Secret Cinema presents Bridgerton review ★★★★★

Don your finest garments: it’s social season in Regency-era London and you are cordially invited to Lady Whistledown’s Society Ball. At a secret zone 4 location, three hours of dancing, fencing, matchmaking and being called out on your poor etiquette await. But shattering the illusion you're anywhere other than contemporary London are food stalls serving beef brisket, jackfruit burgers, fries and crêpes. As for tipples, cocktails including coconut palomas and peach negronis are fuelling the evening's merriments.

While likely to sate the appetites of 21st-century visitors, the culinary deviation from the theme pretty much sets the tone for Secret Cinema’s latest adventure. The connoisseurs of large-scale immersive experiences, who over the past 15 years have recreated the landscapes of Blade Runner, Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo + Juliet, Casino Royale and Stranger Things, have taken on Shondaland’s period drama and lockdown guilty pleasure, Bridgerton. There’s plenty for fans of the series to revel in, but efforts to recreate the world of the show feel, in some places, half-arsed.

Secret Cinema's Bridgerton. Photo: Luke Dyson

Before entering the ballroom, guests – all of whom, on our visit, had fully committed to the dress code, wearing floor-length gowns and jewels or top hats and tailcoats – must first weave through a part-sketched, part-plastic recreation of Grosvenor Square's lush foliage. Any photo ops must be snatched here, before sealing your phone in a bag until the end of the night.

Inside, a wisteria-draped food hall leads through to the main event: a dance floor lauded over by the queen’s throne. Perched up on a balcony, a string quartet plays renditions of pop anthems, and beneath, a cast of actors, all of whom bear a striking resemblance to their on-screen counterparts, busy themselves with various missions.

Whether you choose to follow Eloise in her attempts to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown, stick close to The Duke and Daphne as they fall in love or present yourself to the Queen in the hope she’ll compliment your beauty is up to you. All are encouraged to take part in a dance or two, and supposedly, there’s the chance to duel or challenge Lady Danbury to a game of chance, but we see neither on our visit.

Secret Cinema's Bridgerton. Photo: Luke Dyson

The invite also promised ‘less refined activities’, which fans of the show might secretly hope means something a little steamy. This more likely refers to neighbouring rooms dedicated to a boxing ring – was episode four’s boxing match that big a part of the series, we wondered? – and the artist's studio frequented by Benedict Bridgerton. A pampering parlour or garden maze might have put this space to more fitting use.

In her invitation, Lady Whistledown promises you'll find 'somebody to burn for', but with the demographic skewed to 80% women in their 20s and 30s, there’s little hope for darling debutantes to secure a worthy match, or even have their virtue defiled by a quick snog behind the bushes at this ball. But no bother; this crowd clearly loves a girls' night out.

Secret Cinema's Bridgerton. Photo: Luke Dyson

Unlike previous Secret Cinema experiences, which would culminate in watching a screening of the source material, Bridgerton is not screened, per se, but memorable moments from the series are projected onto dangling curtains, while live actors lip-sync – with impressive accuracy – to the drama beneath.

Secret Cinema’s Bridgerton experience seems smaller than some of the company’s most recent escapades, with fewer plotlines to follow, too. The theatricality of the show has nothing on the intricate, multi-layered realms created by the likes of Punchdrunk, who return to London with their first major show in eight years this March. This is culture with a small ‘c’, not proper immersive theatre.

Think of Secret Cinema’s Bridgerton experience as a heavily themed party – one that’s great fun (albeit pricey – tickets start at £79) to attend, with a big group of mates, if you loved the Netflix show.

Tickets for Secret Cinema presents Bridgerton are now on sale.