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earth and water stories arrive at regular intervals, accompanied by gusts of wind and the occasional leak Cosima and Ali speak to them one-on-one, prompt them to answer a ringing rotary phone (which is unknowingly While it's no doubt a cautionary tale, speaking to the danger of untruthfulness and how lies can quickly

Photo: Secret Theatre The Nutcracker Noir, produced by Secret Theatre and DesignScene, is an immersive dining experience at Protein Studios, a short walk from Shoreditch High Street. Running until 21st December, it combines immersive elements, live on-stage performances from a cast of West End talent and a five-course meal designed by Feast & Fable's Jenny McNeill to create an experience that's indulgent, classy and, most of all, incredibly entertaining. Guests enter Club Noir via a secret entrance within the Merry & More Mart, a pop-up cafe and Christmas shop that's open to the public outside of performances. With bright colours and bold graphics, it's got a touch of Meow Wolf's Omega Mart to it, with various fake products like Reindeer Milk, Sno'J and Yule Log Pine Bleach on display. The majority of products in store, however, are real and available for purchase, including homeware, candles and customisable Christmas goodies from numerous independent London businesses. On the way into the space, there's a generously sized welcome shot of gin, mulled spice and clementine tonic (a non-alcoholic option is also available) and a bite-sized canapé with pastrami, smoked cheese and sugar plum jam inspired by Katz's Delicatessen in New York, which set the tone for the evening. Photo: Secret Theatre Moving through the secret entrance into Club Noir, guests pass through a series of immersive rooms in groups of 20, which set up Nutcracker Noir's narrative and introduce guests to the show's main characters. Their first encounter is with the towering Elf Eldar (Christopher Howell), who asks the audience to place the Christmas wishes they wrote down moments earlier in the queue into a box in the centre of the room. After picking an audience member from the crowd, Eldar performs an impressive feat of mentalism for the audience. Clara (Anita Nicole), the show's protagonist, awaits guests in the next space. Standing on a raised plinth in the centre of the room, she shares her story - as a child, she was abandoned on Brick Lane along with a note from her late mother and has spent the subsequent years searching for a family (chosen or otherwise) of her own. She now finds herself working at Club Noir as a choreographer for their latest show, which awaits audiences. There are 360-degree projections on all four walls of the room, which add a fittingly festive visual element to Clara's tale and elevate this encounter from being a pure exposition dump. The final immersive room prior to arriving in the Club Noir is the office of Frank Zane (Jairus McLachlan), who's the son of club owner George. With talk of auditions still being open for a couple of roles in the show, Frank asks for a volunteer to belt a tune. As soon as the last note echoes, the self-proclaimed 'ruthless theatre critic' Madame Zel (Jessica Alonso) bursts through the door, high kicking and twirling with every other step. For Frank, Madame Zel's arrival does little to calm his nerves ahead of the show's opening and only ups the pressure for it to be a success. Photo: Secret Theatre Inside Club Noir, guests are seated at pre-assigned tables, which flank a thrust stage. As you'd expect, VIP seats are right next to the action, with Club seating further back in the space. Regardless of where you sit, the decor inside Club Noir is gorgeous, with red drapes and chandeliers throughout, and there are good sightlines from all the seats. The show's on-stage performances, which run for roughly two hours with short breaks and an intermission, draw from a wide range of songs. With live vocals throughout, Frank, Clara, and MC Roz (Nic Myers) share singing duties for the show's contemporary tracks, performing everything from Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra' to Doechii's 'Anxiety' and Rihanna's 'SOS' across the evening to rapturous applause. As for the club's owner, George (David-Michael Johnson), their performances hark back to the past, with Judy Garland's 'Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries' and 'O Holy Night' amongst their repertoire. Accompanying the main cast on stage are Club Noir's resident dancers, made up of dance captain Axl (Alex Codd), Angie (Chris Vasileiadi), Jax (Patrick Wilden), Future (Tianna Jewiss) and Flow (Phoebe Coray). While every performance within The Nutcracker Noir is great, the highlights include a rock-infused reworking of 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' in the second half, which has the show's supporting cast scurrying through the audience and bounding onto the stage in leather mouse masks wielding weapon-sized candy canes, and Roz's rendition of 'Pink Pony Club', which elicits a huge response from the audience. The choreography comes from the show's co-director, Gary Lloyd, who's previously worked on West End shows like Thriller Live and Heathers: The Musical. Photo: Secret Theatre Shining just as brightly as the on-stage performances is Rob Jones' costume design, which feels like a mix between Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and ballroom culture. There's a huge range