The Vaults underneath Waterloo train station have been turned into a palace – Red Palace.
And it’s the Prince who reigns over this kingdom. Follow him and his court as they help guide you through various rooms and alleys that will surprise and hypnotize you – they are scenes right out of Alice in Wonderland.
The Vaults have been turned into a labyrinth where you get snippets of his story and are guests at his masquerade party. Enjoy the show in the redecorated Vaults where you are led to various rooms including a room where a Mermaid will tell you her deepest darkest secrets – and she’ll ask for yours! Baba Yaga predicts the future and tells fortunes in her harem, while in the swamp you will more than likely get lost! The whole adventure is eerie and scary but really cool! Be really immersive and go for the dinner before the show, while a bit rushed, immerses you immediately in the evening where you get to meet the Prince and his guests to the party. I highly recommend the dinner as you get to meet, over a meal of three courses, your fellow attendees. The delicious meal consists of homemade soda bread with dips, delicious lentil and roasted beetroot salad and baked camembert, wth the main course being a delicious slow-cooked lamb, with squash, potatoes, cabbage – and to top it off you are treated to a candy apple for dessert. It throws you immediately into the show! Or if you prefer to arrive a bit later for the ball- it’s a masquerade ball so masks and elaborate costumes, while not mandatory, are recommended – it’s ok! There is also a bar open all night during the show to get you lubricated with drinks that are unlike any you’d ever had before.
The evening as a whole is a bit complicated as there are no clear cut instructions. My friend and I must’ve missed a couple of the interactive rooms because we just didn’t know who to follow or where to go. And going into the evening not knowing what it was all about left us more confused as the characters finished off the evening in a joust/fight and the main room opened up and became a dance floor.
I’m thinking I might have to go back just to re-live, and to understand, what I was supposed to be a part of, and what this show was all about.
Review by Tim Baros