Hush Collective's ethereal performances offer up an alternative way to engage with live music for a blindfolded audience in the dark. Photo: Ian Olsson Seeing live music in London is an experience often made up of small annoyances. Your sightline of the stage will be interrupted by phones being raised into the air. People will constantly squeeze past you, trying to find their friends or get to the bar. The music may be drowned out by people talking nearby. It's a dice roll every time you go to a gig, and the behaviour of the audience around you can have a big impact, ultimately distracting you from what's on stage and pulling you out of the experience. We accept all of this to connect with music in a live environment. There is, however, an alternative where none of that is an issue... In The Dark by Hush Collective is a tightly controlled 'immersive' experience that's been designed to ensure there are no barriers or distractions between the audience and what's most important - the music. Performed in dimly-lit venues, with the audience wearing sleep masks throughout, anything that could pull you out of the experience has been removed, and everything else - from what you're going to hear to who exactly is performing - remains a secret until the performance. Photo: Ian Olsson During our visit, a collection of 11 tracks was performed by the 26-person-strong Hush Collective, who roam the venue barefoot during the performance at St. Bartholomew the Great near Farringdon. Bookended by Sigur Rós' Festival, every song performed had an ethereal, other-worldly feeling. Lesser-known songs from the likes of Colplay and Mumford and Sons sit alongside hauntingly beautiful renditions of songs by Mree, Garth Stevenson and Ane Brun to create the kind of soundscape fitting for within the walls of the 900-year-old building. Over the course of the 60-minute performance, it gently moves you into a zen-like meditative state, with no external stimuli besides the music to hold your attention. With no central stage for the members of Hush Collective to be situated on, the performance takes place with the musicians and vocalists spread around the venue, creating an analogue 360° listening experience. Depending on where in the room you're sitting, you'll likely pick up on different details, with some voices and instruments standing out from the rest as they all echo through the space. The sound of certain instrumentals will become louder as the performers approach you, then recede into the background as they pass by. Everyone's experience of the performance will differ, purely based on where they're seated. Photo: Ian Olsson Being blindfolded for the duration allows your other senses to become heightened. Those seated on the aisles likely picked up on the movement of air as the performers walked up and down, the rustling of coats and squeak of chairs were more pronounced, and the familiar smell of the building became more noticeable as the evening progressed. We're capable of picking up on all of these things in our day-to-day lives, but how often are we allowed to sit and notice them without distraction? It's an eerily beautiful and emotional experience for those who attend. In The Dark is unlike any performance we've ever attended, and if it encourages people to focus on the music when at gigs in the future without distracting those around them, it'll have changed live music for the better. We'll certainly be keeping our phones in our pockets going forward... Photos: Ian Olsson ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] In The Dark is playing at St Bartholomew the Great near Farringdon and Trinity Buoy Wharf near Canning Town on various dates across March 2025. Tickets are priced from £35. To find out more visit in-the-dark.com

Yippee Theatre's hilarious immersive drag panto 'Dead Hard' sees Nakablowmi Tower taken over by Hands Grubber and his team of butch henchmen. Photo: Yippee Theatre Dead Hard, the debut production from Yippee Theatre, mixes adult panto, drag, parody, and immersive theatre. Written by Lowell Belfield and Helena Raeburn, alongside the show's director, Bertie Watkins, the show is chock full of double-ended dildos, double entendre, and is easily one of the funniest shows we've seen in years. Photo: Yippee Theatre The opening 20 minutes of Dead Hard see the audience split in half, with them either ushered to the 32nd floor of Nakablowmi Towers to take part in a series of X-rated party games or being enlisted to help with Hands Grubber's imminent storming of the building on the ground floor. During our visit, we were escorted up to the 32nd floor and welcomed by Joe Capitalism (Jacqui Bardelang), whose invitation to "watch them do a massive line of blow" immediately sets the tone for the office party gone wrong. With kilos of cocaine both laid out on a boardroom table and filling up a paddling pool, as well as dildos suction-cupped onto the glass partition dividing the space. It's an audacious opening to a show, which is made all the more outrageous by a party game in which an audience member needs to keep a huge dildo balanced upright in their hand for as long as possible, and a game involving champagne bottles and string that required some very precise hip movements to win. If it wasn't already clear, Dead Hard has a wonderfully chaotic energy to it. The campness is turned up to 11 right from the start, and every moment that references John McTiernan's original film has been injected with a huge amount of innuendo and humour. Photo: Yippee Theatre For those on the building's top floor, there are fleeting visits from gym-bro John McClean (Alex Dowding), fresh off a flight from New York City, and their disgruntled ex-wife Holly (Calum Robshaw) in the opening act, which sees Holly burst in as John is being stripped down to his vest and without socks and shoes, soundtracked by Magic Mike staple 'Pony' by Ginuwine. We can't speak to what those recruited by Grubber many floors below have been up to, but our paths soon intercept in suitably dramatic fashion. CEO Joe's plans for everyone to gather around for a company photo are interrupted as the doors to the party burst open and the show's villain, Hands Grubber (Toby Osmond), decked out in a sequin outfit and high heels, enters flanked by the other half of the audience, who usher everyone into the show's main performance space. "You will