Review: Grease: The Immersive Movie Experience, Battersea Park

Secret Cinema and Today Tix curtail the end of the summer season with a solid and mesmerising trip to the land of Grease. This time, the story is set in the sprawl of Battersea Park. Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical is tangibly fuelled by a real appreciation for the 1978 film, evident from the attention to detail in the most excessive extravagance, down to the smallest detail.

Conscious of the ever-changeable British weather, the experience is split between outside and indoors and begins from the moment your ticket is checked. Welcomed into a bustling carnival, you can choose to ride the Ferris Wheel, try out one of the themed food stands, or have your picture taken in a full-sized Shake Shack. Inside, you travel through some recognisable scenes – from a hair salon to a gym – to reach the main area for the night. 

Nowadays, it’s easy to attend shows and wonder where your hard-earned cash has gone. This is certainly not the case for this production. Throughout the night, you’re entertained by intermittent live performances of some of the best songs off the soundtrack, where cast members will actively get you involved, but thankfully, without being too insistent. It truly is an immersive experience; wherever you wander, you’ll bump into actors, cheerleaders, and maybe even a stray T-Bird or two.

If you can, dress up! You won’t be alone. Don’t worry if you don’t have anything prepared – you can buy plenty of merchandise there, including a Rydell High jacket. The experience is also appropriately busy, which makes for a great atmosphere, but still with room to roam. 

Do be conscious of which ticket you buy; inside, a VIP ticket doesn’t guarantee you a VIP seat, which I, along with the rest of the considerable group behind me, found incredibly confusing. It’s worth arguing, however, that you probably don’t need a seat. One of the best parts of the show is that you can do as you please; stay for a song, head out for some food, wander back in for the live performance of ‘Greased Lightnin’. This really makes for an experience as opposed to just a show; anywhere you go, you still feel part of it. Plus, anywhere you do sit, you can be assured that you’ll be involved in some way.

While it might seem so, Grease: The Immersive Movie Experience isn’t reserved just for ultra-fans. It manages to wander the narrow line between indulgent and overbearing, and the time spent there passes by so fast you barely get a chance to digest it all. It’s also not a one-time experience; it’s certainly something you could go to over and over again. 

If you’re not into musicals, I’d maybe suggest giving this one a miss. But if you’ve ever caught yourself singing ‘Look At Me I’m Sandra Dee’ under your breath, this immersive experience could be an excellent way to round off your ‘Summer Nights’.

Director: Matt Costain
Choreographer: Jennifer Weber
Designer: Tom Rogers
Lighting Design: Howard Hudson
Sound Designer: Gareth Fry
Music Supervisor, Orchestrator & Arranger: Steve Sidwell
Video Design: Ian William Galloway
Costume Design: Susan Kulkarni & Martina Trottman
Wigs, Hair, and Make-up: Farida Ghedwar & Jessie Deol

Grease: The Immersive Movie Experience plays at Battersea Park until Sunday 7 September