-mortar venue in Haggerston with The House of Dust, which invited visitors to enjoy three supernatural cocktails as The Ghost Master took them on a twisted journey through the annals of time to a world where ghosts, murderers and ghouls were brought to life. For 2024 they've shifted down to Brixton for Tales Of The Strange. The show is a collaboration between JimJack ( part of the team behind Macabre & Ghost Newington ) and Vi & Sly - a design duo know for creating hauntingly creepy puppets and props. In a last ditch attempt to save his ailing career, horror writer Jeffrey Thrillerman dares you to encounter some of his twisted tales, brought to life for the first time by a motley team of actors. Housed within a haunted railway arch in Brixton, this pop-up extravaganza is part theatrical experience, part bar and wholly good vibes! So, grab a cocktail and hang with your friends as we regale you with an anthology of strange tales. What’s that? You’re feeling peckish? Fear not, we’ll have a selection of dastardly dishes available, prepared by dead-chef Danny Jack. Oh, and after the performance we wont just kick you out onto the cold streets of Brixton, no ma’am! You’ll get to hang out for the night in the tunnel of Strange. You can drink, dance, feast and frolic to the dead in style. Perhaps you’ll regale new found friends with your own tales as our house DJ’s play groovy 70s vibes.  📍 Brixton 💰 From £20.00 👻 Scare Level: ?/5 🕒 31st October - 2nd November 2024 🎟️ Book via designmynight.com Make Believe: A Halloween Grotto This Halloween season brings with it the debut show from Scarehand Productions, a new venture from Christopher Blackmore, Amy Sherlock, and David Hoskin. The company's mission is to "create boundary-pushing Halloween experiences soaked in atmosphere and scares," and with over 20 years of combined expertise, they're well-equipped to deliver. Christopher Blackmore was one of the writers for Deathcell, the much-talked about extreme immersive horror experience that returns to London in early 2025 with Deathcell: Magenta , and David Hoskin did the dramatergy and sound design for Gorgon: A Horror Story back in 2021, which BroadwayWorld described as " evocative and terrifying". If the trigger warnings for Make Believe: A Halloween Grotto are anything to go by, you can expect a claustrophobic, anxiety-inducing experience that touches on suicide, wasps and most terrifyingly of all... germs. This Halloween, cross into the Grotto—a shadowy world where innocence and nightmares collide. Inside, your deepest childhood memories twist into something darker, more menacing. What was once joyful becomes unnervingly sinister, forcing you to confront your inner fears. Not everything is as it seems, as the veil between what is real and make believe gets thinner... A 30 minute horror-filled experience, audiences are guided through eerie, atmospheric den of memories and compelled to follow the Grotto’s cryptic commands in an unnerving journey to meet your forgotten inner child. Expect interactive performances, haunting visuals, and spine-tingling surprises that will leave you questioning what is real and what is make-believe. This isn’t your typical haunted house; it’s a chilling journey of self-discovery and terror. Are you brave enough to enter the Grotto? 📍 Loughborough Junction 💰 From £15.00 👻 Scare Level: 4.5/5 🕒 25th October - 2nd November 2024 🎟️ Book via designmynight.com Kraken ScreamFest: House of Curses Kraken Rum return with their annual immersive Halloween experience, Screamfest: House of Curses. In previous years they’ve delivered knock-out events including last years Screamfest: Shock Exchange, that had guests wear heart monitors as they ventured through the corridors of Clerkenwell Catacombs, rewarding the bra rats with discounted drinks. For 2024, they’ve put together a curated exhibition of the world’s most cursed and haunted pieces of art, the experience will have guests sign a waiver before being allowed to enter the final exhibit. Enter at your own risk. To help ward off any evil spirits, Kraken are included two cocktails as part of the ticket price, which is only £10 per person. This Halloween, The Kraken is bringing a new kind of existential horror to the UK by opening what could be the world’s most dangerous art gallery. That’s because the temporary exhibition will, for the first time, bring together the most notorious haunted and cursed artworks and objects in the country, all known to have inflicted terror and suffering upon those that have gazed upon them. Accessible only after signing a waiver, the final exhibit contains one of the most haunted paintings of them all. This original piece was the centre of a 2023 media storm after it was returned to a charity shop by multiple owners who reported chills, being chased by a demonic figure and one person even having to call an ambulance after collapsing in the painting’s presence. Those who do dare enter will be granted only a short time in the presence of ‘The Unknown Girl’ before being ushered out to the safety of The Kraken Bar. 📍 Soho 💰 From £10.00 👻 Scare Level: ?/5 🕒 31st October - 2nd November 2024 🎟️ Book via universe.com For the latest news and updates on all the best immersive Halloween experiences in London this October, follow us on Twitter  or Instagram 🎃