witness the greatest corporate spanking in history" decrees Grubber as we take our seats. Once inside this main performance space, Dead Hard becomes a more traditional panto, with the audience sat on either side of the central stage for the remainder of the show. The scenes that follow include everything you'd expect from a Christmas pantomime - from screams of 'He's behind you!' to regular booing from the audience and a heap of costume changes. The show's mature tone allows the cast to fully lean into the adult nature of the show's script. Guns have been replaced with dildos that vibrate instead of fire; a sex doll substitutes for the film's many dead terrorists, and Hands' name is mined for every joke you could probably ever think up about handjobs. There are numerous references to RuPaul's Drag Race, Grindr, and even the recent assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO is incorporated into the show's script, which is both a non-stop barrage of jokes and a celebration of queer culture. Photo: Yippee Theatre By design, pantos are interactive, and the audience plays an important role in the proceedings. You can expect regular questions asked to the crowd, and every emotional moment is played for a reaction - whether it be a sympathetic aww, a boo or a cheer. Toby Osmond's Hands, in particular, will play up to the crowd at every given opportunity, lapping up their booing with delight while goading them to continue. While some of Die Hard's most iconic moments, including John crawling through the vents of Nakatomi Plaza, are recreated throughout the show with ingenious creativity, and scenes later on in which the cast chase each other on go-karts take the absurdity of the show to ever greater heights, there's real heart at the centre of Dead Hard. The personal journey that John McClean goes on throughout the show, in which they grapple with their own sexuality, adds emotional weight to the show's climax and recontextualises the original film's bromance between McClane and Powell to be an out-and-out love story. Without a doubt, Dead Hard is one of the funniest shows we've seen in years. You'd struggle to find a more entertaining night out in London this Christmas season, even if it's light on proper immersive elements outside of the first act. It's a Yippee-Ki-Yaas from us. ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Dead Hard: A Drag Die Hard Parody Panto runs at COLAB Tower from 10th December 2024 to 12th January 2025. Tickets are priced from £32 and can be booked via colabtheatre.co.uk

We venture into Room 101 as part of the Ministry of Truth's recruitment process in 1984 - A Unique Theatre Experience. Photo: Maggie Jupe Pure Expression's adaptation of 1984 returns to Hackney Town Hall for a second year, featuring a fresh cast, creative team, and new direction by Jack Reardon (From Out The Land, Pucked). When the revamped production was announced in September, writer and executive producer Adam Taub promised it would be “more visceral and more challenging” for audiences. While this iteration certainly delivers a more visceral experience and makes some positive strides over last year’s version, it remains hindered by an underdeveloped and truncated script that strips away much of what makes George Orwell's novel so impactful. Photo: Maggie Jupe The show begins with an extended pre-show in Hackney Town Hall's Atrium. After being handed an ID badge, we're invited to grab a drink or take a seat and await 'processing'. Ensemble members, dressed in pastel-grey Ministry uniforms adorned with Ingsoc badges, menacingly roam the space with clipboards. Greeting everyone as 'Comrade', they quiz attendees on their opinions about Big Brother and gauge interest in joining the anti-sex league. Soundtracked by eerie hums and drones, the familiar slogan of 'See it, say it, sorted' occasionally echoes through the space, highlighting how modern-day Britain shares more similarities with Orwell's Oceania than we'd like. Following a short musical performance on stage by two party loyalists, the audience, all prospective candidates for roles within the governmental organisation, are instructed to proceed upstairs into the Council Chamber to be assessed. It's here that we're introduced to O'Brien (Dominic Carter), who gives a lengthy speech underlining the importance of the Ministry's work. We're asked to stand for the National Anthem before O'Brien singles out some of the audience by badge number. Quizzed on our observational skills, and with a rapidly dwindling number of participants who had demonstrated the necessary surveillance skills, we're soon escorted back to the venue's atrium for the remainder of the show, which now doubles as the Ministry's observation centre. Photo: Maggie Jupe Adam Taub's adaptation of Orwell's original novel has done away with a lot of the smaller moments and character building and instead focuses on a few key moments which are performed on the central stage within the Atrium. Presented as a telescreen, we briefly get to see Winston (Joe Anderson) and Julia (Neekita Knight) first meeting and falling for each other, before immediately jumping forward in time six months to see them secretly cohabiting. We've barely had a chance to understand exactly why these two were drawn together in the first place, or exactly why their decision to secretly build a life together may have dire consequences, before their flat is stormed by Thought Police, and the pair are separated. While it hits many of the main beats in the original novel, so much of what made it resonate with readers has been lost. Photo: Maggie Jupe The remainder of the show sees Winston being tortured and interrogated inside Room 101. These scenes are the biggest departure from last year's adaptation and thankfully, are where the creative team's efforts with the lighting, sound and video design get to shine. Taking direction from video designer Dan Light, the show's ensemble operates numerous cameras around the stage, capturing both the repeated scenes of Winston having his head dunked into a bath and being electrocuted, and the audience who watch on silently. Writ large when projected three floors high onto the back wall of the venue, it's as if we're watching a snuff film being made right in front of us. Some clever video trickery at a pivotal moment during Winston's torture also has us questioning