Review by Sam Waite
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was an ordinary Thursday night in London – a small, carefully themed bar by Vauxhall station, a mix of soft drinks, IPA’s and specialty cocktails were in our cups, and I was aiming our ships weapons squarely at the enemy warship. This night, of course, was spent at Bridge Command, an immersive theatrical experience taking place within a commercial unit on Albert Embankment, where a ragtag group of strangers found ourselves dodging intergalactic pirates and retrieving a valuable asset for our allies.

The website for Bridge Command makes it clear that it is not, in fact, an escape room, but many of the hallmarks are there. Your crew are enlisted to one of several varieties of mission and are largely left to command your own ship once the actors – sorry, the officers! – have given you your directions. Perhaps you will join us in retrieving these allied assets, or explore unmapped corners of the galaxy, possibly you’ll be enlisted to check up on allies whose communications have gone silent. Regardless, you’ll be flung into an epic adventure and find yourself invested in the story you are helping to shape in real time.
Immersion begins quite literally at the first moment, where you are welcomed to the UCN headquarters and given information about how to proceed – you will don the provided uniform, enter the teleporter, and be taken to the mess hall to prepare for your briefing. The cast-cum-ushers-cum-bartenders are all delightfully engaged with their patrons and with the premise, staying firmly in their roles and rolling with any banter or attempts to undermine the created reality their crew may throw their way. A clever touch to encourage repeat business finds your story able to continue – forms filled out upon entry are not simply data-gathering, but allow future visits to maintain any choices made, any promotions earned, and an increased respect should you make repeat visits.

Visually, Bridge Command is intricate and fully involving, with the information on the various screens accurate (as far as this layman can tell!) to the readings such a craft might have, and an array of minor details making the craft feel lived-in and worked-in. Even drinks are served in metal flasks, labelled as liquid transportation units, with a strap to keep them on your person should you need to dash to and fro as you repair damage, replace power cells, or convene with your crewmates. Additional stripes adorn the shoulder pads of those promoted for past successes, adding not only a shorthand for the actors to know less handholding is needed, but also deepening the internal lore of the narratives.
This set, designed by Tadeo D’oria, includes realistic results of damage should combat be entered and not go your way, and begins with all the hallmarks of classic sci-fi. You open doors using hand-scanners, station yourself at intricate, dual-screen consoles, and have your attention drawn to the flashing lights of the “teleporter” entrance and exposed piping of the storage room-turned-mess hall where drinks can be purchased. Even in the mess hall, computer screens allow you to immerse yourself in the UCN world, and the bartenders will acknowledge you as fellow ensigns en route to an all-important voyage. Devised by Parabolic Theatre, the storytelling has surprising and malleable opportunities for depth, without losing the fun of actually play what is, ultimately, an interactive game.

The story, of course, will differ wildly depending on your booking, your group, and the choices made. Several open decisions are presented to the team, with the participant taking the role of captain able to be deferred to, or entirely ignored should others disagree. Our mission ended with an all-important decision, the outcome of which was left up to our imaginations following a discussion which actors present engaged with in character, but ultimately stepped back from to allow us the final choice. This makes the idea of returning particularly enticing, to see what alliances we may have created, what new foes we may have turned against us, and whether our morals within this fictional universe proved to be as “right” as we had decided.
With committed performances from all involved, and some truly exciting visual and audio touches, Bridge Command is a delightful, often stimulating experience which proved a fun and fascinating evening for all involved. With the beeping, sirens and alert calls of David Gregory’s sound design, and the bright, futuristic strip lighting from Adam Povey, it’s hard not to fall into the story and into your role. Awarded a promotion for my (absolutely calm, and definitely deliberate) weapons command, I felt momentarily like a valued member of a military operation, rather than a reviewer sent to feel out a piece of immersive theatre. If you like sci-fi, immersive theatre, or just a good time, Bridge Command is absolutely worth a visit, or two… maybe three if you really want those stripes.
Bridge Command is currently booking until January 31st 2025
For tickets and information visit https://bridgecommand.space/