This show is worth every penny, from the amazing sets to the multitalented cast there is a show full of endless possibilities and every visit you will find something new and meaningful. The word “immersive” is used often but with Punchdrunk you will get the true meaning of that word. Nobody does it better so don’t miss it! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
This show has developed so much over the past few months, I've been back multiple times recently and I'm loving how much detail I'm still discovering. My tip for first-timers is that they may not be aware there is a "Troy" and "Mycenae" (Greece) side, with a tunnel that connects the two on the ground floor. You really want to try and see both, but especially the Troy side that has so much going on including an awesome Cyberpunk story cleverly woven in to the Trojan War narrative. My advice is to find a character without many people following, and just stick with them for a bit and see where it takes you.
I flew from the US to attend this show three times, and I’m already desperately trying to figure out when I can go back!!! It is so striking, so beautiful, and so unlike anything you’ve ever experienced (including their other production in New York, Sleep No More). ***I can honestly say that this is THE best piece of art I have ever consumed*** (its only rival being the original Broadway cast of Hadestown-another Greek mythology show)! This trailer doesn’t even begin to show you the scope and genius of The Burnt City. Go see for yourself!!! UPDATE: I flew back to go another three times two months later, and I’m heading back *once again* three months after my second time to see it as many times as possible and attend a special party event. What can I say?! Obsessed.
Extraordinary theatre! Great acting, great use of lighting and music, brilliantly detailed sets, and - most of all - some exhilarating dancing. Just pick a character and follow them and watch their story unfold. So much fun!
I saw The Burnt City a month ago, it was like nothing else I experienced. I can't stop thinking about it and went again to experience more of it. I took a group of students and their experiences varied, but all agreed it was like nothing we had experienced before.
As you said, you have nothing to compare it to. I'd suggest you were impressed by the idea of Immersive Theatre, rather than this effort especially. Like losing your virginity, you never forget the first time even if it was in fact, rubbish! If you go to see more immersive theatre, by other production companies, you'll come to see how short changed you were, compared to what the experience can be.
@@FrankieRockett I have been to the War of The Worlds twice and was blown away. I was also in awe after experiencing the Burnt City - I have no experience with other Punchdrunk productions, but I love the emptiness and lost moments in there. I was crawling through every opening I saw, went all the doors I could. Had one-to-one moments with actors who without speaking were able to express a lot with their body language and they way they looked at you. Planning to see the Gunpowder Plot, visit Burnt City again and cannot wait for other productions from Punchdrunk!
@@Upndouin There was indeed no shortage of 'emptiness' and 'lost moments' - an entire evening I will never get back in fact, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Incredible show, like nothing I've ever seen before and I'm in awe of what Punchdrunk come up with. Looking forward to my 5th, 6th, 7th visit next week! I'd be there more often if I lived in London.
5 STARS 🌟 This is NOTHING like typical theatre shows. You can hate stage plays and LOVE this show. The Burnt City in Woolwich is like adult Disney Land meets the ultimate Masquerade meets the ultimate Escape Room. It is a voyeur's wildest fantasy. You can absolutely come in street clothes and Nike shoes. You will be wearing a light mask above the top half of your face and wandering silently throughout The Burnt City for around 3.5 hours. Find your way back to the bar anytime for a break and to catch a wild show always going on there with singer Naomi Banks absolutely killing it on stage there! The cast is the very best at what they do from around the world. Come back to this comment and thank me after you go!
Went this evening. Came away exhausted and exhilarated and well, stunned I suppose. It's really like nothing else you will ever experience. Kill for a ticket!
I went at the weekend and left with mixed feelings, it's an incredible set and very atmospheric, unsettling even, and as a spectacle it's unique with some amazing choreography and acting. On the downside it can be confusing and overwhelming as to what's going on at times without a pretty sound knowledge of the subject matter. Very little dialogue that I heard. Expensive night out too. Glad I saw it but it's not going to be for everyone.