if what's being shown via projection can be trusted, as it fails to line up with what we can see happening on stage in front of us. When combined with Ben Jacob's excellent lighting design and Munotida Chinyanga's haunting sound design, these final scenes in 1984 are an arresting and intense experience, even if we've arrived at them so quickly, they lack the emotional depth you'd have hoped for. Photo: Maggie Jupe With so much of the novel's story having been erased from this adaptation, what's then left for audiences to sink their teeth into? Well, in terms of audience interactions, all of the moments in which the audience is called upon for input can be boiled down to one question: Are you loyal to the party? Those who commit to the idea that they're there to help push forward the Ministry's cause will get the richest moments of immersion, not least the single audience member selected to participate in the show's final moments. For the rest of us, who have shown ourselves to be less committed to Big Brother, we're left to watch an adaptation of Orwell's that's visually engaging, but over far too quickly. ★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Immersive 1984: A Unique Theatre Experience runs from 1 October 2024 to 22 December 2024 at Hackney Town Hall. Tickets are priced from £24.50. To find out more and buy tickets, visit immersive1984.com

London's longest-running immersive experience invites visitors to witness the Martian invasion of the late 1800's, using a mix of live actors, detailed sets and virtual reality. Photo: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience is a pretty out-there concept for an immersive show. A reimagining of the 90-minute long prog-rock concept album from 1987 (which itself is a reimagining of H.G. Wells's original science-fiction novel from 1898), the album is best known for Richard Burton's iconic narration and the sweeping, epic scores that combine orchestral pieces with electronic music. Drawing inspiration from the original novel, Jeff Wayne's musical re-interpretation, the show incorporates VR and projection mapping, amalgamating 19th-century literature, 20th-century music, and 21st-century technology. Spanning across 24 interconnected spaces, and covering 22,000 square feet, the 110-minute-long experience recreates the story of George Herbert's perilous journey through Victorian London and Surrey during the Martian's invasion of South East England. Photo: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience From sneaking into houses through propped-open windows, escaping through secret passageways, ducking under wooden beams in war trenches, and sliding through the arms of a defeated Fighting Machine into the sewers, it's a surprisingly physical immersive experience that covers a lot of ground. At a rapid pace, groups of 12 encounter a string of actors, all of whom are ready to help them along their journey - from professors to artillerymen, maids to ferrymen. These fleeting moments with the show's live-action cast all put the focus squarely on those who lived through the invasion of the late 1800s, detailing the fear that swept through the capital and surrounding counties. During our visit, the cast were all excellent in their respective roles, leaving a lasting and memorable impression of the group regardless of how long they survived in our company. Photo: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience Fans of the original album will be pleased to hear that the experience does it justice. With Jeff Wayne's name front and centre on the poster, it's little surprise that he was heavily involved in the show's development, having reworked and remastered nine of the album's tracks for the experience and well as overseeing everything from the script to merchandise. On the whole, every track featured has been condensed to keep the show's pace fast moving. 'The Eve of War' has been wonderfully remixed for the show's opening title sequence, which uses 360° projection mapping to cover all four walls of a Victorian theatre with animations of Fighting Machines wreaking havoc on a woodland, and the climax of Side A - 'Forever Autumn' and 'Thunder Child' - have been combined to soundtrack guests daring escape from London down the Thames. One other notable change from the concept album comes by way of Richard Burton's original narration, which has either been confined to the VR portions of the experience or removed entirely to allow those narrative moments to be acted out by the cast in front of guests. Photo: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience The story's biggest moments, including the Fighting Machines descending upon Central London, the sinking of HMS Thunder Child, and the Martian's eventual defeat, are all reserved for virtual reality. The scale of these scenes is far beyond anything you could effectively convey with physical sets and offers guests the chance to witness these key moments from unique perspectives. While these sequences are no doubt the most thrilling moments in the experience, you can feel the limitations of the technology pushing back against the show's ambition. Considering these VR sequences were all originally developed in 2018/2019, they're beginning to show their age in terms of graphical fidelity, and the resolution of the show's VR sequences is nowhere near what modern-day consumer VR headsets can now offer. Photo: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience With an iconic soundtrack scoring the show, a huge number of scenes to experience, and some ambitious technology on display, Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience and producers Layered Reality have carved out a unique corner in London's immersive scene in the five years since the show first opened. It's a hugely enjoyable experience, even for those unfamiliar with Jeff Wayne's original concept album, and will have you humming 'The Eve of War' not just on your journey home but for many days after. ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Photos: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience runs at 56 Leadenhall Street near Aldgate. Tickets start at £43.00 and can be purchased via lwtheatres.co.uk

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 [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] 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.

