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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. ★★★★ Photos: Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience is currently booking until September 2025 at 56 Leadenhall Street near Aldgate. Ticket prices start at £43.00 and can be purchased via feverup.com

This review is from the 2023 run of Bacchanalia at Crypt in Bethnal Green. Click here to read our 2025 review of the show at Hoxton Hall.

We jump aboard the Wishmas Train to review Secret Cinema's latest immersive production at The Old Bauble

Piers' life hasn't quite worked out as he hoped. Deflated by his prospects after graduating university, he's taken a job as a temp, teaching a lesson on community values to those looking for work. While desperately trying to impress the sea of faces sat in front of him, he calls upon a man in the audience, absent-mindedly doodling on a notepad. Without knowing it, he's just kicked off a chain of events that will shape the rest of his life. This is the starting point for My Plan For Tomorrow , the latest semi-immersive show from Spare The Rod, a theatre group founded in 2018 by George Abbott and Alfie Lanham Brown. The show previously enjoyed a sold-out run at the Pen Theatre and returns now at the Golden Goose Theatre in Camberwell following further development based on audience feedback and a crowdfunding campaign. Photo: Rachel Burnham Exploring themes of masculinity, personal accountability, success, and failure, My Plan For Tomorrow  follows Piers (Alfie Lanham-Brown) through several decades of his life. From the seminar he's reluctantly teaching to a chance encounter at a comic book convention years later, and finally at a work-mandated therapy session, we see him repeatably struggle to accept the reality that his life didn't turn out how he hoped. Written by George Abbott, the text is at times engaging and thought-provoking, especially when commenting on topics such as class inequality and substance abuse. Dominic Daniel's portrayal of Ian carries particular weight in the second half, despite the narrative becoming somewhat muddled. By the show's conclusion, it is unclear exactly what the show is trying to tell us, and a bizarre conclusion appears out of nowhere, leaving the audience unsure whether to clap and leave the venue or wait for another scene to begin. Photo: Rachel Burnham In terms of immersion, My Plan For Tomorrow  has a novel approach for the audience is treated and integrated into the show. While they're seated throughout and have no real interaction with the cast, they are technically playing the collective role of observers - from the group of prospective jobseekers to the patiently waiting crowd at a convention, they're a constant presence in all three scenes, and their silence is acknowledged throughout by the cast. Photo: Rachel Burnham Whether intentional or not, it's a rough position for a show to be putting its audience in - they're forced to reconcile with the fact that despite repeated on-stage cries for them to engage, their role is to ultimately keep quiet and just observe. When audience members do attempt to meaningfully respond, they're glossed over, even when they're done so at the request of the characters. Equally, when the audience doesn't respond to these requests, the silence is weaponised against them, implying they should in fact be engaging. Overall, My Plan For Tomorrow  is at times a thought-provoking and engaging production that delves into complex themes of personal and societal struggles. While its innovative approach to audience engagement is commendable, the execution will likely leave audiences wishing it was clearer exactly what their role was meant to be from the outset. ★★★ My Plan For Tomorrow is running at the Golden Goose Theatre in Camberwell until 3rd August. To find out more about the show, and to book tickets, visit goldengoosetheatre.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 adaption 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 echos 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, is 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 hope 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 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

Our review of Humbug, the immersive Christmas dive bar. Back for 2024 after a successful debut in 2023 on Leake Street in Waterloo, this year's edition of Humbug Photo: Grant Walker VIP ticket holders also get a chance to speak to Santa in the bar's stockroom, which

received complimentary tickets to this show and as such, are disclosing this information before our review

received complimentary tickets to this experience and as such, are disclosing this information before our review

We recently appeared on the No Proscenium podcast to discuss the current state of immersive theatre in London and look back at the big moments of 2024. The episode was hosted by No Proscenium 's Noah Nelson, and also featured Katy Naylor ( Voidspace ), Franco Milazzo ( BroadwayWorld UK ), and Shelley Snyder ( No Proscenium ). Listen here:

received complimentary tickets to this show and as such, are disclosing this information before  our review Photos: Grant Walker Humbug lies behind an unassuming door at the end of Leake Street - an area of London With a peace offering of a present, our larger group of 15 or so are invited to go and meet the main

Photos: Yippee Theatre Dead Hard: A Drag Die Hard Parody Panto will run at COLAB Tower from 10th December

With A Most Mechanical Murder returning for one night only this June at Phantom Peak, we interrogate With A Most Mechanical Murder, the show is set within the universe of Phantom Peak. Because Phantom Peak is such a unique and big world, it gives us so many different ideas about where When we ran it previously, about 1/3 of the guests came because of Phantom Peak, 1/3 came because of A Most Mechanical Murder runs at Phantom Peak in Canada Water on Thursday 27th June 2024.