Could anyone point me in the direction of the music used? I recognised a few placements and would like to re-experience but having bought a programme expecting a track list, there wasn’t one :(
I think The Burnt City will amaze first-timers, but if you've been to other performances created by Punch Drunk, this one was a bit of a let down, considering so much time had elapsed between The Drowned Man and The Burnt City. I suppose with these sorts of things one is always expecting "more", but with The Burnt City, I felt like they hadn't really progressed the elements of their productions that they do well and there were very few moments of awe, wonder, or surprise. The Burnt City is by no means bad, but for the price of the tickets I expected more.
I agree. I brought a good friend who had not experienced The Drowned Man, and they were enthralled. For me, I was underwhelmed by the set and the pacing, but felt the performances were at least compelling.
Interesting. I've been lucky enough to have seen almost all of the Punchdrunk shows I could since I first happened across The Masque of the Red Death all those years ago. I think I have enjoyed The Burnt City most of all. The themes are so primal and so challenging.
Huge, darkly lit space with very few actors and no discernible plot. I saw The Drowned Man in Paddington a few years ago and was blown away. This wasn't a patch on that experience. Far too many audience members, and far too little plot and too few actors.
I’m thinking of seeing this after having seen The Drowned Man years ago, how was the general atmosphere? My favourite thing about TDM was just the effort put into the props and vibe of the place and I didn’t really follow the narrative, just loved exploring the different spaces, based on this, would you recommend it?
@@milkandblue The set has that same level of amazing detail, in my opinion. I think they need to do a better job at explaining to first-timers about the physical space - it's two large warehouses, connected via a tunnel. I think a lot of people get stuck on one side for their entire show, and if that happens to be the Mycenae (Greek) side, it's going to feel quite bleak, dimly lit and with large empty spaces by design. The Troy side has a lot more action, and upstairs in Troy has a nightclub with some of my favourite scenes.
@@ajm511 thanks for the reply! I’ll keep that in mind if I go! In TDM I spent most of my time on the top floor before I ventured downstairs but I didn’t regret it because the top floor was the best IMO, does everyone enter in the same place or are you split up?
@@milkandblue They refined the entrance over the summer and you are now split up. It's 50/50 whether you'll enter on the Troy or Mycenae side. If you find yourself brushing canvas material aside to get out, you're in Mycenae. I do hope you get chance to visit - Generally I've been able to get £55 tickets. Check out the latest entrance time as it's sometimes a cheaper ticket, but they don't enforce the times so you can still arrive for the earliest listed time. In fact, the bar opens 30 mins before so arrive and get a playing card to maximise your time in the show!
Had never been to a Punchdrunk performance. For me, it was a real letdown. The set design was reasonably good, if a little sparse. With little prior knowledge of the subject matter, you'd be very hard-pressed to glean the narrative among the looping performances (most of which were lengthy dances with little-to-no dialogue). The show gives people the freedom to explore, but this freedom means that it's very easy to miss whole areas, or to follow different characters and come away with a poor understanding of what's happening. I will say that I would've been happy to have not quite understood what was going on if the rest of the production was impressive enough. The imagery and scenes felt repetitive, uninspired and unnecessarily lengthy. Another thing I have to say is that there were a few people who seemed to follow actors around like lap dogs, and they really wrecked the immersion for me. I saw one person who stood around waiting to be taken through a door by one of the actors. Are these people who know what's going to happen, or are they plants?
So the show has been evolving! There is now a decent amount of dialogue and I had no problem at all following the narratives! It’s set up in a way that it’s impossible to see everything without going many times. Also the people waiting are those of us who are obsessed with the shows and keen to be treated to the coveted “one-on-one” experiences with the characters. And unfortunately being a “lap dog” is often necessary since the actors can move FAST and it’s easy to lose them if the people in the front of the group aren’t moving quickly enough.