Read our review of Taskmaster: The Live Experience. Your time started when you clicked on this article. Photo: Avalon With over 160 episodes of Taskmaster having aired since the show first debuted in 2015, all of which we’ve seen, you’d think we would have known not to take every challenge at Taskmaster: The Live Experience at face value. Much like in the series, there’s often an obvious solution to the challenges put before us in this new immersive version of the show, but we’d be lying if we said that being able to find them while the clock is ticking down was something that came naturally to us. Taking over DockX, a vast warehouse on the waterfront of Canada Water, Taskmaster: The Live Experience allows visitors to experience what it is like to participate in the popular Channel 4 series and discover first-hand that there's a huge difference between watching someone else do a task from the comfort of your sofa and doing it yourself. Photo: Avalon Taskmaster: The Live Experience is split into two halves - alongside the main ticketed experience, there's also a Taskmaster Museum, which displays a collection of props and artwork from the show's eighteen previous seasons, as well as a recreation of numerous recognisable locations from the show, which are all open to the public without a ticket. Long-time fans of the show will take great pleasure in seeing so many pieces of show history under one roof within the Taskmaster Museum. Items on display include the typewriter used in the opening titles, the first-ever whistle blown by Alex Horne in the show, numerous pieces of artwork by the likes of Joe Lycett and Noel Fielding, and the golden bust of Greg Davies's head awarded to each season's winner. The Museum is a lovingly curated collection of both the items painstakingly created by the show's production team and the nonsense created by contestants, including Fern Brady's toilet seat lid self-portrait, which was painted with raw sausages instead of brushes. Photos: Immersive Rumours Elsewhere in the venue, there's a series of photo opportunities outside of the Taskmaster house, including the huge white statue of Greg Davies that's been a mainstay of the show's garden for several years, Linda the Cow (affectionately named so by Rylan, who christened the cow with the same name as their mum) and the caravan. Also scattered around the venue are numerous activities visitors can attempt while waiting to enter the main experience, including a recreation of the infamous 'Get this potato into the golf hole' task from Series 2 of Taskmaster (let the record show that we managed it in two attempts). Those with tickets for the main experience can expect to have a bit of time to explore all of this, as well as a gift shop before being called into the Taskmaster house roughly 15 minutes after the time printed on their tickets. That may be just long enough to enjoy a Bin Juice cocktail from the bar, but nowhere near enough to take in everything else on offer. We'd recommend setting aside at least an hour to explore all of it, either before or after the main experience. Photos: Avalon Heading into the Taskmaster house, visitors are split into groups of up to 14 people to take on the gauntlet of tasks on offer over the course of 60 minutes. There are two different experiences on offer here - Melon Buffet and Absolute Casserole. Both have four main challenges that everyone takes part in, as well as a final task for the five best contestants in each group. If you want to be a completionist and do all 10 tasks on offer, you'll need to book both experiences separately. For our visit, we took part in Absolute Casserole, which was a combination of mental, physical, and observation tasks. Photo: Avalon We're not going to give away exactly what the tasks were, as that's not in the spirit of the show and may well give readers a leg up over their competition, but each task felt like a faithful recreation of what's typically presented in an episode of Taskmaster. Beginning with some introductory projections and videos of Greg Davies and Alex Horne outlining the rules of the game, the pair explain that in their absence Little Little Alex Horne will be overseeing and scoring our performances in the tasks as we progress through a recreation of the Taskmaster house. Tasks take place in scaled-up versions of the study, lab, garage, entrance hallway, and a scaled-down version of the studio. With the default Taskmaster's Assistant outfit of a black suit with no tie, our Little Little Alex Horne was as warm and friendly as you could ever hope for, with an unwavering love of the Taskmaster that came up in their conversations with the group more than once. Armed with an iPad that displays the remaining times for each task, they comment on, critique, and champion the performances of everyone in the group. If you crash and burn, you can expect them to make sure everyone knows about it, but equally, they will give you your moment in the spotlight for a job well done. One particularly proud moment, in which we asked Little Little Alex Horne a specific question during a task, led to them highlighting our ingenuity in the post-task debrief (let's ignore that, despite that, we got zero points). Based on our time playing through Absolute Casserole, it's fair to say that most tasks had a hidden shortcut to success, much like they often do in the show. The scoring system also mirrors that of the TV show, with five points being awarded to the best performing in each task, going down to one point for fifth place. Updates to the overall scores come at the end of each task via screens, which live-updates as the results come in. In a cruel twist of fate, despite the Taskmaster themself not being present, the scoring can also be influenced by elements outside of the contestant's control. In one particular task, the solution was offered up on a platter to the tallest participant, giving the rest of the group a marked disadvantage. Photo: Avalon Across the four main tasks that everyone participates in, one is a group task that requires contestants to team up in pairs. Again, the key to success was right under everyone's noses, but in the chaos of everyone competing, it went unnoticed until Little Little Alex Horne pointed it out. These gotcha moments are just as infuriating to find out about in real life as they are for the contestants on the show, and you'll likely be kicking yourself for not spotting them sooner. The final task of Taskmaster: The Live Experience takes the form of a studio task, with the five highest-scoring contestants battling it out in front of the rest of the group. Going into this final task, the scores are wiped, and all five finalists start on a level playing field. For the overall winner, there's a medal and complimentary souvenir photo up for grabs, with the audience of lowest-scoring contestants being given one last chance at glory in a mini-task to win a golden duck with 'Best of the Worst' printed on. Reviewing an experience without revealing a lot of the content is a challenge in itself, but all of the above is to say that Taskmaster: The Live Experience delivers on the promise of putting visitors into the shoes of the comedians who take part in the TV series. Long-time fans of the series will no doubt find it a rewarding and enjoyable experience, even if they walk away empty-handed, and those unfamiliar with the show will likely be won over by the sense of humour and quirkiness. The thought put into the creation of the tasks by Alex Horne and the show's production team is easily on par with that of the series and offers plenty of chances for us non-famous people to find out if we'd actually be any good on the TV show. Photo: Avalon The elephant in the room when it comes to Taskmaster: The Live Experience is the price. At peak times, individual tickets can cost up to £100, which does feel far too high, despite the experience's high production values. The show is running a biweekly ticket lottery to purchase up to four £25 tickets, which does alleviate this problem for those lucky enough to win, and off-peak tickets are available at £50 per person, which is a more accessible price point for many. For those wondering, despite our disqualification in one task and a run of low-scoring tasks, we did manage to redeem ourselves in the final task and are now the proud owner of a golden duck. Our companion for the experience also went on to win the final live task, which is something this reviewer will never be allowed to forget. Photos: Immersive Rumours ★★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Taskmaster: The Live Experience is running at Dock X in Canada Water until 25th January 2025. Tickets start at £50.00 and can be purchased via taskmasterliveexperience.com For more reviews of shows like Taskmaster: The Live Experience, check out other recent immersive reviews here.

