The Mutant Lounge
On Tuesday 7th February FOX opened the doors to The Mutant Lounge, a cocktail bar and immersive experience in the heart of London’s West End for two nights only to celebrate the launch of the new television series Legion, premiering on FOX Thursday 9th February at 9pm in the UK.
Geek Chocolate’s intrepid London operative Dario was able to secure access to the scene and has reported back, describing a bar which had been outfitted to become Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital, principal location of the opening chapter to showcase elements of the world of patient David Haller, a powerful mutant unable to understand or control his powers…
“On arrival guests were treated to a selection of themed cocktails from Lenny’s favourite Twizzler to David’s Blue Vapour, all listed on a prescription pad menu as the superpowered barstaff using their mutant abilities to mix cocktails by the dozen, much to the delight of the eager crowd.
“Mingling with the guests were the patients of Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital, identifiable by their orange jackets, including David and Lenny themselves, and also present were movie fanatic Jonathan Ross, The Gadget Show‘s Ortis Deley and DJ Tim Westwood among other media personalities.
“Interacting with the charismatic patients was a wonderful and bewildering affair for the visitors, not just for their ability to maintain character but also performing illusions, and through their uncanny powers the talented performers ensured the guests were immersed in the experience.
“The venue’s style extended to recreations of familiar parts of the show such as the lounge area of Clockworks where the patients relaxed by playing ping-pong in addition to demonstrating their more impressive skills of telekinesis, and guests helped to celebrate David’s birthday with more fire than Lenny should probably have been trusted with.
“Throughout the evening a carefully chosen playlist heavy on the seventies kept the lounge and the crowd grooving in the style of the show with only occasional flashes of modernity, possibly to keep them on their toes, possibly to throw them off balance.
“Guests could get a closer feel for David’s troubled perspective with a virtual reality experience available in the bar.
“Commandeering the sight and hearing of those guests brave enough to volunteer, they were shown visions from the inside of David’s shifting views of the world, flashes of past and future but the focus always circling around the enigmatic patient Syd.
“With careful thought given to how to present the way Legion deals with altered perspectives it was a perfect example of how virtual reality can be used to enhance an event rather than being a gimmick.
“It really felt like it offered a glimpse into the way David views the distorting realities around him, and afterwards guests could also take part in it by having their 3D photo taken showing off their own telekinesis skills.
“Beyond the obvious characters interacting with visitors and the interactive entertainments to be enjoyed through the evening there were also more subtle details completing the recreation of the world of the show, shadowed picture frames giving glimpses of nightmarish characters from David’s dreams so far only seen in flashes.
“Overall, the Mutant Lounge was a wonderful treat for guests which could only have been created through the dedicated effort of a talented and passionate team.
“While the world of David Haller may not be one you would necessarily want to live in, it was a pleasure to visit and has increased an already passionate appetite to see more of the world of Legion, and find out what secrets David’s mind holds… and what truths.”
While the Mutant Lounge has only made a fleeting appearance in our universe, the world of Legion can be seen on FOX (Sky 124, Virgin 157, Talk Talk 422, and NOW TV) on Thursday 9th February at 9pm
