Review: Cleopatra: The Experience (Immerse LDN)

Review by Daz Gale

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London has a new destination for immersive experiences - Immerse LDN at ExCel has been home to Squid Game and The Friends Experience in the last year, with Elvis Evolution still running at one of their multiple sites. Following the success of last year’s The Last Days Of Pompeii, another slice of history moves in with the launch of Cleopatra: The Experience. Having been blown away by Pompeii, would Cleopatra rule as well as her predecessors, or was this one exhibition that would have been better left long buried?

First of all, let me clear something up - this is not an exhibition or experiences based on the short-lived and long-forgotten 90s girlband Cleopatra - you will have to wait a while longer for their jukebox musical to come atcha. This is, of course, about the legendary figure from Ancient Egypt who ruled from 5/1-30BC (a bit before my time) and was Egypt’s last Queen. Cleopatra: The Experience immerses you into her world, allowing visitors to journey back in time to the 1st Century BC to uncover the mysteries and discover why she has been such an enduring icon of power, strength and femininity.

Whether you know a lot about Cleopatra or can only associate her with Elizabeth Taylor, there is something for everyone at Cleopatra: The Experience. What FKP Scorpio does incredibly well with these experiences is the clever way they combine history and education with immersive theatre and fun. There are real artefacts for visitors to look at, with notes and stories about both Cleopatra’s life and Ancient Egypt in general to read and learn from, if you so wish. If you would rather skip the reading, they cater for that too, with their cutting-edge technology effortlessly immersing you into the world.

Cleopatra: The Experience runs at approximately 90 minutes. However, the amount of time you spend in there is completely up to you, as visitors can move at their own pace. I would encourage anyone attending not to rush it, though, as these experiences are over before you know it, and you can’t go back once you’ve reached the end. Unlike Vikings, this isn’t an open-plan experience, and is a one-way system as you are moved from one room to another, experiencing the journey. There is the risk that these experiences can become repetitive once you have done several of them, but the producers have cleverly mixed it up a bit, changing the order in which the signature bits are done, and adding some new surprises too.

The first surprise comes near the start of the experience, watching an impressive hologram, sowing the seeds for the story and beginning to immerse you into Cleopatra’s world. The use of technology is always among the most thrilling parts of any of these exhibitions, and this hologram took it to another level entirely.

The next surprise came from the sudden appearance of the “metaverse”, something that usually ends these experiences, and my personal favourite every time. Though it usually ends the experience on a high and might be the equivalent of eating dessert before your main course, this new placement worked in its favour, putting me on a high for the remainder of the experience. In this metaverse, you are given a headset to walk around Ancient Egypt (incredibly clever, given you are in one room in the real world) and become fully immersed. I would have to say this is the strongest metaverse I have done at any of these experiences, with one particularly breathtaking, spectacular and slightly terrifying sequence reaching dizzying heights.

Another standout of any of these exhibitions is their 360-degree video room. As the 26-minute video plays out, incredible effects transport you to various locations with some spell-binding effects. It may seem slightly long-winded and ruin the momentum, but 26 minutes pass quicker than you know it. Where these experiences usually boast three tech-heavy rooms, Cleopatra has a fourth, with the experience ending with one final room where a headset is placed upon you. This brings Cleopatra’s story to a close in a perfect and thrilling way, though anyone scared of spiders, snakes (or being buried alive) may want to brace themselves. If the intent was to end the experience with my heart and mind both racing, consider this a job well done.

The brilliant thing about these experiences is how enjoyable it is for anyone, no matter who you are or who you go with. In the afternoon I visited, there were solo visitors, happily sharing their knowledge of history, families with young children, and groups of friends all attending. This showed the versatility in the appeal of an experience such as this, and the universal way it can entertain. It would be easy to say “suitable for all ages” as a throwaway line, but Cleopatra: The Experience is just that. The fact that these experiences always include interactive activities designed for kids and big kids (guilty) alike is a testament to that.

Of course, there are great photo ops to be found here as well, with a professional one at the start of the experience providing a great memento.

This is the fourth one of these experiences I have done after Titanic, Pompeii and Vikings, and, dare I say, this was my favourite? Having been to three before, I was sure I knew what to expect, and to an extent I did - there is a reliable level of quality you get with any of these experiences, with the technology never failing to wow me. However, Cleopatra mixes it up a bit, introducing new, unique elements, and changing up the order of events in a refreshing sequence that flows even better than the others. As well as being educated, I was thoroughly entertained in a perfect feat of escapism that stands as the very best of its kind. This is an experience fit for a Queen, and it easily rules the land when it comes to these kinds of historical immersive experiences.

You can catch Cleopatra: The Experience at Immerse LDN for a limited 15-week run until July 2026. Tickets from https://cleopatraexperience.co.uk/london/