This two-day Soho pop-up delivers scares, chills and cocktails as part of a promotional event for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions. Our review of Blumhouse Blackout... Photo: Cerebrum Blumhouse Blackout, a two-day immersive pop-up experience from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, took over a building on Bateman Street in Soho last weekend, inviting visitors into the world of M3GAN, The Purge and The Black Phone ahead of Halloween. Tickets to the event were free of charge - though limited - with a walk-up queue available outside the venue for those who missed out. Entering in groups of up to 8 at a time, visitors were first invited to sit in a shabbily decorated living room as two characters in Purge masks ominously walked around silently. With the door to the outside world slammed shut, they leapt into life and instructed guests to move through to the next room for an introductory briefing. Being directed by someone wielding an axe added to the haste with which everyone moved... Photos: Cerebrum The centrepiece of the experience was a 15-minute section with visitors lying on mattresses in a recreation of the basement in The Black Phone. Wearing noise-cancelling headphones throughout, an audio experience created by DARKFIELD - a company well-known for using 360° binaural audio to immerse visitors - played out in total darkness, with the only sources of light being the occasional pyrotechnics, dim lighting cues and actor interactions timed alongside the audio. Photo: Cerebrum These brief moments out of darkness certainly ramped up the tension and had some well-timed jump scares, especially when the lights would briefly flick on to find one of the cast inches from your face, but the sections in the pitch black were the most effective, as your imagination would fill in the visuals. Despite being pre-recorded, hearing others around you trying to escape, only to subsequently be captured and dragged away screaming, made the instructions in the opening moments to stay on your mattress at all times to remain safe even more impactful. The climax of the audio experience was an ASMR-like whisper into your ear that sent shivers down your spine, both from the delivery and the sound of saliva moving around their lips and mouth as they spoke. Photo: Cerebrum The second half of the experience took place in a Blumhouse-themed bar at the rear of the venue. At one end, M3GAN was there to greet visitors in a children's playroom. Performed by Annabel Brook, who also played Young Eleven in 2019/2020's Secret Cinema Presents Stranger Things, their robotic invitation to dance led to some of the experience's most entertaining moments, as guests recreated the viral dance moves that helped make the original film such a success. Elsewhere, an invitation to 'play a game' had guests searching the walls of the bar area with a UV flashlight in search of letters, which, when rearranged, made up a code phrase that would result in receiving a complimentary Blumhouse T-Shirt. In addition, complimentary themed cocktails based on popular Blumhouse films were also available. The same bartenders who made those drinks soon shifted gear when the Purge Countdown playing on a TV in the bar hit zero, with them donning masks, smashing bottles and telling us to leave just as quickly as we’d entered. Again, you’re expected to do as told when a masked stranger is holding a weapon… Photo: Immersive Rumours As far as immersive pop-up events go, Blumhouse Blackout was far from the most elaborate to hit London in recent years. It was certainly nowhere near the scale of events such as It Chapter Two experience at The Vaults, and The Boys Get The V by Swamp, but it was nonetheless an engaging and enjoyable experience, especially given the free ticket price. No doubt due to logistical reasons, the event only ran across two days, despite selling out in just a few hours. With Halloween just days away after the doors to Blumhouse Blackout closed, it feels like a missed opportunity not to have the experience run for longer so more people could experience it. Photo: Immersive Rumours ★★★★ Blumhouse Blackout ran at 15 Bateman Street on the 25th and 26th October 2024. For more reviews of immersive experiences like Blumhouse Blackout, click here.

Parabolic Theatre’s new immersive starship simulator delivers an exhilarating and unique experience for visitors that rewards exploration and, above all else, good communication. Our review of Bridge Command... Photo: Alex Brenner Bridge Command, the latest immersive experience from Parabolic Theatre, officially opened its sliding doors in Vauxhall this past week. A reworking of the company's 2019 production, the show places visitors in charge of their own spacecraft, allowing them to navigate the vastness of the galaxy, engage in combat and negotiate with enemy factions. It's one of the most technologically advanced immersive shows to open in London in recent years and takes the decision-focused, responsive style of immersion Parabolic Theatre has always been best known for to new heights, far exceeding anything they've previously produced in terms of both complexity and scale. Back in 2019, Parabolic launched the original version of Bridge Command at COLAB Factory in Borough. Produced on a shoestring budget, using whatever props and set dressing they had lying around, the show was, by their own admission, pretty rough around the edges from a set design perspective. Appropriately, the show’s budget had instead largely been invested in the technology and backend systems that powered the experience, enabling them to produce a show that guests loved and found incredibly engaging. Allowing people to pilot their own starship and set off into the vastness of space made it the fastest-selling show in the company's history at the time. During this run, Bridge Command attracted the attention of investors, who helped fund the reworked, supersized version of the show now open in Vauxhall. Photo: Alex Brenner Warp forward to 2024, and in the few short months since the show soft-opened in March, it's clear Bridge Command has developed a loyal fanbase. Outside the venue, attendees introduce themselves to each other and connect over discussing their previous missions aboard both the UCN Takanami and UCN Havock. More than perhaps every other immersive show open in London right now, Bridge Command demands you get to know everyone else is in your group in order to succeed, with an upcoming mission to space serving as a pretty good icebreaker... Once inside, you're instructed to select a flight suit to wear for your mission. Everyone taking part in the experience is offered either a Bridge Command jumpsuit or a bomber jacket to wear, which has room set aside for everyone’s current rank and ship name to be velcroed onto. First-time visitors sport the patches denoting that they’re Ensigns, the lowest rung on the United Confederation Navy ladder, while