Elvis has left the building… and set up shop in east London. Rock’n’roll’s gold-lamé King may have died, tragically, in 1977, but this week his hip-swivelling, leg-shaking likeness returned to the spotlight at Elvis Evolution, a newly opened “immersive experience”. The show would see Elvis Presley reincarnated in millions of pixels, restoring the Memphis musician to his former glory. At the cost of between £75 and £300, people would, organisers promised, “experience Elvis like never before”.
Things haven’t quite panned out like that. Elvis Evolution opened last week after an eight-month delay, and the reception has been radioactive. Reports of walkouts, heckling and “noticeable booing” have surfaced, with demands for refunds and cancellations flooding in. Memes are circulating online mocking the production – the bellwether of any public fiasco – calling to mind Glasgow’s infamous “Willy Wonka Experience”, the shoddy, unlicensed chocolatier catastrophe that mortified families last February. Elvis Evolution has been branded a “shambles”, an “utter scam”, “absolutely disgusting” and “a s*** sandwich”. One attendee said they left in tears.
