Last year I was thrilled to attend the Punchdrunk production of " A Drowned Man" at a former Postal Sorting Office in Paddington. This was an astonishing evening with an impressive level of creativity allowing the audience to wander around three floors watching dance and drama unfold around us.
In 2014 Punchdrunk also found time to link with Hijinx Theatre to create "Beneath The Streets" a site specific piece in Cardiff which proved so successful it has returned to the Welsh capital.
An air of expectation and anticipation started before the event with the arrival of the email announcing which part of Cardiff you will be heading to. Then after leaving your bag at the entrance you are invited to wander around the two floors of the Fo(u)nd Corporation where they re-cycle lost property, lost souls , lost memories etc.
I went with a friend but we immediately separated, meeting only at the end to discover we had two enjoyable, but entirely different experiences. And that is the joy of this show, it is you who control what you see, not the director, the writer or the actors. You can just wander around the astonishing artefacts, stay put and watch as events occur around you of follow particular performers as they scurry past.
Whilst I was more of a "voyeur" my friend (who I will call Jon) was keen to be involved in the action and followed more of the plot than I did. This is a far more structured show than I saw in London when my legs gave up after two and a half hours.
If you like the unusual I can't recommend this show strongly enough. I had some idea of the style but still loved the context while Jon was virtually speechless with delight at the end. The other key bonus with this type of promenade performance is that you can go every night and have a completely different experience each time.
Try it, you won't be disappointed but be quick it closes on Friday 3rd July.
http://www.hijinx.org.uk/
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