Prior to its opening later this month, Immersive Rumours get a hands-on demonstration of Bridge Command - the ambitious new immersive experience from Parabolic Theatre that will allow guests to command a spaceship and venture into the expanses of space. Photo: Alex Brenner Bridge Command, an immersive starship simulator experience, is set to take off later this month in Vauxhall. Earlier this week, Immersive Rumours were invited to attend a sneak preview of the experience led by Owen Kingston, Artistic Director of Parabolic Theatre, at the show's venue on Albert Embankment. Bridge Command's history dates back to 2019 when Parabolic launched a previous version of the show at COLAB Factory in Borough. Despite the small scale and limited budget, that initial iteration caught the attention of investors who saw potential in its concept and wanted to enable the creation of this reworked, supersized version of the experience. And what an upgrade it is - with two different starships on-site nestled beneath railway arches a stone's throw from Vauxhall station, the size of these sets far exceeds expectations. There's futuristic bunk beds, a sick bay, captain's quarters, fully functional toilets that have a view looking out into the expanse of space, as well as smaller ancillary ships that can just about squeeze in all the crew members (which will range from four to fourteen per session) in case of emergency. As part of our visit we had a hands-on demo with the command bridge of the UCS Havock. There's multiple touchscreen consoles for each crew member, whether they're working on Navigation, Damage Control, Power Management or any other of the nine Officer roles available. Every mission requires a healthy dose of team co-ordination, with a constant relaying of information from one role to another needed in order to keep both the ship and the galaxy under control. Despite some initial chaos as everyone got their bearings, people settled into their individual roles quickly thanks to assistance from the cast who were on hand to explain the different interfaces and how they interact. Photo: Alex Brenner Elsewhere on the ship, things weren't going quite so smoothly. Our fuel cells had nearly depleted, and a sudden loss of power ship-wide meant that new ones needed to be dispatched from a neighbouring allied ship via the Comms Officer, who had to quickly broker a deal that would keep us operational. With freshly charged fuel cells now in hand, we found ourselves running down the hallways of the UCS Havock as fast as we could to restore the ships functions. We were told about several other scenarios in which crew members would need to leave their posts in order to keep the ship working as required - adding more pressure to what is already an intense experience. In the event that a group find themselves in an unbeatable situation, or the ship falls into complete disrepair, there is of course one last resort - the self-destruct. Never ones to turn down an opportunity, our group were more than happy to see all our previous hard work go up in flames at the mere mention of being able to detonate a bomb on-board the ship. Once armed, we had just 60 seconds to evacuate the ship and ensure our safety in the escape pod. Photo: Alex Brenner One of the unique selling points of Bridge Command is the agency that audience members have over what unfolds. Their decisions - both good and bad - have lasting impacts on the narrative, with the show designed to respond and bend around players' decisions however left-field they may be (as long as they’re in keeping with the world Parabolic have created).  It's all about shifting that thinking from, "We are going to tell you a story, which is going to be fixed and will always happen the same way every time." It's changing from that to being, "We are going to tell a story together, and we're going to take what your decisions are. We're going to make them meaningful by bending the world of the show around it." Owen Kingston on designing Bridge Command to give audiences agency This is an idea that they've explored and pioneered in the past as a company, most notably with Crisis? What Crisis? and For King and Country. If this isn't impressive enough on its own, Bridge Command also allows these decisions to carry over to repeat visits, meaning your past choices will impact your experience if you visit again. The behind-the-scenes infrastructure that facilitates this has also been upgraded this time. What used to just be a huge spreadsheet is now a cloud-based system built in Notion that according to Tom Black, Artistic Associate at Parabolic Theatre, will "save all the things that you did on that mission, not just to the crew, but also to you". It works to such a degree that if two guests have visited before as part of separate missions, their individual decisions will merge and impact their crews storyline when they play together. The hope is that this level of individual personalisation will ensure people come back again and again, picking up right where they left off. The 2019 version of the show deployed a rudimentary version of this, which worked to great effect according to Owen Kingston. Around 50% of first time visitors would return again, with "nearly all of them who did come back, came for every single episode that we made. That's when we realised, "Oh, there's a business model here which works in theory"" Photo: Alex Brenner We've had thousands of hours of being able to test being able to pivot the story around audience decisions, so we've gotten good at it. But I think that makes it difficult to imitate this as well because there are so many pitfalls, and