Ooh La La – Secret Cinema: Moulin Rouge

Secret Cinema was launched back in 2007 and since then it has taken the world of immersive experiences by storm.  They have used lots of various buildings over the past years to play their productions in from warehouses to fields. They always push the boundaries to create a 360 degree participatory worlds where the boundaries between performer and audience, set and reality are constantly changing.

This summer 2017 I went along yet to another Secret Cinema production as I am a big fan as they are always so highly entertaining and immersive.  The other productions I have been to in the past are Shawshank Redemption, Millers Crossing, Back to the Future and Star Wars and with all those being ever so immersive and elaborate I was really looking forward lusting myself into Secret Cinema: Moulin Rouge.

Secret Cinema – Moulin Rouge

At Moulin Rouge I was not as impressed. I felt as though this was far more like a fete with many stalls with clothes, food and drink to buy and a nightclub. Secret Cinema other immersive productions have been far better.  The whole area was a lot smaller than other productions Secret Cinema have laid on in the past but the few rooms/areas they did have though were still very highly decorated and elaborate.  Due to the size of the venue I did not know what to do half of the time though apart from watch the actors/actresses dance on stage in the food area as there was a lack of immersive involvement to be had anywhere.

As this is Secret Cinema I really can’t tell you much about the story and the few immersive involvement areas that you can participate in more without giving too much away but I will tell you that I was given the character of a comedian ‘Hanna Griebling’. I pushed the boundaries of my character and created a joke book, wore the correct clothing and drew my own abstract poster. I wish though that I did not go into great effort as what I did with my character as when I did eventually find the clown ‘Footit’ in whom I was supposed to give my poster to he just glanced at it briefly grabbed it and shoved it down his pants and carried on dancing.  I thought this was highly rude and not what I was expecting as usually when you give a character an item in which was required it usually leads into going into a secret room or some sort of immersive act.  I never really did get to do anything with my character or comical jokes.  I was also told at the start of my adventure to collect the Moulin Rouge money along my journey as this will help lead you into many situations so I collected money. There was a variety of ways you could collect money from either by being the best organismic performer (I won) to catching money from the rich that threw out over the balconies from time to time.  However even though I collected this Moulin Rouge money I did not really know where I could spend it as every thing that I thought I could spend it on I could not, not even the artist that was drawing people she required the pound sterling. The only things I did spend the money on was to go upstairs to where the rich go as I got a £100 bill for my performance of being orgasmic and sexy, plus I paid for a dancer to dance sexually for me which she um did not really she, she shimmied her away across the room and kept ushering me over just to take me to some kind of speech on love in the end I just ended up giving all my money I did gather to my friend who was a prostitute that night not for his services but for being such a good friend. I just wish there was more places I could of used this Moulin Rouge money but did not seem to be anywhere to really use it on.

Even though there was not a lot to do I did still sort of enjoy it as all the actors/actresses, dancers and singers were amazing like per usual but I wish there was more immersive areas to get involved.

If you though love not being so immersive but you love nightclubs and flirting then this is most deffinatley the production/place for you and with so many clothers, food and drinks stalls to buy from