‘Immersive Van Gogh’ exhibit extends its run

The walk-through touring arts show now booked for March 18-Sept. 6

“Immersive Van Gogh” is shaping up to be a hit.

The show — a touring live production that immerses visitors in massive digital images of famed Vincent van Gogh paintings — doesn’t even open in San Francisco until March, yet its run already is being extended after “several weeks of record-breaking advance ticket sales,” organizers announced.

The walk-through exhibit opens March 18 — marking its West Coast premiere — and is now set to run through Sept. 6 at SVN West, a 100,000-square-foot arts/performance space created at a former auto dealership and onetime home of the Fillmore West and Carousel Ballroom, at Market and Van Ness streets in San Francisco. It had been previously announced that it would run through at least May 31.

“The reception we have received from San Francisco Bay Area ticket buyers has been enthusiastic and welcoming,” said Corey Ross of Lighthouse Immersive, the organization producing the show. “Despite the setbacks and challenges of COVID-19 this past year, one thing is clear — the arts will be coming back stronger than ever in 2021!”

The tour comes at a time when most indoor arts shows and live entertainment — concerts, museums, theater and dance recitals — has been canceled or delayed and replaced by streaming productions.

Although San Francisco recently extended its COVID-19-related stay at home order indefinitely, officials at “Immersive Van Gogh” say the show has has been designed to accommodate health and occupancy requirements caused by the pandemic.

The show, which debuted in Toronto in July and is scheduled to play in Chicago this year, “invites audiences to ‘step inside’ the iconic works of van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement, and imagination.”

The show features large, high-definition projections of some of his works, including “Mangeurs de pommes de terre” (“The Potato Eaters,” 1885), “Nuit étoilée” (“Starry Night,” 1889), “Les Tournesols” (“Sunflowers,” 1888), and “La Chambre à coucher” (“The Bedroom,” 1889).

There are also images of places and landmarks that inspired the paintings, and the production is accompanied by a recorded musical score.

Tickets for the West Coast premiere of “Immersive Van Gogh” start at $39.99 ($24.99 for visitors 16 or younger) — with VIP, timed, and flexible ticket options available — and go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday through vangoghsf.com or by calling 844-307-4644.