it's only really through doing it that you learn how to avoid those. Owen Kingston on Parabolic Theatres' experience at adapting to audience decisions on the fly All this narrative flexibility is all well and good, but what exactly can we expect from the story of Bridge Command? According to Kingston, they're "trying to deliver on the promise of shows like Star Trek, where it's not just about flying around and 'pew-pew, we're going to blow up a load of bad guys'. You are a representative of an Earth government, and you're there to try and be responsible". Acting on behalf of UCTCN - a new political union combining the governments of both Earth and Mars, tension and in-fighting between different groups plays a big part in the show. "We've got five or six different factions in the Adamas Belt - people who live on an old ark ship with forests and fields built into the ship so they can grow food, there's a bunch of space criminals who run a gambling operation out of an old space station. There's pirates who literally just go out and steal people's shit. There's a variety of different factions who all know each other. The UCTCN becomes a kind of a police, trying to make everybody work together for the good of humanity." Photo: Alex Brenner While there are plans for regular updates to the overarching story of Bridge Command in the future, it appears the teams current focus is on perfecting an experience that both satisfies guests desire to do something unique, and feel connected to those around them while doing so. I've been to immersive shows where by the end I've hugged people, and I then realise after I've hugged them that I didn't know them until two hours before. I'd love for that to start happening because when you were playing, because of how much you have to work together if you're going to thrive, it really bonds you together. Tom Black on the kind of connections they hope to see come out of Bridge Command Photo: Alex Brenner Upon launch, there are two main mission types on offer - Military and Exploration. Both involve starship combat, but the Military Missions focus more on ship-to-ship confrontation whereas the Exploration Missions allow players to delve into the mysteries of space. The custom built set is fully integrated with bridge simulation software, meaning that whatever takes place in the simulation, from an enemy attack to a ship malfunction, will directly impact the physical set causing systems to break and sparks to fly. This is a truly unique project that has been years in the making. It is a remarkable blend of immersive performance, interactive storytelling and gaming technology, and there really is nothing else out there quite like it. We are extremely excited to finally share it with the world. Owen Kingston on Bridge Command Bridge Command begins previews on 27th March in Vauxhall. Tickets can be booked via bridgecommand.space  with prices starting at £40.00.

The Kraken Rum announce their new pop-up immersive Halloween horror experience in London, where the prices of drinks are determined by visitors’ heart rates during an 'immersive horror gauntlet'. This article was first published in 2023 and is in relation to Screamfest: Shock Exchange. Click here to read about 2024’s Screamfest: House of Curses. A new pop-up immersive experience this Halloween by The Kraken Rum will see visitors don heart-rate monitors before being thrown into a unique horror experience. The price they pay at the end of the experience in the bar for cocktails will be dictated by how much their BPM increased while inside. Developed alongside The Recreational Fear Lab, the immersive pre-bar experience is 'scientifically designed to make hearts pound'. The event is described as 'an immersive horror gauntlet' that will be 'dark, suspenseful and heart-thumping-out-of-the-chest frightening, it has more scares per minute than the best horror movies and is designed with one aim in mind: raise heart rates.' Guests descending into this heart of darkness will find themselves in a twisted testing ground - an arena of terror designed to discover if they are brave enough to receive The Beast’s benevolence by way of lower-priced cocktails. Once through the gauntlet guests will find themselves in the relatively safe embrace of The Beast’s bar, where they’ll discover just how much they were able to control their BPMs – or not. Those with lower heart rates will have their bravery compensated, while those who let fear take over will be charged incrementally more. Mathias Clasen from The Recreational Fear Lab says the following... An increase in heart rate is among the most well-known physiological indicators of fear and research has identified a range of stimuli that reliably induces fear in the average person. It is this knowledge that hosts of Screamfest VII have used in an event designed to heighten fear, and, by extension, heart rate. Hearts don’t lie, even in the presence of masking smiles. Tickets for Screamfest VII: Shock Exchange are priced at £10 each and include a cocktail. All subsequent drinks will be priced in line with guests’ heart rates. Those with racing hearts won’t pay more than £7 and resting hearts less than £3. Those interested in attending will need to book quickly, as there are limited spaces available, with many time slots already sold out. Kraken Screamfest VII: Shock Exchange will run for three days at the Clerkenwell Catacombs, from 26th to 28th October. Tickets can be booked via Universe .