of bold shapes, flowing materials and silhouettes amongst the cast's costumes, with everything from huge flared peplum trousers to knee-high boots on display. Club owner George's outfit nods to the show's East London location and Clara's backstory, taking direct inspiration from Pearly Kings and Queens, whose origins lie in Henry Croft, an orphan and street sweeper who adorned his suits with pearls to draw attention while fundraising for orphanages and hospitals in the 1870s. Peppered throughout the show's musical numbers are several narrative scenes, continuing the overarching story established in the earlier immersive rooms. A brief flirtation between Clara and Frank is quickly shut down by George for reasons that save the pair from a kiss that they'd both regret for the rest of their lives, Clara's search for family at her mother's former workplace turns up unexpected results (you can see where we're going here...), and in the show's conclusion, the reunited Noir family, which has now gained a sister, comes together with Clara declaring she's found what she always hoped to find. It's a pretty basic story and not all that emotionally affecting, but The Nutcracker Noir's musical numbers and strong performances carry it through all the same. Despite claiming to be an adaptation of The Nutcracker, the show's connection to Tchaikovsky's ballet is minimal, with only minor details like Clara's name carrying over. Photo: Secret Theatre The Nutcracker Noir's five-course meal has been designed by Feast & Fable's Jenny McNeill, who has previously worked with immersive dining legends Gingerline and Heston Blumenthal's triple Michelin-starred Fat Duck. Things start simple enough, with Brick Lane Butter and Sourdough bread, which on the surface sounds pretty standard, but the whipped butter, which is infused with panch phoron, roasted garlic, crispy onion and tempered curry leaves, is honestly amazing and serves as the perfect entry point for the menu's upcoming dishes. A duo of trout starters soon follows, with the Club Classic (treacle-glazed Chalk Stream trout with celeriac, brussels sprout remoulade) and Contemporary Cooking (nori and brown sugar-cured Chalk Stream trout) coming out in quick succession. For vegetarian and vegan guests, the trout is substituted with a treacle-glazed beetroot tarte tatin in the Club Classic and candied beetroot with carrot in Contemporary Cooking. The Nutcracker Noir's main course comes in the form of slow-braised beef cheek (spice-roasted cauliflower for vegetarians) with BBQ reduction, crème fraîche, blackened corn and soused root vegetables, which is cooked wonderfully and hugely flavourful. Rounding things off is a baked Basque cheesecake with Spanish brandy, sherry, orange and vanilla-plumped prunes, which ties directly into the on-stage story, with the recipe coming from Clara's mother. Photo: Secret Theatre By way of refreshments, The Nutcracker Noir's drinks list has everything you'd expect. The standout items are the cocktails, which thematically tie into the show's story. Our favourite from the cocktails we sampled was the Frostbite, a wintery take on a margarita, with tequila, mezcal and Velvet Falernum served over ice. Winter Bloom, which is made up of aged rum, sweet vermouth, pineapple, ginger and winter spice, was another highlight, not least due to the gingerbread cookie clipped to the side of the glass, which was a welcome surprise. Throughout the evening, the service from Club Noir's hosting team was also incredibly attentive. Alongside the regular check-ins asking if we needed anything and speedy delivery of drinks, each course was delivered exactly when intended, coinciding with the performances and on-stage references to the dishes. It's far better service than we've received in a lot of proper restaurants, and operationally, for us at least, it was flawless, with a welcome drink and starter served within moments of us taking our seats. Photo: Secret Theatre While the price of entry for The Nutcracker Noir is certainly high (starting at £115 per person for access to the show and the five-course meal), it's evident that the money is being put to good use, with a company made up of West End talent, a gorgeous setting and enough food to satisfy even the most ravenous of guests. When compared to other Christmas dining experiences, most notably The Lost Estate's long-running The Great Christmas Feast  in West Kensington, The Nutcracker Noir stands shoulder to shoulder, despite this being its debut year. As a piece of counter-programming, it also offers an experience that's the polar opposite of The Lost Estate's moody and atmospheric one-man performance, with big group numbers, extravagant costumes and enchanting design, even if it's not quite as overtly 'festive' as spending an evening in Dickens' home as they share the tale of A Christmas Carol. An excellent choice for a couple's date night or festive get-together with friends, The Nutcracker Noir is one of the best nights out we've had in ages and more than delivered on its promise of quality food, amazing performances and killer cocktails. Madame Zel may have turned her nose up at it, but we loved every minute. ★★★★ The Nutcracker Noir runs at Protein Studios near Shoreditch High Street until 21st December 2025. Tickets are priced from £48 for Bar Seating (Show Ticket) and £115 for a shared Club Table (inclusive of a three-course meal). To book tickets, visit nutcracker-noir.co.uk

