IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
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The audience steps into that
crisis along with him – and then they go back in time. It’s all about rediscovery. He’s finding himself again, and we are exploring his story with new eyes
Props like this electric guitar in the ’68 Special dressing room add weight to the exhibition A retro ticket booth with Elvis Evolution advertised serves as the entrance and gift shop
“There’s something about childhood that helps you understand someone at their core,” Pirie says. “We wanted to show not the myth, but the boy who was becoming the man.” Pirie shares that this is why the story kicks off at Elvis’ ’68 Comeback Special; it was a moment when Presley himself was trying to reconnect with his roots. “He was struggling, having an identity crisis. The night before the special, he had a wave of stage fright. Couldn’t go on. We took that moment as our jumping-off point. The audience steps into that crisis along with him – and then they go back in time. “It’s all about rediscovery. He’s finding himself again, and we’re exploring his story with new eyes.” NOT JUST FOR THE ELVIS FANS One of the most refreshing aspects of Elvis Evolution is its broad appeal. In other words, you don’t have to be a die-hard Elvis aficionado to enjoy it. “You don’t need to know anything about Elvis going in,” Pirie insists. “You’ll
still get a great story, a moving journey and hopefully a joyous night to share with the people around you. Yes, there’s live music – lots of it – but this isn’t a concert. It’s a time-travelling journey through emotion, culture and memory.” Ultimately, Elvis Evolution is about more than just the man himself. “If you had to encapsulate this show in one central theme,” Pirie concludes, “it’s that it’s built around the joy of music. It harnesses the power of music to bring people together.” The impressive show marks a new, multisensory milestone in immersive experiences and live performance, and Jack Pirie, Layered Reality and all of the other teams involved have delivered a technology-fuelled masterclass in AV-powered storytelling. Long live the King. Elvis Evolution is (at time of writing) scheduled to run at Immerse LDN, Excel London until the end of September 2025. For more info and tickets, head to elvisevolution.com
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