more experienced guests can have higher ranks and other patches denoting specific achievements. This is the first introduction to the multi-level progression system that Bridge Command has built into it, which is designed to reward repeat visits and encourage exploration of the show world. With everyone suited up, you're ushered into the teleporter, a huge white circular room that takes you from 2024 Earth to 2180 Space in a matter of moments. We won't reveal what tricks are being used here, but it's a wonderfully designed transitional space that makes it clear Parabolic Theatre isn't messing around when it comes to delivering on the promise of a high-budget immersive space experience. Photo: Alex Brenner Emerging in The Mess, the UCS Warspite's on-site bar, which is decked out with interactive terminals and relics of previous UNC missions, you'll find yourself alongside fellow pilots, engineers, and communications officers eager to celebrate their recent successes or calm their nerves before being deployed. In total, there are four different mission types on offer within Bridge Command: Diplomacy, Intrigue, Military and Exploration, all of which will see guests acting on behalf of UCN in one of the numerous Officer roles visitors must select from. Ranging from Helm to Weapons, Radar, Engineering and Comms, as well as, of course, Captain or First Officer. All of them are important in their own way, and things can easily go wrong at any one station, leading to a knock-on effect across the ship. For our visit, we were taking on an Intrigue mission that, on the surface, sounded simple enough. All that was required of us was to deliver a military officer onto a nearby ship nestled inside a cluster of asteroids, assist them in retrieving a datapad, and then leave the area without being seen. Given Bridge Command takes inspiration from episodic sci-fi series like Star Trek, and dropping someone off at a ship just to take them home would be a very dull episode of TV, it's little surprise that things got a bit more complicated and action-heavy as our mission progressed, with alarms blaring, sparks flying, and enemy ships coming at us from all directions. Both the UCN Havock, and UCN Takanami have complex systems that need constant attention and careful resource management. Besides the touchscreen consoles at every station, the crew must interact with numerous physical elements to keep the ship running smoothly. If the ship's overall energy levels run too low the Fuel Cells need removing and replacing, the Crystal Resonators that maintain the ship's shields can become destabilised, leaving the ship defenceless, and the Overcurrent Protectors may also need swapping out. With resources being used up faster in situations like combat and travelling at warp speed, it's a delicate balance to manage them all. Photo: Alex Brenner On paper, all of this may sound incredibly overwhelming. Thankfully for first-time visitors, there’s time set aside for explanations of every role before things kick off in earnest. You won’t be experts in your roles by any means, but the UCN seems to encourage on-the-job learning and embracing your mistakes - even if your crewmates might not. While the added pressure of knowing that if you can’t respond quickly and do what is needed, you may well become the weakest link ramps up the tension as you begin your mission, all of the roles are manageable and on the right side of challenging to stay on top of. As previously mentioned, one of the biggest parts of Bridge Command, and honestly the hardest thing to stay on top of, isn’t the numerous consoles, terminals, and screens but the communication between players. When your crew is all on the same page and the group's instructions to one another are clear, progressing through the show's story is an exhilarating experience. Information and updates will fly across the room constantly as everyone operates as a cohesive unit, and obstacles like enemy ships are soon little more than debris. On the flip side, these moments can easily spill over into disaster if communication falls apart. At one point during our visit, we collided with a large asteroid despite numerous shouts of 'Asteroid!' from all corners of the bridge. On this occasion, it took too long for the Helm to react, and our ship's hull took such a large amount of damage that the Engineering team had to leap into action to mend it. While it was drilled into us in the briefing that everyone’s actions will affect what happens in our mission, this collision with the asteroid confirmed that point in a very real way. Photo: Alex Brenner Parabolic Theatre has always focused on creating experiences that give audiences agency and respond to visitors' decisions. These 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. While in previous Parabolic shows, most notably with Crisis? What Crisis? and For King and Country, this was largely confined to each individual visit. In Bridge Command, these decisions have longer-lasting implications. Each mission within Bridge Command has no set path to follow and gives visitors a huge amount of freedom to decide how best to approach any situation. The show then responds to those choices on the fly, meaning every version of a mission can have wildly different outcomes. All of this information is logged and will later inform what happens in subsequent visits. If, like us, you decided not to hand over important intel to UCN Intelligence at the end of your mission, that decision may well have consequences in the future for both you and your team. Photo: Alex Brenner Additionally, the show's individual progression system allows you to rise up the ranks of UCN over time. While we remained Ensigns with single-stripped shoulder patches after our first mission, those in the same position will, in time, progress to higher ranks based on how much time they spend aboard the ship and how well they perform while on the bridge. During our mission debrief, our Radar operator received their first promotion, prompting cheers and applause from the rest of the crew - it was a surprisingly emotional moment for not only them but the rest of the group that they’d just worked alongside. For fans of interactive storytelling and sci-fi adventures, Bridge Command is an essential experience. With a level of freedom that is almost unparalleled, there's little else out there anywhere in the galaxy that comes close to what Bridge Command offers. We'll no doubt be reporting for duty again in the not-too-distant future to continue exploring the outer reaches of space and get the promotion that's so far eluded us... Photos: Alex Brenner ★★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Bridge Command is currently booking until 31st January 2026 in Vauxhall. For more information about the show, and to book tickets visit bridgecommand.space For more reviews of shows like Bridge Command, check out other recent immersive reviews here.