Fabulously misleading hype; this video. The reality was hugely disappointing. As a vetran connoisseur of immersive theatre I used to love what Punchdrunk did twenty years ago. Now, oh boy have they lost their way. The show is an a*se-achingly dull traipse around a badly lit warehouse looking for actors, who are found writhing in slow motion for no discernable reason. It's pretensions to have something to do with Troy are just that. Money (and lots of it) for old rope. Avoid
@@RosBarber Thanks for having the courage to say so Ros. There's such a publicity machine generated clamour around this company now that it's hard for ordinary paying public voices that tell it straight to get heard. Bravo!
Beautifully articulated exactly how I felt after leaving this show. Huge, darkly lit space with very few actors and no discernible plot. As my sister said to me at the bar "What's the story? I don't speak dance". I saw The Drowned Man in Paddington a few years ago and was blown away. This wasn't a patch on that experience.
@@marcelloleucci7847 Precisely. Yet even the 'dance' wasn't dance, but make it up as you go along vertical writhing. I imagine they might be talented people, but wasted talent when directed to behave like artless oafs with no training, rehearsals or goals. No, I wasn't fooled either!
@@marcelloleucci7847 That was the whole reason I went to this - The Drowned Man was magical. This was empty and nonsensical. No discernible narrative. Who was anyone meant to be? I suppose if you like dance -- or gobbledegook live art installations -- you'll like this. If you're after immersive theatre, you should look elsewhere.
How the hell is people dancing in weird rooms an interpretation of the fall of Troy. Just call it what it is a weird spectacle that might be fun to look at but has no deeper meaning.
This show is worth every penny, from the amazing sets to the multitalented cast there is a show full of endless possibilities and every visit you will find something new and meaningful. The word “immersive” is used often but with Punchdrunk you will get the true meaning of that word. Nobody does it better so don’t miss it! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
This show has developed so much over the past few months, I've been back multiple times recently and I'm loving how much detail I'm still discovering. My tip for first-timers is that they may not be aware there is a "Troy" and "Mycenae" (Greece) side, with a tunnel that connects the two on the ground floor. You really want to try and see both, but especially the Troy side that has so much going on including an awesome Cyberpunk story cleverly woven in to the Trojan War narrative. My advice is to find a character without many people following, and just stick with them for a bit and see where it takes you.
Absolutely brilliant. I can safely say, I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I absolutely loved every second of it.
I flew from the US to attend this show three times, and I’m already desperately trying to figure out when I can go back!!! It is so striking, so beautiful, and so unlike anything you’ve ever experienced (including their other production in New York, Sleep No More).
***I can honestly say that this is THE best piece of art I have ever consumed*** (its only rival being the original Broadway cast of Hadestown-another Greek mythology show)!
This trailer doesn’t even begin to show you the scope and genius of The Burnt City. Go see for yourself!!!
UPDATE: I flew back to go another three times two months later, and I’m heading back *once again* three months after my second time to see it as many times as possible and attend a special party event. What can I say?! Obsessed.
Extraordinary theatre! Great acting, great use of lighting and music, brilliantly detailed sets, and - most of all - some exhilarating dancing.
Just pick a character and follow them and watch their story unfold. So much fun!
I watch this trailer so often lol. Can't wait to be back in The Burnt City! One of the most jaw-dropping shows I've ever been to
I saw The Burnt City a month ago, it was like nothing else I experienced. I can't stop thinking about it and went again to experience more of it. I took a group of students and their experiences varied, but all agreed it was like nothing we had experienced before.
As you said, you have nothing to compare it to. I'd suggest you were impressed by the idea of Immersive Theatre, rather than this effort especially. Like losing your virginity, you never forget the first time even if it was in fact, rubbish! If you go to see more immersive theatre, by other production companies, you'll come to see how short changed you were, compared to what the experience can be.
@@FrankieRockett I have been to the War of The Worlds twice and was blown away. I was also in awe after experiencing the Burnt City - I have no experience with other Punchdrunk productions, but I love the emptiness and lost moments in there. I was crawling through every opening I saw, went all the doors I could. Had one-to-one moments with actors who without speaking were able to express a lot with their body language and they way they looked at you. Planning to see the Gunpowder Plot, visit Burnt City again and cannot wait for other productions from Punchdrunk!
