A Lady in London

Walking through Alexandra Park in north London, the last thing I expected to see was Bedouins. And camels. And snakes. Maybe the sheep made a little sense, but the donkeys certainly did not. Well, on this particular day they did. It was Secret Cinema, and the theme was Arabia.

Secret Cinema is a movie-going experience that blurs the line between film and reality, drawing the audience into the action. Upon purchasing tickets, participants are told to dress according to a theme. When they arrive at a pre-determined meeting point, professional actors lead participants to the surprise location of the cinema. There they find sets staged to look like scenes from the movie. The only catch is that nobody knows what the film will be before they arrive at Secret Cinema.

Secret Cinema has swept London into a cinematic frenzy. With just a handful of attendees a year ago, the event has attained a massive following over the last twelve months. “Whisper only amongst yourselves. Keep the motion. Tell no one”. With a tag line like that, how could I not want to be part of it?

Over the weekend there was a Secret Cinema event at the Alexandra Palace in north London. I signed up with three friends, knowing only that I was to dress like a Bedouin.

When I arrived at Alexandra Park, I was surprised to find myself on a path full of nomads, bandits, musicians, and snake charmers. Some were riding camels or horses, while others were entertaining people with stories, warnings, and shouts of “Damascus is near!”

After gathering on a hill below the Alexandra Palace, we were taken in groups to the entrance. Inside we found ourselves in World War I-era North Africa. Rows of military desks were manned by soldiers in uniform while palm tree-filled courtyards were staffed with higher ranking personnel.

Further inside the palace we found ourselves in a full-fledged Arabian souk. Market stalls were selling everything from baklava to musical instruments, long flowing robes to multicolored keffiyehs.

The souk gave way to the theater, a cavernous space with beautiful stained glass windows and a huge white movie screen. Audience members laid out their blankets and pillows to claim seating space before wandering outside to check out the food market. Rows of vendors were cooking spiced lamb and rich falafel, the latter of which I indulged in with one of my friends.

After eating we were entertained by actors who performed scenes from the film, which by that time we had determined was Lawrence of Arabia. The actors were followed by performers, snake charmers, and dancers.

After three (somewhat long) hours, the movie started. I had never seen Lawrence of Arabia before, and only found out that it was nearly four hours long after I arrived. I enjoyed watching the first half, but by intermission my back and those of my friends were sore from sitting on the ground for so long. We left before the second half, promising each other that we would watch the rest of the film another time.

We walked back to the tube in a long line of faux Bedoins, all of us shedding our scarves, robes, and headdresses along the way. By the time we arrived home from Secret Cinema, we were all back to our 21st century selves and felt like we had just been in a movie.