London’s Immersive New Elvis Show Fails to Bring the King Back to Life

Elvis may have left the building in 1977, but in 2025 a new immersive show in London called Elvis Evolution aims to bring the rock icon back to life. Yet as I sat on the bleachers of an ersatz 1960s set and watched spruced-up 2D footage of the legend, the only thing that truly impressed me was how devoid this version of Elvis was of the energy and sex appeal that made the King an icon.

Elvis Evolution takes place at the Immerse LDN, part of the massive Excel Waterfront complex. If you’ve ridden the Tube anytime in the past few weeks, you’ve no doubt seen ads for it. It’s part of a new breed of immersive experiences that are part theater, part amusement-park attraction and part interactive spectacle. Although Evolution uses AI-enhanced video footage, this show—event? play? experience? One struggles to know what to call this thing—is not trying to be the wildly successful ABBA Voyage. There’s no Elvis digital avatar or hologram. Instead it walks its audience through a mix of film-quality sets that culminate in a re-creation of Presley’s 1968 comeback show.