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First announced aeons ago and presumably costing a bob or two to create, this Elvis Presley-based immersive show is a slick affair, heartfelt in its admiration for The King. It’s by Layered Reality, who have had notable immersive successes with the ongoing adaptation of The War of the Worlds and the Tower of London-based The Gunpowder Plot.
It’s also somewhat structurally eccentric, comes with a difficult-to-defend ticket price, and – when I visited anyway – clearly suffered from its audience not being crystal clear about what it involved from the off.
The hook is Elvis’s legendary 1968 comeback TV special, wherein the man who changed music forever in the ‘50s successfully blew off the schmaltzy MOR cobwebs that had engulfed his ‘60s career and showed the world that old fire again.
What does an Elvis superfan make of the King’s new London immersive experience?
But there’s quite a bit of other stuff before that. For the first half it’s essentially straight up theatre. We’re cast as audience members for the comeback special, who have been rounded up at the last minute after Elvis’s infamous manager Tom Parker failed to distribute any tickets himself (this really happened). A nervous Elvis hasn’t played live in seven years and is refusing to leave his dressing room (this also happened). And Elvis’s BFF from childhood Sam Bell has randomly turned up and offered to help talk his old pal out of his room.Â
This did not happen, although Bell was a real figure. But his arrival...
Have your brain tickled by talks from the smarties at top universities and scientific institutions, and get interactive with some hands-on experiences that bring the latest research to life at this bonanza of geekery hosted by world-leading science and technology magazine New Scientist. A host of leading thinkers will be appearing across the weekend festival, including This is Going to Hurt author Adam Kay, biomedical scientist and TikToker Big Manny, Springwatch’s Chris Packham, GP and TV presenter Dr Zoe Williams and novelist Naomi Alderman, while highlights of the workshop programme include a scientific whisky tasting with drinks expert Billy Abbott, a forensics session with a serving police detective, and a microbiome testing lab where you can learn about the science behind fermentation. Saturday and Sunday are for everyone, while the Monday is a special day for school visits.
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