Located in Battersea Park, Secret Cinema brings something exciting and fun to this recently gentrified neighbourhood, something perfect to boast for a Friday night escape. Grease, the overwhelmingly well-known musical and film that has impacted multiple generations, is repackaged here as an immersive movie-musical experience. What really transforms Evolution London into the fairground isn’t just the merry-go-round or the Ferris wheel, but the audience members dressing up like Sandy and the Pink Ladies, who fill this space with nostalgia, laughter and joy.
As a long-time expert in immersive cinema, Secret Cinema takes a slightly different route with this production. Instead of allowing audiences to explore a large, film-themed site and interact with the actors freely before watching the movie, Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical (directed by Matt Costain and choreographed by Jennifer Weber) plays the film on multiple large screens while live theatrical spectacles unfold simultaneously. A central stage dominates the massive space of Evolution London, surrounded by themed stalls like the Frosty Palace. These stalls serve partially as performance spaces, where Sandy (Stephanie Costi) and Danny (Liam Morris) occasionally appear, but ultimately function as food booths for the standing crowds to rest and feed themselves.
Sometimes, this concept works well. For instance, when the iconic hot rod descends from the loft during “Greased Lightnin'”, the choreographed spectacle is unbeatable with the ensemble. Likewise, when Frenchy (Gerardine Sacdalan) is visited by Teen Angel (David Fearn) at the Frosty Palace, the sequential arrival of angels from every corner of the venue singing “Beauty School Dropout” is dreamy and heartfelt. Let alone Sandy’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, so emotional that it still stirs in your heart. With many audience members singing along, this karaoke-like atmosphere is no doubt nostalgic.
However, the audience interactions are perplexing most of the time, even just within the range of Secret Cinema productions, especially compared to Casino Royale and Moulin Rouge! where genuine interactions take place. Here, you are simply invited onto the central stage, walking around, lining up, and leaving. The most confusing moment is the pyjama party where audience members are literally seated onstage, doing nothing – you’d at least expect a real pillow fight. Except for the final dance competition that all are invited to join, which is also too routine and predictable, most of the audience interactions feel overtly uninspired and half-hearted.
The show ends outdoors, just like the film, in a carnivalesque finale: people dancing, singing, taking selfies, and sipping cocktails under London’s skyline. Forget immersive theatre. It’s a feel-good theme park where a summer wonderland meets a Disneyland park show.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
