Booked

BOOKED brings audiences back into the enchanted universe we created for Lola’s Library on Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady. Lola’s Library became such a hit that Virgin asked us to create an origin story. This new production serves as the official prequel, peeling back the curtain on how Lola’s secret cabaret came to life. Set inside the Red Room on Scarlet Lady, BOOKED blends cabaret, comedy, state-of-the-art technology and a touch of mischief to deliver a story that feels both familiar and completely new. It’s a chance to discover where Lola, Dewey and Mary came from and how their story began.

Following the strong reception and high guest demand for Lola’s Library, which quickly established itself as one of Virgin Voyages’ top-performing entertainment offerings, Virgin asked us to create an expanded chapter within the same narrative universe. Our task was to build a new production that honors the foundation of the original while elevating the experience for returning sailors: expanding story depth, enhancing character arcs, introducing fresh interactive elements, and scaling creatively for a larger venue. The result is a show that feels both familiar and completely new, designed to deepen the world guests already love and offer even more discovery across repeat sailings.

• New writer, existing universe: We worked with a different writer this time, which meant shaping a fresh script while staying faithful to the heart of the original show.
• Protecting the tone: Because Lola’s Library already had a strong identity, every creative choice in BOOKED needed to feel like it belonged in the same world.
• A completely different venue: Booked moves from the original 360-degree immersive space into The Red Room, a traditional proscenium theater with expanded technology capabilities. To maintain the library aesthetic and intimacy, we introduced a cascading-book catwalk that pushes the performance deeper into the audience.
• Ambitious timeline: The entire concept, from contract to opening night, came together in just two months, all while our team was simultaneously building two other shows for Virgin across separate ships.

Booked marks a new era for cruise entertainment, delivering a land-caliber theatrical experience aboard Scarlet Lady and solidifying Virgin Voyages’ reputation for industry-leading onboard programming. As the official prequel to Lola’s Library, it expands the universe into a second tentpole with long-term viability, demonstrating that the Lola world can support continued growth and a fully connected entertainment ecosystem. Launched under a compressed timeline and within a completely different venue configuration, the production surpassed expectations and has been met with overwhelmingly positive response. As CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu shared, the cruise line’s refreshed ships and new shows “prove Virgin Voyages never stops evolving,” underscoring that returning Sailors are driven by what’s new — including entertainment that now stands “shoulder to shoulder with what they’d see on land.”