Review: PHANTOM PEAK: SUMMER'S PEAK, London

Is there no stopping (or topping) Phantom Peak? Just one year after its debut this epic immersive theatre launches a summer season filled with new stories and is now looking to expand into the US.

There will be those, of course, who look down on this art form as not being proper theatre. And they are, to an extent, correct: proper West End theatres are currently packed with revived musicals, stage adaptations of films and TV shows and rehashed Shakespeare with precious little in the way of new work. Even when all-singing all-dancing megahits like Guys and Dolls and Cabaret putatively point to their “immersive” elements, the effect requires one to be in a particular place and looking in a particular direction; turn a full one-eighty and it is very clear that you are not in 1920s New York or a Weimarian nightclub.

All the while, immersive theatre worth the name is raising the bar in terms of imaginatively bringing us into stories and worlds, giving us the agency to turn every which way and feel transported.

Set in a Western-themed town spread over over a 30,000 sq. ft space and populated with a bevy of quirky characters and mechanical wonders, Phantom Peak is escape room-slash-theme park which allows the audience to follow up to ten new stories or “trails” via their mobile phones (eager beavers who complete all ten get a special extra trail). Each one has a distinct mission which requires looking for clues in the town’s various shops, bars, installations and features (wonderfully designed by Glen Hughes’ Tandem Set and Scenery), solving puzzles and doing tasks along the way and talking to everyone from the mayor to a mad scientist, a paranormal investigator and the postmaster. Things can get very strange very quickly round these here parts.

This latest season introduces even more bizarre activities. Prepare to investigate the mysterious Big Dig where town overlords Jonaco are excavating an ancient city, join in on the annual rock hunt, play with some very cute platypuses and deliver sentient packages in between the usual malarkey of thinking up ways to persuade characters to give up key pieces of information or scanning walls and pictures for answers. 

Creative director Nick Moran (co-writer and designer of Sherlock: The Game Is Now with Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat) has embedded two incredibly admirable qualities into Phantom Peak: it is both funny and fun. The rich humour embedded into each storyline is reminiscent of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett and each human interaction feels full and rounded rather than an actor rattling off a rote script. Moran really has no mercy: when we’re not crawling through tight spaces or around obstacles, we’re being asked to deliver unwelcome news to one of the sweetest characters. Thankfully, the cast is there to help us every step of the way making even the most awkward encounter ultimately a rewarding one.

Part of this family-friendly experience’s appeal is its more relaxed nature. Unlike promenade immersive shows like The War of The Worlds or The Gunpowder Plot where the audience is moseyed along from one scene to another or Punchdrunk's dark and heavy The Burnt City, the adventurers here have up to four hours to wander as they please in bright open spaces, savour a burger from Notorious BRG or LA - POP!’s gelato lollies made from locally sourced organic milk, play electronic and carnival games in the arcade, prop up the bar at the saloon or recline outdoors with something refreshing while pondering the next step on their trail.

Anything as multi-layered as Phantom Peak will come with a few niggles (on press night, the town postmaster Littlefield proved to be a bottleneck for several trails) but, in general, given the complexities which come with running a production of this magnitude, everything runs remarkably smoothly. To paraphrase Pratchett’s thoughts on opera, this show happens because a large number of things amazingly fail to go wrong.

Unsurprisingly, the company is looking to expand to the US as well as planning the next episode at its current site; those who stick around for the latest closing ceremony will get an insight into the theme for the Halloween-inspired season. The high standards we praised in our first review are still here, as is the highly impressive quality of improvisational acting.

For those yet to try immersive theatre, this excellent show is a perfect introduction: there’s no need to read up on the classics or history books and there’s a welcoming vibe throughout. And for those looking for some fun in the sun with friends and family, Summer’s Peak is as fun as they come.

Phantom Peak: Summer’s Peak continues until 24 September.

Photo credit: Al Veryard

 

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