For more info and to book tickets, visit feverup.com For more reviews of immersive experiences like Jurassic World: The Experience, check out our recent Reviews .

If you have kids who love Minecraft, you probably don't need this review to tell you if they'll enjoy To find out more and book tickets, visit minecraftexperience.com/london For more reviews of immersive experiences like Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, check out our recent reviews .

Image: Eclipso Colosseum: The Legendary Arena is the latest immersive VR production from French producers Eclipso and Small Creative . Running alongside the hugely successful  Titanic: Echos from the Past  at Eclipso's permanent Camden High Street venue, the 40-minute-long experience allows guests to explore virtual recreations of Ancient Rome and the infamous Colosseum alongside Caius, a teenager who idolises the arena's fighters, and Flamma, a Syrian-born gladiator who was one of the era's most famous warriors. Upon checking in at Eclipso and being called up in small groups, there's a brief explainer on how the VR headsets work and the usual health and safety warnings you'd expect from a free-roaming VR experience (don't run, don't walk into walls, don't try and sit down on a virtual chair as it doesn't exist, and you'll make a fool of yourself, etc.). Once you've settled into wearing the headset and waved goodbye to the real world, all that stands between you and Ancient Rome is a short virtual corridor. Opening virtual scenes have guests following Caius, a teenage ball of energy who dreams of one day becoming a fighter in the Colosseum. While he'd love nothing more than to enthusiastically wave his wooden sword around his family home and show off his skills all afternoon, he's soon told to head down to the local market by his mother, ushering him (and us) out the door and onto the streets of Rome after showing us the city's terracotta-washed skyline from their balcony. Within the market, there's the opportunity to eavesdrop on conversations between traders and local residents, pick up certain items from the stalls (which you can quickly discard and throw to the floor like a stroppy toddler), and soak in the atmosphere. Shortly after, standing in front of the Colosseum, Caius explains the story behind the Colossus of Nero, a 30-metre-tall bronze statue that sat outside the arena. While it towers over you on the ground, the rising platforms guests are on allow them to take in the finer details as they float higher and higher into the air above the city. Image: Eclipso Once inside the Colosseum, Caius explains the seating hierarchy, with politicians and wealthy Romans seated on the lower levels closer to the action, and the common folk restricted to the upper levels. It's in this scene that the scale of what's been produced for Colosseum becomes clear. With a crowd of 80,000 spectators, it's an awe-inspiring view from the upper levels, with people as far as the eye can see, and it offers the kind of spectacle only possible with VR. As great a view as it is, Caius isn't content with being relegated to such a distant view of his idol and ushers guests down a secret passage, saying he knows a shortcut to a better view. Emerging inside a hypogeum beneath the arena, which is home to imprisoned fighters, guests are soon introduced to Flamma, who's preparing for his upcoming fight. Once on the arena floor alongside Flamma, with crowds cheering him on, it's clear why he turned down freedom four times over his lifetime – the man was built for fighting and was committed to providing a good show for them, regardless of the cost. From here, there are several hugely impressive scenes on the arena floor depicting Flamma fighting opponents, from small one-on-one skirmishes to venationes (in which the fighters are pitted against everything from elephants to leopards) and full-blown naval battle recreations in a flooded arena aboard opposing ships. While guests never have to defend themselves and engage in these battles, for certain scenes, they'll find themselves equipped with swords and shields, inviting them to engage in mock combat with other attendees by waving their hands. Despite the countless litres of blood spilt within the real-life Colosseum, Eclipso's VR experience is family-friendly and wisely doesn't show any of the gory details crowds at the time were hungry for. Vanquished fighters evaporate in a cloud of gold dust as they fall to the floor, and while some of the fighting is highly choreographed, for better or worse, there's nothing within them that would invite you to really contemplate the giant loss of life that took place where you're standing. Rounding off the experience, with the fighting behind us in the training camp, Caius emerges and finally is able to meet his idol, Flamma, face-to-face. While Caius is keen to share that he wants to grow up and be just like Flamma, the Syrian gladiator gives him pause, explaining that being there for those who love him and not risking his life for the bloodthirsty crowd is just as noble a pursuit. Image: Eclipso While there is plenty of really interesting and engaging educational content on display throughout Colosseum, the free-roam setup within each scene does allow guests to step back from that and treat it as a virtual playground if they so wish. At one point, temptation got the better of us, and our inner arsonist came out when a flaming torch spawned into our hand, leading us to (unsuccessfully) try and light our virtual companions on fire, and we did spend a couple of minutes trying to build up the courage to walk off the edge of numerous high platforms without feeling like we were going to fall to our death. With impressive technology, a huge scale, and some really engaging content, Colosseum: The Legendary Arena is up there with some of the best VR we've ever experienced. Striking a balance between entertainment and education, it's a wonderful experience for families, those interested in Ancient Rome, and those keen to try out VR for the first time and discover what all the fuss is about. ★★★★ Colosseum: The Legendary Arena runs at Eclipso on Camden High Street daily. Tickets are priced from £23.00 per person and can be booked via feverup.com

Our review of Bridge Command... 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 .

Tickets are priced from £27.00 and can be booked via feverup.com For more reviews of immersive exhibitions and experiences like The Legend of the Titanic, check out our recent Reviews

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For more info and to book tickets, visit elvisevolution.com For more reviews of immersive experiences like Elvis Evolution, check out our recent Reviews .

We're not going to give away any of the key moments from Undersigned in this review. During the onboarding, it's agreed that the attendee must speak honestly. underbellyedinburgh.co.uk You can join the publist waitlist for future appointments via yannickto.com/undersigned For more reviews of experiences like Yannick Trapman-O'Brien's Undersigned, check out our recent Reviews

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 are 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 was 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 ★★★★ 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

For more info and to book tickets, visit thekeyofdreams.co.uk For more reviews of immersive experiences like The Key of Dreams, check out our recent Reviews .