Review of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live'
We were in London for a bit of a break (and visit to the dentist) so took advantage of the annual New Year's Sale of London theatre tickets which sees prices slashed by as much as 50%. One of the shows that had intrigued me was the “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live” showing in Hammersmith which is near where we used to live in the “Riverside Studios” that re-opened only recently in 2019 after extensive refurbishment. We had visited the old studios and they were a bit tired so were interested to see the new studios and see what exactly they would do with the “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” to make it immersive…
If you are not familiar, the “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” was a tremendously popular radio show that was followed by books, a television show (with seemingly lower production values than Dr Who when at it's kitsch/cheap) and a film that sank without a trace. It is the story of human Arthur Dent who wakes to discover Earth is scheduled for destruction. He escapes the destruction with his friend, who turns out to be an alien (Ford Prefect), and they explore the galaxy together aboard the star ship “Heart of Gold” which has been stollen by former president of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebox (with two heads, most of the time). No, it is not terribly serious. It is a story full of very British humour - extreme sarcasm and whit - So, it is a lot of fun and extremely silly.
We had a 7 pm entrance into the show and arrived at about 6:30 pm to be told that, despite the signs, entrance was to be via Studio 3 rather than 2 and to wait for a few minutes before being called in. We did not have VIP tickets with those people already queuing up to be let in. VIP tickets included priority entry, reserved seating, 1 Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (choose your level of lucidity: alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and 1 ‘Infinite Improbability Deck’ of cards (£87 compared to £57 for standard). The restaurant/bar were serving a few themed drinks: The afore-mentioned “Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster” (£12) as well as “Jynnan Tonix” (£12) and “Nutrimatic” (no alcohol; £8).
Eventually we were shown into a hall outside the studio, asked to line up along the walls while we were told the rules of the experience which were fairly obvious: No cameras or recording equipment (turn off your phone), no touching of the actors, interact with the actors as they enjoy it (though not when they are doing a speech), the experience was mostly standing though seating would be provided in each “area”, and if you need help look for the staff wearing black clothing with black headphones (in a dark set…). We were shown into the first room which was made into a pub with a “Happy (Surprise) Farewell Party” banner along the wall. A large bar area on the left had a section that extended into the room with a large surface area that the characters eventually would perform on but before that we ordered a couple of drinks (the “Nutrimatic”). There were several large screens high on the walls showing (fake) sports and a stage along wall opposite the bar. Before the show began Ford Prefect (Oliver Britten) was mingling with the crowd asking us to keep the surprise from Arthur who was not yet there but just generally chatting with others about his name and towels. Zaphod Beeblebrox (Lee V G), with his extra head hidden within a LARGE video camera perched on his shoulder, mingled oddly as well.
Eventually the show started which began with Arthur Dent (Benjamin Durham) arriving to great consternation to learn that his planet was scheduled to be shortly destroyed. This also featured a bit of karaoke (sitting at the bar, my companion was approached by Ford for her favourite karaoke song to which she immediately replied “I will survive” then when asked to sing it, she immediately burst into song…impressing not only the actors but got a huge round of applause from the audience and she was thanked several times throughout our visit by the actors as well as the crowd). It turns out that Arthur has a bit of a crush on Fenchurch (Kat Johns-Burke) - A woman from Rickmansworth who has discovered the secret to “life, the universe, and everything” (to which the answer, of course, is “42”). Proceedings were interrupted by a video showing Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz (voiced Sanjeev Bhaskar) telling us of the destruction of Earth in 10 minutes…and he started reading some poetry as we made our way into the next room.
The next space was a simple rectangular white room with seating that was meant to be the interior of the Starship Heart of Gold. Ford quickly left his satchel with one of the guests and left. Soon it became apparent that the actual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was in the satchel but was running out of battery so the guest had to hurry and put it into the receptacle in the middle of the room before the starship could get away from the Vogons which we could see on the video screens above circling the ship…
The final room (Studio 2) featured several stalls along the side: Great Green Arkleseizure religious group showing off the green slime of their belief, “Vote for Zaphod” (cool stuff for sale) and a static display of the Vogon complaint department (complete with “take a ticket” dispenser). There was a bar area at the far end and a stage on the right where the cast continued the story. It is here we first meet “Marvin the Paranoid Android” in the form of a brilliant full-sized puppet operated by the brilliant Andrew Evans. He was suitably depressed. Before the show resumed Arthur was showing people how to make a sandwich from a small food cart on the side but soon enough the action continued. Humma Kavula (Angelis Hunt), leader of the Great Green Arkleseizure cult, makes an appearance along with Eccentrica Gallumbits (Briony Scarlett) and others from the cult. There was a brilliant section here where the live Arthur interacts with a video showing a 1920s-era train station where Fenchurch is having a coffee.
The final section is revealed when a large black curtain is drawn from the middle of the room. Initially we are shown a whale falling to the earth but we are transported to the planet of Magrathea (where Earth was manufactured, don't you know) and featured an appearance by planet designer Slartibartfast (Richard Costello) as well as the “Total Perspective Vortex” (never mind the mice). Things were wrapped up nicely and the sad Arthur becomes happy.
This was an amazing experience with the cast really into it and the sets fun and entertaining even if you had no clue as to what was going on. It was odd that it was a musical but the pieces worked quite well (yes, the HHGGTG “theme” “Journey of the Sorcerer” by the Eagles does feature) with the actors voices very good indeed. At just over 90 minutes it was enough time to get into things but not too long. The end did seem to slow down quite a bit in order to appropriately wrap up the experience…The interaction with the cast was great with the crowd taking a few minutes to get into it, but when they did it became a lot of fun…The sets look really good with a lot of detail that could be appreciated as you wandered amongst it.
I know some people would not be too interested in interactive theatre but I found it really a lot of fun - Just get stuck in and enjoy it!
I had to buy a neat set of playing cards with “Don't Panic” on the box as they were so gorgeous…each one different (though at £16 quite expensive).
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2026-02-13
Riverside Studios
Location: London (England)
Address: 101 Queen Caroline St, London W6 9BN ENGLAND
Public Transport: 
Hammersmith
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8237 1000
URL: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/
Located on the Thames immediately adjacent to the Hammersmith bridge, and a short walk from Hammersmith tube station, Riverside Studios is a modern mixed-use arts and media centre with a cinema, television and two performance studios along with a restaurant, bar and café. Was completely redeveloped between 2014 and 2019.
The box office is just to the left on entering the facility with the restaurant to the right looking out over the river. The central atrium provides access to the studios and cinema along with the toilets.
