Punchdrunk - Burnt City

Had a confusing but overall enjoyable time with this.


I've never been to a Punchdrunk show before, but a friend wanted to try it. I'm really not a fan of audience participation (well me participating anyway) but the show doesn't ask much of its audience in that way so once out of the museum intro I found it very comfortable. The anonymity of the masks also helped put me at ease.

Our initial group headed to Greece first, and having seen Troy through the window on the stairs I knew there were two areas to explore. I didn't spend much time with any particular characters, instead stopping to watch the scenes I bumped into whilst wandering the sets. I quickly knew I wasn't going to understand the plot of it, and I feel I wasn't really supposed to, so just enjoyed exploring the spaces. It is ideal theatre to go to alone as you can't communicate once inside anyway, althoygh having to people to meet up with afger to compare experiences was certsinly enjoyabld. Maybe bring a pocket sized book for the waiting area bar once they've locked your phone away.


Personally I'd have loved a print out of the cast board to carry round and try and piece together who everyone was. Or perhaps in world posters (propaganda, adverts etc) with some of the headshots on that could be changed out for different casts. Or perhaps even just do what the operas do and have the ability to find out the full plot.


What I find fascinating is that even though I found it a bit baffling overall, I found my mind does keep coming back to it. I'm back down South next month so I may revisit it, and I don't revisit shows often.

Hi going tonight
for those who have been before can you offer some idea on where to start pls? I’ve seen SNM and realise you’re not going to see everything but I knew Macbeth so it made it an easy decision to follow him to get an idea. I’m going with a first timer tonight who is want to get ‘something’ out of the visit.
Suggestion on who to follow would be good?

Also a couple of random questions.
How many loops?
Finish time? is it the same for everyone despite what time you get in?
Is the last loop finale signalled in some way so it’s not missed?
How do you get to see both?
And two questions for my younger friend
Do you need ID for the bar?
Is it possible to wear glasses under the mask

Thank you

Hi there! These are my take-aways from my visit last year, but others may have different advice and opinions to offer.

I know it's often said with Punchdrunk, but it really is advisable to let go of trying to appreciate the minute details, and follow your intuition. Although there will definitely be confusing moments, it's possible to take something from the show without understanding anything - it's about how you feel, and how you interpret the events. That said, the show website has a page with some brief details to read up on, covering the vague context of the piece (some of this is also provided at the very start of the show). If you would like to quickly read up on the source material itself, the Wikipedia summaries for Eurpides' Hecuba and Aeschylus' Agamemnon should give you a flavour. I'd recommend reading the plays too, although it might be a little late!

There are 3 loops, each an hour long, then the finale at the end.

The show will finish 3 hours after the earliest entry slot - so probably around 22:00, according to the website. It finishes at the same time for everyone (and you can try to sneak in earlier than your ticket says, to get more time exploring!)

The finale is signalled by the entire cast moving towards the main areas, inviting you to follow them. It should be clear, but if in doubt, ask a member of staff in a black mask to help you out.

I don't believe it's possible to see both finales, as they run simultaneously. So it's a game of chance - but I've heard both are stunning. 

According to the FAQs, they're running a Challenge 25 policy, so ID may be needed.

As a glasses-wearer, the Punchdrunk mask does fit over glasses! It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but eventually I forgot it was there. If they would like to remove the mask, just ask a staff member to direct you to the bar.

Enjoy the show! Although opinions seem to be mixed, a Punchdrunk mask show is a truly unique experience, and with this potentially being their last new offering, it's certainly a reason to get excited.

Thank you both so much that was really helpful.
In terms of costume anyone to look out for in particular?

Would it be an earlier finish time in that case? Or would they pad it out to finish around 10pm Thanks

How strict are they on entrance times?

Not sure about now, but it used to be possible to squeeze both finales in if you watched the Troy (neon city area) finale first then headed through the big doors and along the corridor to Mycenae (sandy, open space).

We got them the wrong way round so watched Mycenae then went down to Troy and had missed it and were ushered out
One thing I thought was a bit cheeky was the reduced time. We got two loops instead of three due to ‘heat and humidity. It wasn’t exactly a scorcher today but I was told by someone else that it’s to do with the building, it can’t cope with crowds and as a result becomes unsafe for the dancers (fair enough) but don’t advertise three loops.