Review - Funicular Productions - Journey to the Underworld
These days scare events come in all shapes and sizes, so we were really intrigued when Funicular Productions announced Journey to the Underworld – a new fine dining theatrical experience based on a train bound to hell. So, with our ticket in hand, we headed along to the fictional Pedley Street Station in East London, to get on board this exciting new show.
Once inside, we were greeted by Gordy, an overly enthusiastic maître'd character, who really set the tone for the night’s activities. Gordy was hilarious but creepy, but it was once we stepped into the station itself, the mood took on a much more sombre tone. The set both outside (and once on board) the elaborately appointed train was stunning, with passengers arranged in booths either side, with each booth laid out for dinner. An extensive cocktail list themed to the seven deadly sins tempted us to imbibe, and hooded waiters were attentive throughout the experience.
So, let’s start with the food. Served between breaks in the performances, the menu created by MasterChef finalist Louisa Ellis was stunningly delicious. Beautifully presented and cooked, the meal itself was a real surprise. Timed to fit in with the story narrative and served to everyone at once, it must have been a real logistical nightmare, as it felt that there was no down time between food and action. Virtually as soon as our plates were cleared, the lights would lower and the show would continue.
The show itself, tells a simple story of a kind-hearted soul – Claude, who has been enslaved to work on the train for eternity but who plans an attempt to steal back the love of his life, who was being held captive by the Dark One ( the show cleverly refrained from using any particular religious imagery for the king of all evil). Claude required our assistance and through some fun audience interaction, got the whole train behind him and ready to help. With him and Gordy leading this mission surely nothing could stop us? How wrong we were.
Our journey to the Underworld was fraught with danger. A run in with a sexy Gatekeeper brought some burlesque glamour to the show, whilst our flight through the guardians of the Underworld required us all to wear black out goggles, providing the show with some of the loudest jumps and scares of the night! Even once we had found Sabine – nothing was as simple as we had hoped and the scares through this part came from the performances of the cast as opposed to any theatrical tricks.
Throughout the show, the narrative and storytelling were accompanied by some impressive sound and visual effects, especially the atmospheric lighting that changed to reflect the mood of each scene. We must also mention the projections on the windows that created the illusion of travel as we sank into, and then drove through, the Underworld. The screens seamlessly interacted with the show - essentially just a backdrop in the story telling, working together to create one cohesive experience.
As you would expect from its running time and the time allocated for food service, the script is not going to challenge Shakespeare or Pinter for its intricacies of plotting and language. It is a simple story, but beautifully brought to like with real passion from the main cast. James Hamer-Morton as Claude was the effective lynch pin of the show and was so warm and funny in his audience engagement that you couldn’t help but root for him. Gordon Maxwell brought an hilarious air as Gordy, and finally Charlie Bond had the unenviable task of playing two different versions of her character Sabine. One minute frightfully chilling and then as light and breezy as we would expect any heroine to be. It’s a testament to all of them that come the final act and the resolution of the story, that everyone genuinely cheered for them. This could so easily have ended up as hammy and laughable, but all three actors skillfully steered the show on the right track from beginning to end.
Bringing all these different elements (food, effects, actors etc) can’t have been easy and Funicular have to be commended for how well the show played out from the moment we stepped through the doors of the station, through to final drinks in the bar afterwards. This really is a fun experience and we would highly recommend a visit.
Once inside, we were greeted by Gordy, an overly enthusiastic maître'd character, who really set the tone for the night’s activities. Gordy was hilarious but creepy, but it was once we stepped into the station itself, the mood took on a much more sombre tone. The set both outside (and once on board) the elaborately appointed train was stunning, with passengers arranged in booths either side, with each booth laid out for dinner. An extensive cocktail list themed to the seven deadly sins tempted us to imbibe, and hooded waiters were attentive throughout the experience.
So, let’s start with the food. Served between breaks in the performances, the menu created by MasterChef finalist Louisa Ellis was stunningly delicious. Beautifully presented and cooked, the meal itself was a real surprise. Timed to fit in with the story narrative and served to everyone at once, it must have been a real logistical nightmare, as it felt that there was no down time between food and action. Virtually as soon as our plates were cleared, the lights would lower and the show would continue.
The show itself, tells a simple story of a kind-hearted soul – Claude, who has been enslaved to work on the train for eternity but who plans an attempt to steal back the love of his life, who was being held captive by the Dark One ( the show cleverly refrained from using any particular religious imagery for the king of all evil). Claude required our assistance and through some fun audience interaction, got the whole train behind him and ready to help. With him and Gordy leading this mission surely nothing could stop us? How wrong we were.
Our journey to the Underworld was fraught with danger. A run in with a sexy Gatekeeper brought some burlesque glamour to the show, whilst our flight through the guardians of the Underworld required us all to wear black out goggles, providing the show with some of the loudest jumps and scares of the night! Even once we had found Sabine – nothing was as simple as we had hoped and the scares through this part came from the performances of the cast as opposed to any theatrical tricks.
Throughout the show, the narrative and storytelling were accompanied by some impressive sound and visual effects, especially the atmospheric lighting that changed to reflect the mood of each scene. We must also mention the projections on the windows that created the illusion of travel as we sank into, and then drove through, the Underworld. The screens seamlessly interacted with the show - essentially just a backdrop in the story telling, working together to create one cohesive experience.
As you would expect from its running time and the time allocated for food service, the script is not going to challenge Shakespeare or Pinter for its intricacies of plotting and language. It is a simple story, but beautifully brought to like with real passion from the main cast. James Hamer-Morton as Claude was the effective lynch pin of the show and was so warm and funny in his audience engagement that you couldn’t help but root for him. Gordon Maxwell brought an hilarious air as Gordy, and finally Charlie Bond had the unenviable task of playing two different versions of her character Sabine. One minute frightfully chilling and then as light and breezy as we would expect any heroine to be. It’s a testament to all of them that come the final act and the resolution of the story, that everyone genuinely cheered for them. This could so easily have ended up as hammy and laughable, but all three actors skillfully steered the show on the right track from beginning to end.
Bringing all these different elements (food, effects, actors etc) can’t have been easy and Funicular have to be commended for how well the show played out from the moment we stepped through the doors of the station, through to final drinks in the bar afterwards. This really is a fun experience and we would highly recommend a visit.
Links:
Funicular Productions website
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