In a warehouse full of stories, the new immersive show STOREHOUSE struggles to find its own
An abandoned ‘Storehouse‘ in Deptford has been transformed into “one of the most artistically ambitious, large-scale immersive theatre events ever to be staged in the UK”. That’s a big statement to make and after seeing the show, I’d say potentially ‘fake news’.
Throughout our journey we meet characters and hear stories about how since the birth of the internet, every news story, message, memory and meme ever transmitted across digital networks has been stored and documented in this secret, underground warehouse, waiting in anticipation for the day the founding members predicted everything would be brought together and streamlined. A belief that it will reveal a higher, universal truth that could change everything.
But that date was six months ago now and nothing happened as it was supposed to. Data leaks are starting to happen, ceilings are leaking and there are glitches in the system. As trustees, it is our job to save the Storehouse – but can the information ecosystem be saved?
There’s too much going on and none of it is that good. If less time would have been spent on putting quotes into fortune cookies and creating guest pass lanyards with photos on and more time trying to tell a coherent story then this could have potential to be something incredible.
Also, the well publicised, star voice over artists Toby Jones (Mr Burton, Tetris, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Meera Syal CBE FRSL (Paddington 2; The Kumars at No. 42; Yesterday; The Devil’s Hour), Kathryn Hunter (Black Doves; Poor Things; Harry Potter; Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead) and Billy Howle (Dear Octopus; The Perfect Couple; On Chesil Beach; The Serpent) feel rather pointless within the production. Besides being introduced to us in the ‘waiting room’ by praying to their portrait, their voices aren’t clear and distinctive enough to really recognise them during the show and time and money could have been better spent elsewhere for the production.
What is very clever about this production is the set design. The audience is divided into groups, each entering the experience through a different room where we are welcomed and briefed on our mission as ‘trustees’ of the Storehouse.
Through a series of hexagonal rooms, the audience moves through pods, guiding the path one room at a time, like a strand of DNA. It’s a bit like a Trivial Pursuit game board (if you’re old enough to remember that) where everyone is playing the same game and working towards a central point.
There are several casts in each performance and so I can’t speak for them all, however the team we had were brilliant and did everything with conviction and precision timing, meaning all the groups were brought together in unison at the end (although it was distracting listening to the echo of the same lines being repeated in the pod next door but other cast members).
There should be a warning for vertigo sufferers as the final scenes take place high up and I found it hard to focus on the action taking place on stage and almost had to leave for feeling dizzy.
Sadly the finale brings things to a lacklustre climax, with Ushers having to start clapping to let people know it was finished.
Storehouse is a really interesting concept but sadly, in a warehouse full of stories, it struggles to find its own.
★★
Reviewed by West End Wilma
Storehouse is playing until 20 September 2025
