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Step into immersive theatre worlds with our guide to the best and most boldly interactive London shows
Whether you call it immersive, interactive or site-specific, London is bursting with plays and experiences which welcome you into a real-life adventure that you can wander around and play the hero in.
From big ‘serious’ plays by legendary companies like Punchdrunk to deliciously frivolous dinner-theatre shows and plenty of points in between, the content and execution of each of these shows may very wildly – but each is guaranteed to let you step into a whole new world.
Despite being an unofficial tribute to John Cleese’s legendary ’70s sitcom, this interactive dinner show captures the show’s spirit surprisingly well.
This lavish new immersive theatre attraction from the Tower of London is, in essence, a 100-minute theme-park ride…
Immersive dining gurus Gingerline are back, and it’s very much as if they’d never been away: ‘The Grand Expedition’ is literally a remount of their last full show.
Dinner theatre specialists The Lost Estate return with a theatrical dining experience themed around classic Sherlock Holmes adventure ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.
This ‘Murder on the Orient Express’-homaging immersive dinner show casts you as train passengers in the glamorous golden age of rail, with a mystery to be solved. Menus comes from two Michelin Star-holding chef Niall Keating.
Think the past couple of years have been rough? Try surviving a Martian invasion only to be captured by an enormous fighting machine and having your blood harvested, ‘The Matrix’-style, in a stifling capsule.
HiddenCity is a series of three-to-four-hour-long treasure hunt-style adventures that you can have around London in a small group, guided by messages sent to you from your phone.
Yes, really: it’s a gigantic Monopoly board, allowing you and a group of fellow players to live out your dreams of rampant landlordism in the flesh.
This ‘fully immersive Western town open-world adventure’ basically sets you free to roam around a 30,000 square foot steampunk-influenced Wild West town, interact with its inhabitants, get involved in its mysteries and sample the food and drink at its various watering holes.
There was famously an eight-year gap between immersive theatre leading lights Punchdrunk’s shows ‘The Drowned Man’ and ‘The Burnt City’. But with a permanent base established in Woolwich – aka The Carriageworks – the company said it would be back sooner rather than later this time and so it has proved.
“Mission Command’ put you and a group of pals on the bridge of a spaceship tasked with saving humanity. Work together and tackle various missions – and if you come back for more you’ll be able to continue the same story rather than simply repeat.
The previous absence of a major permanent Paddington Bear attraction in London can possibly be attributed to the fact that in its own way, London itself is a major permanent Paddington Bear attraction. But with the meteoric success of the recent film adaptations of Michael Bond’s beloved stories it’s no surprise that the polite young bear is finally putting down roots in the capital.
The time is right for the Elvis industry to enter a new, immersive era.
Grab a bunch of thrill-seeking, puzzle-solving mates and sign up for one of the many live escape room experiences London has to offer.
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