@@Upndouin There was indeed no shortage of 'emptiness' and 'lost moments' - an entire evening I will never get back in fact, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Stunning, amazing work that just keeps growing and improving. Will keep going back as long as the doors are open.
Incredible show, like nothing I've ever seen before and I'm in awe of what Punchdrunk come up with. Looking forward to my 5th, 6th, 7th visit next week! I'd be there more often if I lived in London.
5 STARS 🌟 This is NOTHING like typical theatre shows. You can hate stage plays and LOVE this show. The Burnt City in Woolwich is like adult Disney Land meets the ultimate Masquerade meets the ultimate Escape Room. It is a voyeur's wildest fantasy. You can absolutely come in street clothes and Nike shoes. You will be wearing a light mask above the top half of your face and wandering silently throughout The Burnt City for around 3.5 hours. Find your way back to the bar anytime for a break and to catch a wild show always going on there with singer Naomi Banks absolutely killing it on stage there! The cast is the very best at what they do from around the world. Come back to this comment and thank me after you go!
Went this evening. Came away exhausted and exhilarated and well, stunned I suppose. It's really like nothing else you will ever experience. Kill for a ticket!
Such an incredible show. I can’t stop thinking about the experiences I’ve had there. I can’t wait to go back.
I went at the weekend and left with mixed feelings, it's an incredible set and very atmospheric, unsettling even, and as a spectacle it's unique with some amazing choreography and acting. On the downside it can be confusing and overwhelming as to what's going on at times without a pretty sound knowledge of the subject matter. Very little dialogue that I heard. Expensive night out too. Glad I saw it but it's not going to be for everyone.
This was amazing - highly recommended...
Can't recommend The Burnt City enough
An awesome production. Truly landmark theatre.
Could anyone point me in the direction of the music used? I recognised a few placements and would like to re-experience but having bought a programme expecting a track list, there wasn’t one :(
There is an unofficial playlist on Spotify that fans have put together
The main piece I recognised was in Mycenae they used the soundtrack from V for Vendetta
I need this to come backkk
I think The Burnt City will amaze first-timers, but if you've been to other performances created by Punch Drunk, this one was a bit of a let down, considering so much time had elapsed between The Drowned Man and The Burnt City. I suppose with these sorts of things one is always expecting "more", but with The Burnt City, I felt like they hadn't really progressed the elements of their productions that they do well and there were very few moments of awe, wonder, or surprise. The Burnt City is by no means bad, but for the price of the tickets I expected more.
Totally agree! Like you, for the price of the tickets I expected more.
I agree. I brought a good friend who had not experienced The Drowned Man, and they were enthralled. For me, I was underwhelmed by the set and the pacing, but felt the performances were at least compelling.
Interesting. I've been lucky enough to have seen almost all of the Punchdrunk shows I could since I first happened across The Masque of the Red Death all those years ago. I think I have enjoyed The Burnt City most of all. The themes are so primal and so challenging.
@@dglambeth Fair enough. Each person gets something different out of each show.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Was looking into this but £95 plus a ticket seems way too much
i ran 6 miles..
Huge, darkly lit space with very few actors and no discernible plot. I saw The Drowned Man in Paddington a few years ago and was blown away. This wasn't a patch on that experience. Far too many audience members, and far too little plot and too few actors.
I’m thinking of seeing this after having seen The Drowned Man years ago, how was the general atmosphere? My favourite thing about TDM was just the effort put into the props and vibe of the place and I didn’t really follow the narrative, just loved exploring the different spaces, based on this, would you recommend it?
@@milkandblue The set has that same level of amazing detail, in my opinion. I think they need to do a better job at explaining to first-timers about the physical space - it's two large warehouses, connected via a tunnel. I think a lot of people get stuck on one side for their entire show, and if that happens to be the Mycenae (Greek) side, it's going to feel quite bleak, dimly lit and with large empty spaces by design. The Troy side has a lot more action, and upstairs in Troy has a nightclub with some of my favourite scenes.
