Debkakes in the UK 2022

My dear friend Christine brought to our attention an immersive performance, The Burnt City, taking place in an industrial neighborhood during our stay. It turns out we had experienced a site-specific performance by Punchdrunk in New York City, Sleep No More, at “The McKittrick Hotel” in Chelsea several years ago. The tickets were a little spendy, so I sort of forgot about it, but my delightful partner (knowing how much I really did want to go) got tickets for us on our penultimate night in London. He also surprised me with our means of transport to the venue’s neighborhood: A water taxi!!

David also surprised me with a bit of infrastructure I did not know about, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel under the Thames. I was amused; David was ecstatic.

We de-ferried at the Woolwich Arsenal stop, and the first thing we saw is this sculptural installation, “Assembly” by Peter Burke.

We stopped at a Marks and Spencer and grabbed a wrap and some potato crisps, then headed on to the venue for the evening. No photography allowed, but trust me: it was visually and intellectually stimulating. The audience were all wearing beaked plague masks (along with our Covid masks) as we went from tableau to tableau. While one doesn’t interact with the players, one does nose around in bureaus and cabinets and inspect all the props for klews! I was so thrilled to find a postcard from The McKittrick Hotel in a pile of stuff in an out-of-the-way location!

16 July 2022