Future cinema: Bugsy Malone

I have to confess, I auditioned for the school production of Bugsy Malone without ever seeing the film. My knowledge of it comes from my audition - I've never forgotten the words to Fat Sam's Grand Slam since - my family calling me Tallulah which means I somehow know the words to My Name is Tallulah, and catching bits of the film when it has been on the TV.

So, when I was invited to Future Cinema's Bugsy Malone last week, I thought it was about time I saw the film all the way through... oh, and to buy a new outfit as the invitation said the dress code was "Late twenties. Ritzy and real swanky." and I'm certain I had nothing fitting of that description in my wardrobe already. ;)

Instructed to show up at Troxy, near Limehouse, act like nothing had happened and look for Joey the violinist, we did, feeling better once we arrived at Limehouse and saw others in their swanky twenties wear, books and flowers at the ready. (Honestly, I've been on the tube dressed as Harley Quinn before with Olly as the Joker so know what *should* get you stared at, but apparently a mere feather also lands you attention on the tube!) I have to confess though, we went a little British reserved as we were led around the back:

Reporter: "Did you hear about the splurge attack that happened just there? What's your opinion?"
Me: "Umm, dreadful."
Reporter: "What's your name?"
*tumbleweed pause*
Me, uncertainly: "Shirley?"

The boys didn't fare much better with their responses, though we quickly got better and into the swing of things as we made it inside with a cast vying for our attentions along the way.

Future Cinema, you see, is an interactive cinematic experience where the film is brought to life but whilst you might experience an initial awkwardness - don't worry, the cast are so superb that you will quickly fall into character yourself. It helps that all of us there that evening appeared to be dressed in the correct attire - I only spotted a few people in modern attire. In fact, with how some people got into the spirit of things I would have certain audience members were part of the cast with their reactions to what was happening. 

I won't spoil it, but we had an enjoyable few hours, although sometimes there was too much to soak in for it to be *fully* enjoyable. Our eyes were everywhere so it's likely we missed out on things and you can't really expect to see everything, but I can say what we did experience was excellent. The only bad thing I will say about it is that you're all provided with a poncho for a certain scene and we had one missing under the table... if you know the film, you might be able to guess why a poncho was needed and unfortunately Olly was the one who didn't grab one in time. But, a slight operational hiccup is by the by considering how much fun and enjoyable the rest of the experience was. 

Future Cinema's Bugsy Malone is only on until April 29th, so if you're a fan of the film - seriously, there were some hardcore Bugsy fans in attendance! - or a fan of musicals or quirky experiences, make sure you visit Fat Sam's speakeasy. Ticket details here. x