Viola’s Room, Punchdrunk Review
Audience Member, Punchdrunk - Viola's Room production image. Photo by Julian AbramsWritten by Cathie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
General warnings: Limited light/ areas of complete darkness, tight/confined spaces, walking over a variety of flooring, themes of death, flashing lights
Punchdrunk is incredibly famous for its sweeping immersive experiences and grand retellings of legends. The Burnt City last year was an incredible hit with over 26 hours of storytelling throughout 2 labyrinthine warehouses. Now that they have a permanent home in Woolwich, they have returned with an entirely new production directed by founders Felix Barrett and Hector Harkness. Viola’s Room is essentially a 180 from the previous The Burnt City. It’s not loud, sprawling or free roaming. You’re not going to get lost in one area and spend hours trying to find the bar. It’s small, intimate and a wholly different experience in a darkly gothic labyrinth. This version is essentially Punchdrunk going back to their very first production of The Moon Slave. The story we experience is a modern adaptation of Barry Pain’s Edwardian gothic tale written by Booker Prize-shortlisted Daisy Johnson.
You’re asked to remove your socks and shoes and spray your feet with sanitiser, given headphones and a safety speech before embarking in a group of 6 into the labyrinth. Before it starts you’re given an example of the darkness you will experience throughout and if you cannot deal with that then you can leave straight away. It is a level of darkness throughout much of the journey where you cannot see your hand in front of your face. Therefore if you are afraid of the dark this would not be for you. The entire time you are told to “follow the light” to see this chilling tale unfold. Lighting Design by Simon Wilkinson has certainly excelled in creating a magical experience that infuses the perfect amount of whimsy, eldritch etherealness and chilling fear into the experience in a wholly unique way.
As you follow the trail of faintly glowing lights and flickers, you have the story crooned to you in the headphones by Helena Bonham Carter. Her soft and gentle narration works well with creating an eerie atmosphere and leaves you feeling on edge throughout as the chilling details emerge. Gareth Fry’s sound design has done an incredible job of layering different music orchestrations and sounds in a way that truly elevates your story to a spell-binding level. You follow the light and the story narrated until you find its chilling conclusions. The fact that you’re barefoot throughout the experience leaves you feeling vulnerable and more immersed in this world than otherwise. With the excellent sound effects echoing in your ears, the real world feels very far away and your only thought will be what happens next to Viola.
Although you follow winding tunnels and see strange sights, there will not be any jump scares and no one will try to touch you to scare you in this experience. Therefore if you are of a nervous or panicky disposition you have nothing to worry about. The level of fear and eeriness will depend entirely on your imagination. Another point to add when you go to explore this immersive experience: do not wear a dress or robe. There are moments where you’re crawling or moving around on the floor and that’s much easier and more comfortable in trousers. You’re also walking across many different types of flooring so you want to make sure your feet can move without and hindrances or balancing might be tricky in some parts.
This experience is much more defined and linear than previous shows, and will last about 55 minutes. The pacing is excellent throughout and you are swiftly caught up in the dawning horror without any pauses. While the experience is swift, your time at the bar afterwards is not timed, giving you plenty of time to discuss the intricacies of the experience with your group. Although the bar is much more brightly lit than the experience, it’ll take some time to shake off the cobwebs of the story and you’ll be thinking of it long afterwards.
This is a phenomenal experience you will be breathless telling all your family and friends about and its sinister effects will linger in your mind long after the experience. If you enjoy gothic mysteries, sensory exploration and a new, unique experience, then I wholeheartedly recommend this for you.
Booking until 18th August 2024
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
