Theatre Review: Doctor Who - Time Fracture

London is slowly opening up - and TodayTix had tickets for half-price. So I thought me and my girl would go on a date!

Nestled at UNIT HQ - just by Bond Street station - is an brilliant immersive theatre experience. This isn't like Secret Cinema - too many people in desolate wasteland queuing up for over-priced drinks from bored vendors. Instead, it's a cosy and tightly controlled experience, where the whole cast take their roles very seriously. Even the cloakroom attendants were dressed in UNIT regalia! (Note, you don't have to stow your coat, but it does get very warm.) If you ever went to the Alien War experience in Trocadero, it's like that - but better.

The plot - such as it is - involves you wandering around UNIT base, chatting with the scientists. And then... OK, no spoilers, sweetie, but the audience are effectively split up between different strands of the story and guided around various set-pieces. The sets are fabulously dressed - full of props, posters, and little touches to grab your attention. Each group gets a guide who shepherds you between the scenes on various quests - it's a bit Crystal Maze with lots of rushing between missions to watch actors drip-feed you plot points.

The cast are brilliant - they seemed to know all the trivia, and were delightful to interact with. The costumes are perfect, they all blend together to make something quite magical. The monsters - all your favourites - are used sparingly but effectively. And, yes, it is a little bit scary. But good scary.

Alongside the physical cast are various video clips - lots of familiar faces (and voices) have cameos.

There's an interval - with plenty of seats after all that rushing around. Bar prices were reasonable for Central London, and the live singers were an absolute delight.

The whole things builds to an excellent and suitably melodramatic conclusion, with kids and adults all cheering. Behind the face masks were lots of smiles.

Nitpicks

It is very noisy and chaotic. I wasn't able to hear everything that was going on - and I sometimes got worried that I'd lost my group. It doesn't really matter though - the plot is very much "A THING HAS HAPPENED! LET'S RUN OVER HERE!". And the cast were very good at keeping teams together - although I suspect it wouldn't have mattered if you'd drifted off to another stream.

Because it is so crowded, and because of the narrowness of some of the doorways, it can be a little slow moving between zones. So the sense of urgency is somewhat muted.

There are some GLARING continuity problems with the dates around UNIT's establishment. I mean, come on! 😉

Verdict

For £15 per ticket, this is amazing value for money. And I can see why people return again and again to see the different storylines - all fourteen of them - and to spot all the Easter-eggs.

Yes, it is a bit silly and chaotic. But that's an authentic reflection of the show, right? It is an excellent experience. All of your favourite monsters and heroes together in an immersive show. Fantastic fun!

Covid Security

It seems a bit weird to write this bit. At The Ocean at the End of the Lane, most audience members were sat in masks - reasonably distanced from each other and the performers. Here it's a lot more dynamic. Everyone had to show their Covid Certificate at the door. Plenty of people wore masks - although not the actors. But it did feel uncomfortably crowded at times. Due to the number of people and the size of the rooms, there isn't much social distancing.

All that said, I felt safe and secure going. But we'll see over the next few days what lurgy I've managed to pick up!