Review: BRIDGE COMMAND, Vauxhall

Ever wanted to captain a spaceship on a mission to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilisations and perhaps shoot up some enemy ships along the way? With the aid of a shiny new £3.5m set, Parabolic Theatre’s Bridge Command realises every sci-fi geek’s dream.

Fans of Star Trek, The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica will be in their element here in this experience that has been some ten years in the making. It is a far cry from its first version seen in 2019 when, back then, the minimal budget meant that the sets were made from cardboard and wood. Thanks to the generosity of a wealthy sponsor, all that has been replaced with one of the most technically advanced and beautifully-presented theatre sets in London. 

And, despite the occasional snobbery around immersive events (not helped by more traditional shows like Cabaret and Guys & Dolls abusing the term), this really is theatre. Artistic director Owen Kingston and his team of live actors deliver highly engaging story missions that follow a dramatic arc to a satisfying end. As the crew, we all have our roles to play be it captain, missiles, navigation or engineering. Teamwork, collective choices and individual effort are the only things standing between glory and possible medals and rank promotions and being blown to smithereens by space pirates.

One of Bridge Command’s cleverest features is how it encourages and rewards repeat visits, a key element in the longevity of immersive experiences including Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City and Phantom Peak. Everyone starts off as a lowly Ensign and, as the mission successes rack up, they can be rewarded with a promotion which will be recognised on their next mission. The system also makes sure that crew members are not sent on the same mission they have been on before and that their past encounters with alien species are factored into future meetings. Medals and promotions won previously are awarded before setting off on a new mission.

The show started off in Borough’s COLAB Factory but now has a new base in the arches just outside Vauxhall tube station. Once inside, there’s a choice between a natty dark blue bomber jacket to sling on or, assuming you’re not wearing your best ball gown or a full set of Klingon armour, you can clamber into a flight suit available in sizes XS to xxL. Both are embossed with Bridge Command logo and come with velcro badges to indicate your current rank and ship name. 

In terms of missions, there is a wide variety to try out. Those who love nothing better than letting loose with missiles and beams should aim their scopes at Military missions, the more pacifist types can opt for Exploration missions and then there are the Intrigue and Diplomacy missions which are more dialogue-driven adventures. Would-be crew members under 16 can join in the fun by going for Cadet missions. Private bookings are available if you want to dash around space just with your friends and family.

There’s a considerably large layout which we are eased into gently. After being suited up, there’s a fun transporter ride before being walking into The Mess and its welcoming bar. There’s no Guinan to serve us but there is a decent range of beverages available for purchase and plenty of seating to enjoy before setting off on one of the two ships (the UCS Takanami is the larger of the two and comes with its own cargo bay while the UCS Havock is more nimble and has a ready room on board).

When ready, we shuffle off into the briefing room to hear all about the parameters of our mission and, before stepping through the airlock, deciding which of us will cover each of the nine positions covering engineering, navigation, operations and weapons plus the captain’s chair. There’s a burning temptation to whisper “shhh” every time we go through a sliding door but thankfully that soon passes.

The start of the mission was the clunkiest part of the experience as each officer is separately taken through their role; in engineering, I was shown through the screens how the energy could be balanced between the various parts of the ship like the reactor, the shields and the weaponry, how energy could be restored outside battle, how to detect and repair ship damage and how fuses and batteries could be replaced as well as being taken around the ship to see where batteries and fuses were stored. It’s a lot to take in and some kind of prep beforehand would have been handy.

The mission itself was a blast, literally. Given a choice between stealthily sneaking about to get to our intended destination or going the most direct route all guns blazing, my crew voted for the latter. Cue alternating screams of panicked alarm and delirious joy as pirate ships are spotted, engaged and destroyed while I ran around to make sure the ship didn’t run out of juice or disintegrate under enemy fire. There were some real moments of camaraderie but the quality of communication wasn’t the highest during the battles: there was a strong sense that none of us had played before and were hectically learning on the job by jabbing at screens, screaming at each other and generally having a good time.

Even though it’s an open-world immersive experience, there’s not an incredible amount of agency. The episodic structure means that much of the time is spent sitting and interacting with the cast or your crew and forming group decisions rather than walking around and exploring the ship or moving the story forward through individual choices. That’s very much in keeping with what we see on the Enterprise but could be something to bear in mind for those more used to the likes of Punchdrunk or Phantom Peak. 

The show was already running for over six months in its current location before it was deemed press-ready and that time has paid off. Bridge Command is a very polished show that I feel is only just at the beginning of its journey and I look forward to seeing where it goes to next.

Bridge Command is currently running in Vauxhall until 31 January 2025

Photo credit: Alex Brenner

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