You and a friend could be embroiled in a six-hour mystery that takes you across London – as long as you’re not of a nervous disposition.
Punchdrunk are the reigning dons of sinister, unforgettable, ‘did you manage to get a ticket?’ immersive theatre. They last wowed London with The Drowned Man in 2013, when they converted an entire four-storey warehouse into an eerie, abandoned film studio populated by dancers.
Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More in New York. [Photo: @sleepnomorenyc]In New York, meanwhile, Punchdrunk’s massive, labyrinthine take on Macbeth, set throughout 100 Lynchian rooms in the ‘McKittrick Hotel’, has been confusing and haunting theatregoers non-stop since 2011, and at the end of 2016 they launched a second location in Shanghai.
Staggering. Sleep No More in Shanghai, 2017. [Photo: @PunchdrunkInt]But their latest project steps out of their intricately detailed sets – and onto the streets of London itself. Kabeiroi is a mysterious adventure that you take with just one other person, starting somewhere in Bloomsbury, and ending six hours later. You’ll need bottled water, a topped-up Oyster Card, and comfortable shoes, and they warn the play is not suitable for anyone of a ‘nervous disposition’, people who suffer from claustrophobia, or ‘women in any stage of pregnancy.’
Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man, London, 2013. [Photo: @dramatic_art_scene]Because only two people can experience the play at a time, there are only 864 tickets available for the entire run, from September 26 to November 9. They’re available via a lottery – find out more details about the show and then enter the ballot here before Sunday, September 10. It’s your only chance to truly see what happens, as there are no press previews… and photos, videos and phone usage are all banned during the experience.
