FLIGHT – Pleasance Dome, Potterrow Plaza, Container 1

Ever wanted to sit in a shipping container and play plane passenger in the dark? Well now you can, but you may find this experience to be all the more terrifying than what you’d expect. Not only are you in the dark left with your own imagination, but you are also facing a whole new sensory experience through sound and sensory effects. This is one plane ride that you may need to remind yourself is not real or else face your worst fears and pray that you land safely.

I was surprised to find that despite the experience taking place almost entirely in the dark the setting is completely believable as a plane. You step into a big white container, but on the inside, you find a full plane interior completely with windows, rows of actual plane seats and safety brochures. A small screen displays your air hostess and just like on a real plane there’s space for your bangs underneath your seats and overhead lockers. The only unrealistic feature is how much leg room you get.

The actual show is almost realistic, the feeling of movement and vibrations helps you to feel as though you are really taking off. The sound effects bring the illusion of passengers and air crew moving around the space and despite the fact that you cannot see a thing in the darkness you know exactly when your plane has entered the air.

Without spoiling too much of the experience for future audiences, there’s a focus on multi verse and the old theory of Schrudinger’s Cat. In one world this plane will land without issue, in another the flight will go horribly wrong. To know which way this journey will go is not for us to know, we are simply the cat in the box.

It goes without saying this is a hyper realistic experience and for those with fears of flying and/or an overactive imagination this is probably not the show for you. The experience can be quite distressing for some and once it has begun you will have to wait it out rather than leave. As someone who is not scared of flying and isn’t the best at imaging my surroundings even I was impressed at the realistic feel of the experience and at times a little anxious. It is incredible what sound and vibrations can do to the mind when left in an all-consuming darkness.

If you’ve got the stomach to try FLIGHT I 100 percent urge you to do so.

FLIGHT can be experienced at the Pleasance Dome – Potterrow Plaza  (Container 1) from 31^st July – 26^th August. This experience runs over varies times slots throughout the day.

Tickets: Flight | Theatre | Edinburgh Festival Fringe (edfringe.com)

Reviewer: Beth Eltringham

Reviewed: 1st August 2024

North West End UK Rating: