The Burnt City opens in Woolwich this week
(Picture: Julian Abrams)I’m trudging across a desert of glittering black sand. Suddenly, I glimpse a row of crumbling houses through the dim light. I duck into a back alley hung with chaotic strings of washing and peer into a sculptor’s studio full of dinky little horses made from clay. Then, I follow the pulse of music into a nightclub that’s full of people dancing as though they’re possessed by a particularly artistically minded demon. This might all sound like the kind of dream that follows too much brie at bedtime, but actually I’m getting a sneak peek at the rich, gorgeous world of immersive theatre masters Punchdrunk’s new show The Burnt City.
For their hotly anticipated comeback after eight years away from London, they’ve crafted a whole universe behind a hidden door in Woolwich. And it’s unfolding on a scale as epic as the ancient Greek myths that have inspired it.
