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Even when it opened back in April, there were bits of Punchdrunk’s brilliant new immersive theatre show ‘The Burnt City’ – set during the Trojan War – that got pretty damn hot by the end, especially in the dense warren of the city of Troy.
So it’s something of a relief to audiences that’ll be braving it during the heatwave – especially next Tuesday (it’s blessedly shut on Monday) – that the show has been temporarily retooled to put less pressure on both punters who spend the bulk of the show on their feet, and the performers who are essentially performing challenging modern dance routines for three hours.
As revealed to the Evening Standard, the basic deal is that firstly, the show is now two-and-a-half hours long instead of the usual three, and secondly, for the first half an hour audiences will simply be exploring the (stunning) empty building, ie there will be no performers until half an hour into the show. This means the dancers will only have to perform for two hours, which makes them vastly less likely to faint.
The policy will be in place until the weather gets ‘back to normal’, which currently looks to be next Wednesday, when temperatures are predicted to drop into the mid-20s.
For what it’s worth, my top tip on arrival at the truncated shows would be to leave Mycenae (where you arrive), head straight to Troy and the cabaret bar, enjoy the cabaret bar while most people are wandering around exploring, head back to Mycenae for the start of the performances, follow the Agamemnon and Clytemnestra storyline and go back to Troy for the remainder. But most importantly: stay hydrated!
Immersive theatre shows in London.
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