Louvre Abu Dhabi to transform into Royal Opera House of Versailles

The multi-dimensional immersive experience will last one hour and cost Dh100

Visitors tour the exhibition 'Versailles and the World' at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. AFP

Travel back in time to the 18th century as Louvre Abu Dhabi’s auditorium is converted into the Royal Opera House of Versailles for a special series of immersive shows inspired by the museum’s latest exhibition, Versailles and the World.

Called The Royal Secret Soiree, the experience is curated by the Immersive Playground — a group that creates multi-dimensional theatre shows. The performances will take place from Friday to Sunday, with three time slots: 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.

Expect music and live performances such as spoken word poetry, beatboxing and more.

Guests will also become part of the night’s narrative in the fictional world created at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Upon arrival, they’ll be taken through a back entrance of the museum and snuck through corridors, while taking part in secret missions, for which they will need to use passwords to gain access to the auditorium to enjoy a sit-down performance.

“The Royal Secret Soiree starts with a walk-through journey meeting characters and becoming a part of the narrative on the way through. This is approximately 30 minutes of the one hour experience,” says acting cultural programming manager, Alia Saeed Al Shamsi.

Al Shamsi is excited to bring the show to Abu Dhabi.

“Having worked on multiple immersive productions over the last 10 years, I am confident in saying this has me the most excited. Unlike most experiences, I feel we have found a balance between immersive worlds and theatrical performance," she says.

“There will be a variety of performances for the audience to enjoy. It’s most definitely a fun show with good humour, as well as some truly beautiful performances that include dance, rap, live music and a few surprises. We are extremely excited to introduce the Louvre’s audience to immersive theatre and hope we can bring more exciting experiences in the future.”

Tickets start at Dh100 and can be purchased at Virgin Megastores online or in the UAE

Scroll through the gallery below to see photos from the Versailles and the World exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

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  Versailles and the World is Louvre Abu Dhabi's first international exhibition of 2022. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  The exhibition will be on at Louvre Abu Dhabi from January 26 to June 4.

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  Rhinoceros musical clock, gilt bronze and wood veneer, with an enamelled dial, on display at the coming exhibition, Versailles and the World at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

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  With more than 100 artworks, including paintings and decorative arts, the exhibition illustrates how Versailles became an important centre for diplomatic relations between the East and West.

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  Curator Helene Delalex explains about the seven-branch ostrich candlestick from the second Turkish Cabinet of the Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI at the Chateau de Versailles.

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  Curator Bertrand Rondo explains a board game that teaches geography, on display at the exhibition.

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  Louvre Abu Dhabi's Versailles and the World tells the story of Versailles and the French royal court.

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  Set of three eggs vases with Chinese decoration, delivered to Queen Marie Antoinette at the Chateau de Versailles, displayed at the new Versailles and the World exhibition.

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  Visitors explore the artwork and artefacts showcased at the new exhibition.

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  The exhibition immerses visitors in 17th-18th century Versailles and discover it as a unique meeting place for different civilisations.

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  Tea and chocolate service of Marie Leszczynska: a large rinsing bowl, three tea bowls with saucer, two chocolate cups with saucers, chocolate pot and milk jug, made of hard-paste porcelain, blackened wood and gilt silver, on display at the exhibition.

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  A visitor in front of 'Grand Ananas' pineapple fabric, woodblock-printed cotton with brushwork, circa 1777, on display at the exhibition.

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  Bertrand Rondot and Helene Delalex, curators of Versailles and the World.

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  Bust of Mohammed Osman Khan, the ambassador of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in India, who came to Versailles in 1788 to negotiate a military treaty against England, on display at the exhibition.

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  Model of the Ambassadors' Staircase, Charles Arquinet, 1958, made of wood, board, plaster, plastic, on display at Versailles and the World.

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  Mehmed Said Pasha, Ben of Rumelia, Ottoman ambassador at Versailles in February 1742, oil on canvas painting, displayed at Versailles and the World at Louvre Abu Dhabi.