Screamworks, London's premier immersive horror creators, return with Open House - a new experience for Halloween that fuses immersive horror and escape rooms. In recent years, ScreamWorks has earned a reputation for creating London's best immersive horror experiences. Their debut show, Bloodbath, launched in late 2022 and was unlike anything else on offer in the capital at the time. It pushed the boundaries of immersive theatre to an extreme and saw visitors being force-fed, tied up, undressed, and chased through an air vent on their hands and knees. Last year saw them launch The Ghost Hunt - another exceptionally scary immersive horror experience that had guests make their way through a Victorian house illuminated only by torchlight. Set within the abandoned home of the Luff family, who all met their end in bloody murder-suicide in 1937. Visitors were invited by paranormal investigator Hector Phoenix to explore the family home and discover the truth behind what caused their horrific deaths. "I think it's the scariest show we've done yet by far. We're building on the things that have worked so far in our experiences, but it's always been about psychological fear more than anything else." ScreamWork's Gary Stocker on Open House: The Escape Room Bloodbath by ScreamWorks (2022) For 2024, they return with Open House: The Escape Room. The experience is a combination of immersive theatre and escape room elements. ScreamWorks CEO Gary Stocker describes it as their most exciting immersive concept yet, and the culmination of everything they've learnt in the last few years. "I've always liked escape rooms for the fact that they really are quite immersive and give you a little bit more agency," says Stocker "but then there are some massive challenges with them that we've been butting our heads against - trying to tell a story in an escape room is almost impossible. People want to play the games, but they're so disruptive to the story because you can't really make someone believe that they're in a real story and then suddenly you go 'throw these ping pong balls into this cup to get a clue'. We needed a format where the games could work and coexist, but still allow us to tell a story." The Ghost Hunt (2023) by ScreamWorks The official description for Open House: The Escape Room is as follows... East London’s most haunted house is up for sale, and seasoned ‘escape agent’ Jason Shepherd has teamed up with ScreamWorks to present one of the most innovative house-hunting events of the season: Open House – the escape room. What better way to explore and experience the highlights of this unique property than to be locked inside for up to two hours, with a delicious drink from our brand sponsor and a host of fun games and challenges to complete? Possessed by the previous inhabitants for almost half a century, this enormous Victorian mansion is dripping in history, full of characters, and the perfect forever home for a young couple or family looking to take their lives to the next stage. With a bathroom to die for and a suite of bedrooms that will guarantee you rest in peace, this captivating property won’t cost you an arm and a leg! While the house has a guide price of £666k, the current vendors are keen for a quick sale and are willing to accept any offers whatsoever. Bloodbath by ScreamWorks (2022) Open House will run between 60 to 90 minutes depending on the choices visitors make. They will have complete freedom to choose their path, and those who are curious enough may uncover hidden secrets leading them down even more terrifying routes. Gary Stocker is eager for people to explore these options: "It's perfectly possible to come to this experience, play the games, and leave thinking that there was nothing else to it. However, there's a game inside the game to be found. For those people who are curious enough to explore and find it, they will end up having a completely different experience. We've decided to reward the curious and, in many respects, punish them too. We'll reward you by making you feel like you're going to die." Bloodbath by ScreamWorks (2022) Each group will be guided by Jason Shepherd, the property's "escape agent," who serves as both guide and game master as visitors complete a series of puzzles and tasks. For each completed task, there's a small gift from one of the show's brand sponsors, plus a complimentary drink during the house tour. Screamworks will also provide digital copies of photos and videos taken during key moments of the experience, accessible via a portal on their website. According to Stocker, this addition was developed in response to frequent requests from visitors: "It's a really nice addition because when everyone leaves our shows, they always ask 'Is there any chance I can see some footage from the CCTV cameras of this bit?' We basically have a full-time team actioning customers' requests at the minute for the footage. So now that this is launching, it'll happen automatically." Ghost Hunt by ScreamWorks (2023) Tickets for Open House are priced at £45.00 per person, with options for either public or private time slots. Each slot can hold between 2 to 7 people, and returning visitors will receive a discount if they wish to come back and try alternative paths through the experience. You can book via screamworks.london Photos from ScreamWorks' previous productions. Open House runs in Bethnal Green from 27th September 2024 until 3rd November. Tickets start at £45.00 per person and can be booked via screamworks.london

