Review: VIOLA’S ROOM, Punchdrunk

Photo credit: Julian Abrams

Following their epic show The Burnt City, the multi-award-winning immersive theatre company Punchdrunk strikes again with a more intimate approach. Viola’s Room is an audio-sensual experience that makes you feel as if you're living in a dark fairytale.

Based on Barry Pain’s classic gothic horror The Moon-Slave, Booker Prize-shortlisted author Daisy Johnson reimagines the story for a new audience. Narrated by the Fairy Godmother of dark tales, Helena Bonham Carter, the voices and lights guide you through a dreamlike space as you feel your way through this bedtime story.

Unlike the usual Punchdrunk show, this time audiences are not required to wear a mask or roam around the open world freely. Instead, six audience members at a time are invited into a room, removing their shoes and socks, putting on headsets, and walking barefoot into the maze-like installation while Bonham Carter whispers into their ears, guiding them through every step.

The story begins as we enter Viola’s bedroom. We quickly learn Viola is a princess engaged to a king/prince. She becomes obsessed searching for freedom, dancing under the moonlight. Until one day, she can no longer control this mysterious force drawing her in. Directed by Punchdrunk's Artistic Director Felix Barrett, the show is perhaps a tribute or revisits of one of Punchdrunk’s earliest works, The Moon-Slave, from two decades ago in 2000. Barrett shifts from their usual approach of making the audience an observer, to allowing them to experience the world as if following the footsteps of the unseen, ghost-like central character.

One Punchdrunk tradition that remains is its detailed set design. Designer Casey Jay Andrews ensures every detail intrigues the audience. This time, the sensual element of touch is key. Different materials enhance the storytelling, from everything we touch to everything we feel under our feet. As the story gets darker and more twisted, the materials around us become rougher. Walking barefoot as the floor changes transports us from world to world. At times, there even seems to be the smell of fresh laundry. Lighting designer Simon Wilkinson guides us through the space, providing a sense of security while navigating the labyrinth. Sound designer Gareth Fry injects energy with a '90s soundtrack, bringing the ancient story to life and encouraging us to move forward, complementing Johnson’s adaptation.

The production is very considerate and has provided sensitisers and even a washing fountain for your feet. There are also alternative options if taking off your shoes and socks is not possible. There are slight technical issues throughout, like the headphone detaching from the device (a smartphone) or the volume adjustment causing the screen to light up. Certain doors are opened before its time…etc. However, for now, these are slight glitches that will surely be dealt with once the show starts running more smoothly.

Viola’s Room is a completely new journey for Punchdrunk. Cleverly put together, this evolutionary experience could mean it might be reproduced anywhere in the world for as long as audience demand exists. In just 45 minutes, Viola’s Room sucks you into the world of an intimate bedtime story, and leaves you wanting more.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Diana Feng

Viola’s Room plays at Punchdrunk HQ in Woolwich until 18 August, with further info here.