Some properly tasty food makes the Game of Thrones-inspired immersive show Dinner is Coming an entertaining night indeed at The Vaults
“Poor Tom-Tom”
Stepping into the world of immersive experiences as a reviewer can be a tricky business. Given the sums of money that can be charged and the subjectiveness of your time there, to be able to put one’s hand on one’s heart and say you should put your hand on your wallet is rife with difficulty. I had one of my all-time greatest adventures on my first trip on You Me Bum Bum Train and my one and only venture to Secret Cinema had a moment of unforgettable pure magic but ask me about value for money, for you, and I’m stumped.
Which is a long-winded way of saying you should take this review with a pinch of salt. Although you won’t need to add any salt because the cooking here at Dinner is Coming is really, really good. If you’ve been wondering what you should eat for dinner look no further! Designed and prepared onsite by Chavdar Todorov, Steven Estevez and their team, this is the kind of meal that comes close to justifying the ticket price alone. I always thought life was too short to roast a cauliflower but not any more, the slow-cooked lamb shoulder is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and yet somehow it is the salad that I remember the most – courgette, lettuce, beetroot and peas in a pesto-flecked dressing that makes every ingredient truly sing.
These treats are all part of the banquet (3 courses, vegan and veggie friendly) celebrating the marriage of Jaffery Bearathon, and Margarine Trywell, a feast which forms the centrepiece of Dinner is Coming. We’re allocated to a house on arrival (Trywell, Bannister or Tarragon) and as the wordplay suggests, we’re in a knowingly parodic version of Game of Thrones as people fight to sit on the Wooden Throne. Across the evening, there’s murders to be solved, secrets to be discovered, allegiances to be swapped, wine to be won and as with the better examples of immersive theatre, you’re free to participate as much or as little as you want.
Clearly it’s more fun if you throw yourself into the action wholeheartedly, and a quick-witted company of six do extremely well to run through their set-pieces as well as wrangling an increasingly boisterous crowd (a cashless bar does a mean line in cocktails…), engaging with them in any number of entertaining ways. The tone of Ami Stidolph & Sam Carrack’s show is mainly gently satirical towards its source material, which feels about right, and some last minute additions nod amusingly towards the developments of Season 8. Altogether, it feels like a highly satisfactory evening and at £35-£55 depending on the day, a most reasonable price for a cracking dinner and an entertaining show.