Phantom Peak's new Halloween offering gives us an opportunity to speak to the dead alongside Vesper - the town's newest character. We ventured over the Ridge to try it out... Immersive Rumours received complimentary tickets to this show and as such, are disclosing this information before  our review. They have had no input in the below and all thoughts are our own. Photo: Alistair Veryard Phantom Peak is an immersive experience we've spoken at length about before ( see our recent five-star review here ). It continues to be one of our favourite events in London - a big part of that is the regular seasonal updates. With a fresh load of trails recently unleashed for Halloween, we've already visited several times to explore the town and see how Phantom Peak's overarching story continues. This year on top of the ten Hallowed Peak trails available, there's a new add-on for those who want an extra dose of spooks during their visit. For an additional charge, you can take part in Phantom Peak's Spooky Seance behind closed doors with Vesper - one of the show's newer characters. Earlier this week, we travelled over the Ridge to try out this brand-new experience and see what it's all about.... Our séance experience began with Vesper welcoming us in a dimly lit corner of the town's closed-off JonaLabs facility. With only a single lantern to illuminate the space, Vesper asks if we've ever spoken to the dead before. When our group of five all say that we haven't, it's revealed by Vesper that it's also their first time hosting one. They're confident that collectively we can manage it without any hiccups, but to be safe they're going to cast a protection spell on us - just in case... The cast of characters included in each of Phantom Peak's seasons varies based on the main storylines. It's not uncommon for characters to be absent for entire seasons, and later return. For this year's Hallowed Peak, we've been introduced to Vesper - an aspiring medium who has arrived in town seemingly due to the increased paranormal activity that's been reported as of late. With a strong dislike for Spectre - the town's defacto paranormal investigator who's been a mainstay of the show for the last few seasons, they seem determined to prove themselves and out Spectre as being little more than an overpriced racketeer. Those who are up-to-date on their Phantom Peak lore may remember the JonaLabs facility was added earlier in the year during the Platypus Parade season. It's an impressively themed space that we're glad to see is getting some use again. Upon entering, Vesper comments that there was an incident that took place previously involving a JonaLabs employee that ended horribly. During Platypus Parade, Dr. Autumn had their consciousness uploaded into one of the town's robotic inhabitants - something that seems to have happened in Phantom Peak at least a couple of times now. Photo: Alistair Veryard We're invited to take a seat around the ouija table in the middle of the space and talk to some spirits. Guided by Vesper, we managed to connect with a number of ghosts during the experience. With each interaction, our group is invited to place a small wooden trinket we were given at the start on one of three response options - we can either confront, console or condescend the spirits. Each option leads to a different reaction from the spirit, and while it's largely inconsequential which we picked, there was still a feeling of wanting to pick the 'best' option amongst the group. As we've come to expect in Phantom Peak, these interactions with both Vesper and the ghosts we contacted all have the familiar wit and humour you see in every other bit of the show. One of the spirits is after some dating advice (is it okay to go on a date with the zombie version of your own body?), another feels some guilt towards scaring a child - the tone is very much in keeping with what you'd see doing any of the show's ten main trails. As the experience progresses, and with this being Vesper's first séance, it's no surprise that things don't quite go according to plan by the end. The conclusion of the show sees us fleeing JonaLabs and facing some peril at the hands of a spirit. It's an engaging and intense ending that sees us in another area previously unseen since Platypus Parade racing against the clock to escape to safety. Within giving the ending away, the séance is another example of Phantom Peak's commitment to long-form storytelling and directly ties into events of the shows past. While the experience is light on anything resembling proper scares or spooks, overall it's a fun addition to the Hallowed Peak season. Within a show that is built around one-on-one interactions with the townsfolk, getting 20 uninterrupted minutes with a character is great and well worth your time if your favourite part of Phantom Peak is these personal moments. Additionally, for those who are avid trail card collectors, there's a unique card for the séance, which isn't available otherwise. ★★★★ Hallowed Peak runs until Saturday 5th November. Tickets are priced from £39.99, with the Spooky Séance an additional £18.99. Tickets can be booked via phantompeak.com . Check out our other reviews from Phantom Peak here .