@@ajm511 thanks for the reply! I’ll keep that in mind if I go! In TDM I spent most of my time on the top floor before I ventured downstairs but I didn’t regret it because the top floor was the best IMO, does everyone enter in the same place or are you split up?
@@milkandblue They refined the entrance over the summer and you are now split up. It's 50/50 whether you'll enter on the Troy or Mycenae side. If you find yourself brushing canvas material aside to get out, you're in Mycenae. I do hope you get chance to visit - Generally I've been able to get £55 tickets. Check out the latest entrance time as it's sometimes a cheaper ticket, but they don't enforce the times so you can still arrive for the earliest listed time. In fact, the bar opens 30 mins before so arrive and get a playing card to maximise your time in the show!
Having seen some amazing immersive shows by Shunt & associates over the years, by the sounds of it this may not hit those heights
Had never been to a Punchdrunk performance. For me, it was a real letdown. The set design was reasonably good, if a little sparse. With little prior knowledge of the subject matter, you'd be very hard-pressed to glean the narrative among the looping performances (most of which were lengthy dances with little-to-no dialogue). The show gives people the freedom to explore, but this freedom means that it's very easy to miss whole areas, or to follow different characters and come away with a poor understanding of what's happening. I will say that I would've been happy to have not quite understood what was going on if the rest of the production was impressive enough. The imagery and scenes felt repetitive, uninspired and unnecessarily lengthy.
Another thing I have to say is that there were a few people who seemed to follow actors around like lap dogs, and they really wrecked the immersion for me. I saw one person who stood around waiting to be taken through a door by one of the actors. Are these people who know what's going to happen, or are they plants?
So the show has been evolving! There is now a decent amount of dialogue and I had no problem at all following the narratives! It’s set up in a way that it’s impossible to see everything without going many times. Also the people waiting are those of us who are obsessed with the shows and keen to be treated to the coveted “one-on-one” experiences with the characters. And unfortunately being a “lap dog” is often necessary since the actors can move FAST and it’s easy to lose them if the people in the front of the group aren’t moving quickly enough.
Fabulously misleading hype; this video. The reality was hugely disappointing. As a vetran connoisseur of immersive theatre I used to love what Punchdrunk did twenty years ago. Now, oh boy have they lost their way. The show is an a*se-achingly dull traipse around a badly lit warehouse looking for actors, who are found writhing in slow motion for no discernable reason. It's pretensions to have something to do with Troy are just that. Money (and lots of it) for old rope.
Avoid
That's a perfect description of my own experience. Massively disappointing.
@@RosBarber Thanks for having the courage to say so Ros. There's such a publicity machine generated clamour around this company now that it's hard for ordinary paying public voices that tell it straight to get heard. Bravo!
Beautifully articulated exactly how I felt after leaving this show. Huge, darkly lit space with very few actors and no discernible plot. As my sister said to me at the bar "What's the story? I don't speak dance". I saw The Drowned Man in Paddington a few years ago and was blown away. This wasn't a patch on that experience.
@@marcelloleucci7847 Precisely. Yet even the 'dance' wasn't dance, but make it up as you go along vertical writhing. I imagine they might be talented people, but wasted talent when directed to behave like artless oafs with no training, rehearsals or goals. No, I wasn't fooled either!
@@marcelloleucci7847 That was the whole reason I went to this - The Drowned Man was magical. This was empty and nonsensical. No discernible narrative. Who was anyone meant to be? I suppose if you like dance -- or gobbledegook live art installations -- you'll like this. If you're after immersive theatre, you should look elsewhere.
How the hell is people dancing in weird rooms an interpretation of the fall of Troy. Just call it what it is a weird spectacle that might be fun to look at but has no deeper meaning.
I thought it was a Hunter Biden vid by the thumbnail
Deeply disappointing - avoid