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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Larry Ryan

What links Punchdrunk’s Burnt City to Patti Smith and John McEnroe?

Composite of images of Glenda Jackson, Richard Hell, Chen Shi-Zheng, a Punchdrunk theatre performer, John McEnroe and Patty Smyth, Naomie Harris and black and white cartoon rabbits going down holes in a red line
Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images/iStockphoto/Patrick McMullan/Alamy/Julian Abrams/Sky TV/ Rex/Shutterstock

Punching up

The theatre company Punchdrunk has expanded what’s possible on stage – and spawned many immersive imitators. All the while, it’s reinvented classic texts in strange settings, merging theatre, dance, film and installation art, and leaving audiences dazzled and unsettled … and tired from all that walking around. Its latest is The Burnt City, based around the Trojan war, staged at its new London HQ.

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