From one scene to another, action doesn’t stop

HG WELLS’S classic science fiction novel was famously dramatised in a radio programme, directed by and starring Orson Welles, that caused public panic among listeners unaware the events were fictional.

And the VR technology in Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience so far exceeded my expectations that I can report there were times when I felt similarly unsure about what had been real and what was imagined.

This is a West End show, cinema, escape room and theme park all rolled into one in a mesmerising cutting-edge experience that boasts the latest altered reality and virtual reality tech.

Its creators Layered Reality experiences are becoming masters of what is being billed as the future of entertainment – with live actors, quality sets and sensory effects.

This particular Layered Reality experience has already won a string of awards and some of the jaw-dropping scenes will leave you dizzied, but wanting more.

Breaking into a deserted cottage

It is always going to be difficult to cross the border into an immersive event, but the considerable ice was broken by the first of what turned out to be a long line of quality actors.

He explained the do’s and don’ts with an added sense of foreboding: “Things are about to get very very dark.”

We are led into a cinema style room where two holograms set the scene for what is to come.

And it is here that we get the first blast of the brilliance of Jeff Wayne’s iconic score, written for a “rock opera” musical adaptation of Wells’s book in 1978.

The double album has sold more than 16 million copies around the world and is the 38th best-selling album of all time in the UK.

Pumped up from the music, we were led into an astronomer’s study where a massively pompous boffin invited us to look up at the red planet through powerful telescopes.

But all is not as it seems, and it is not long before being rushed with a sense of urgency through a series of other rooms, each with their own story to tell and lavishly kitted-out with props and an equally enthusiastic set of actors.

The event’s most “gripping” section was probably the confession box scene that transforms into a window into the alien takeover. Watch out behind you, there’s something coming when you least expect it!

But the VR boat ride down the Thames watching the Houses of Parliament being levelled to the ground was the most memorable.

There are windows to climb through and a slide to shoot down in this experience that is suitable for anyone aged 10 years and above, with organisers warning parents that some scenes are “very dark with loud noises that some children may not enjoy”.

It is open Thursday to Sunday, but will also be open on Wednesdays from July 19 to August 30 and on Monday the 28th, the August bank holiday.

• The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience is at 56 Leadenhall Street EC3.