London's best open-world immersive experience serves up a healthy dose of cowboys vs aliens with their latest supernatural seasonal offering, Hallowed Peak. Photo: Alistair Veryard Spooky season is finally upon us, and with it comes the third edition of Hallowed Peak - Phantom Peak's annual Halloween offering. Billed as more spooky than scary, this family-friendly immersive open-world experience has become a mainstay of London's Halloween season in recent years, and as they so often do, the team behind Phantom Peak have outdone themselves once again. There's a lot for guests to sink their fangs into this season. First and foremost, there are roughly nine hours worth of new stories spread across ten brand new trails, as well as three interactive carnival games, the ever-popular competitive sport of Platyhooks, and refreshed food and drinks offerings across the site. Additionally, two add-on experiences -The Lunar Remedy, a revamped cocktail trail, and the puzzle adventure The Haunted Hunt - add even more to the experience. It's way too much to do in just one visit to Phantom Peak, but the show has always worked best when treated as an ongoing experience that you return to again and again. For this latest iteration of Hallowed Peak, the threats that have descended upon the town are fittingly supernatural. Across the trails, there's everything from shapeshifting beachballs to vengeful cowboy spirits, candy-based demons and sentient toys to frat-boy aliens all casting a long shadow over the townsfolk of Phantom Peak. While business may be booming at resident paranormal investigators Spectre & Vox, the true danger looming over the town this season comes in the form of a big red button. After being pressed by Mayor Pocket during the opening ceremony, a self-destruct sequence that threatens to destroy the town is inadvertently triggered, with a mere 4 hours left until the town is set to explode. Photo: Alistair Veryard As so often happens within Phantom Peak, what may start as just a simple request from one of the townsfolk will soon spiral off into a much more complex storyline full of twists, turns and humour. Those keen to get to the bottom of who's behind the plot to blow up the town will soon find themselves signing up for a pyramid scheme competition, subjecting themselves to a prolonged staring contest, hacking one of the town's many pieces of technology to talk to an imprisoned character and finally beating one of the townsfolk in a wand-waving battle to get the answers they need. Quite how the show's writing team can so deftly weave all of these disparate elements together into engaging and fun storylines is already impressive before you also consider that they manage to do it ten times over every few months without a drop in quality. Photo: Alistair Veryard Hallowed Peak also goes some way to pushing Phantom Peak's overarching storyline forward. In some cases, these developments are continuing storylines established back in the show's first season, which opened in Summer 2022. Don't worry if you're a newcomer, though, this overarching story is still very accessible and easy to pick up within a few hours of exploration. There's direct mention of the much-teased return of former Mayor, Dr. Joy S Furbish, who has been hiding away in the vast system of mines below the town for the best part of a year now (don't believe the lies of the Opening Ceremony introductory video), and characters that have had a long absence from the show return, with Thirsty Frontier Saloon owner Copper back in Phantom Peak following a prison sentence for being part of a rebellion against the town's omnipotent leader, Jonas. While the continued success of Phantom Peak could be attributed to the ever-changing selection of storylines on offer, that's only a part of what makes this show so special. By design, Phantom Peak is driven by conversations with the townsfolk, and for those who want their immersive experiences to be full of one-on-one interaction, the show delivers in buckets. The cast, whose enthusiasm and openness to improvisation and, above all else, fun, make Phantom Peak a place people want to return to time and time again, and their attachment to the town's characters has only strengthened with each new season. Photo: Alistair Veryard While of course, the cast of Phantom Peak are all actors there to do their jobs, there is a real sense that they care about the people visiting the show, and do all they can to forge real, tangible connections with guests. Small gestures, like being welcomed back at the start of sessions by members of the cast who remember you, to the more overt displays of recognition like being referred to by name or calling back to previous conversations they've had with you, go a long way to making Phantom Peak feel like a living, breathing town with real residents. For first-time visitors, it's worth going out of your way to speak to any many of them as possible, even if they're not directly involved in the trail you're working through to begin forging your own relationships with the people that make Phantom Peak so special. Photo: Alistair Veryard October is usually a pretty busy month for immersive experiences in and around London. In stark comparison to most other Halloween-themed shows playing in the city this month, Phantom Peak is a family-friendly experience that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. As we close in on the 31st October, Phantom Peak is putting on extra sessions and extending its opening hours to get into the spirit of the season, with a late-night offering on Halloween evening. While it's by no means the most intense show themed around Halloween, it’s undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable and should be an essential visit for Halloween fans. ★★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Photos: Alistair Veryard Phantom Peak - Hallowed Peak runs until 10th November in Canada Water. For more information, and to book tickets, visit phantompeak.com To read more about immersive experiences like Phantom Peak - Hallowed Peak, check out our recent immersive reviews here.

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. Photo: The Magician's Table 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... 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 vial 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 [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] 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.

A heady mix of cabaret, close-up magic, and curated cocktails creates an unforgettable night at The Starling in the new immersive show Rhythm&Ruse. Photo: 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. 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 sitting blindfolded on stage, transcribing a vision onto a piece of paper while Tom silently looks over her as guests are 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 outstretched 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 ★★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] 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.

Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave Few London escape rooms have garnered as much hype and anticipation as Sherlock: The Official Live Game did when it was first announced in June 2018. While a large part of this had to do with the country's collective love of the BBC series, with nearly 10 million people tuning into the show's final three episodes, escape room enthusiasts had even more reason to be excited... It was the follow-up to TimeRun. Running from April 2015 for three years in London Fields, TimeRun was widely regarded as the best escape room in London. Created and designed by Nick Moran (now best known for Phantom Peak) and Dean Rogers (who had previously helped launch The Crystal Maze Live Experience), it raised the bar for what escape rooms could be at the time and was praised for its lavish sets and theming, engaging story, and innovative puzzles. Naturally, the big question leading up to the launch of the TimeRun team's new project - then known as Sherlock: The Game Is Now - was whether it could live up to its predecessor. With a script penned by Steven Moffat, Mark Gattis, and Nick Moran, and original video/audio content from the cast of the BBC series, including Martin Freeman, Mark Gattis, Andrew Scott, Louise Brealey, and Benedict Cumberbatch, it was clear that Sherlock: The Official Live Game was aiming to be as close to a blockbuster as an escape room could get. Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave The overall experience of Sherlock: The Official Live Game has immersive theatre elements in the lead-up to its main escape room section, and draws visitors into the story immediately upon arriving at the venue. Tucked away at the back of Shepherd Bush's W12 Shopping Centre, the venue's exterior is designed to resemble an opticians office. There are walls lined with dozens of glasses, staff in white lab coats (all called Stamford), and posters advertising the businesses' services - it’s so convincing unsuspecting passersby may mistake it for a real store. To enter, visitors buzz an intercom and provide a coded message. Unlike most other escape rooms in London, which introduce visitors to the stories world verbally during a pre-experience briefing, Sherlock: The Official Live Game immerses them from the very start with this environment, signalling that this is an escape room that's gone above and beyond the norm. The story of Sherlock: The Official Live Game has guests take on the role of new recruits at The Network, a fictional organisation headed up by Mycroft Holmes. With Sherlock out of the country, they are drafted in to help with an investigation as part of an assessment before being assigned official roles within the organisation. After a health and safety briefing delivered in-character via a pre-recorded video by John Watson (Martin Freeman), guests leave the optician's and enter a recreation of 221B Baker Street - the home of Sherlock. They're invited to look around the flat at their leisure before disaster strikes, and Moriarty (Andrew Scott) delivers a message from beyond the grave. With Mycroft having been kidnapped, a call from Sherlock instructs guests to follow Moriarty's instructions while he devises a solution, kicking off the escape room portion of the experience. There’s some neat practical effects at use in this room, which again elevates the pre-show experience above the norm. Overall the extended pre-show, which also includes a photo opportunity within the flat, does a solid job of setting up the main storyline for the experience. Visitors understand the story and stakes of the escape room before stepping into the room, and seeing familiar characters appear on screen - speaking directly to the audience - is a thrill for fans of the BBC series, who will relish the chance to dive back into the world years after the show’s conclusion. Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave The game's first room, which is set inside a lab at St. Barts Hospital, offers players their best opportunity to 'become' Sherlock. A dead body lies in the centre of the room, covered by a sheet. Its face and body are largely obscured, and guests need to make a series of deductions about the person based on what little clues are available, including their occupation, marital status, and where their body was discovered. Other puzzles in this first room rely mainly on logical or lateral thinking, which matches the hospital setting. Subsequent rooms include the office of the currently missing Mycroft Holmes, which continues the need for lateral thinking and teamwork, and the Holborn Operating Theatre Museum, where the game reaches its climax. In this final room, the puzzles shift from mental to physical, requiring patience and dexterity, which can be challenging as the clock ticks down to its final moments. The difficulty of each room increases as groups progress, with the last room being far and away the toughest to complete. There’s also an added layer of tension for players as they enter the final room, as there’s no clock or indication of how long they have left before their allotted hour is up anywhere in the experience. When it comes to the in-world audio and video content from the cast, Andrew Scott’s performance as Moriarty is the clear highlight. His intense portrayal of the series antagonist ramps up the urgency to solve each puzzle quickly, especially in the final room. Unfortunately, Benedict Cumberbatch's contribution is limited to audio only, which may disappoint fans expecting more from the experience's titular character. After saving the world and freeing Mycroft (if all the puzzles are completed in time..), guests are welcome to visit the venue's other main attraction, The Mind Palace bar. With an impressively large drinks menu and additional experiences on offer, including Afternoon Tea and The Poisoned Chalice—an immersive cocktail experience that sees guests solving a test set by Sebastian Moran, Moriarty’s right-hand man—it's a well-themed venue to debrief after completing the main experience. The Poisoned Chalice Cocktail Experience. Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave So does Sherlock: The Official Live Game manage to live up to TimeRun? It's a close one. It's certainly one of the best escape rooms we've done in London, and the high production values make it the city's must-try experience for enthusiasts and fans of the series. Compared to other escape rooms in London, it goes above and beyond with its extended pre-show, and the addition of an on-site bar elevates it from a brisk 60-minute experience to something you could spend the better half of an afternoon experiencing. ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Sherlock: The Official Live Game runs at Doyle's Opticians in Shepherd's Bush daily. Tickets start at £44 per person, and can be booked via thegameisnow.com