Gossip

Punchdrunk’s Duchess Demand Downs ENO Website???

It’s the sure sign of another hot ticket. The English National Opera box office opened at 10am this morning for Punchdrunk’s next site-specific project, a version of The Duchess of Malfi, performed over three floors of an office building on Great Eastern Quay in London’s Royal Albert Basin – and it promptly toppled over. The ENO website has crashed and phone lines jammed. The Duchess of Malfi marks three firsts: the first time ENO and Punchdrunk have collaborated, ENO’s first venture into the world of ‘immersive’ theatre, and Punchdrunk’s first foray into opera. With music by German composer Torsten Rasch, direction by Punchdrunk’s Felix Barrett and featuring the ENO Orchestra (conducted by Stephen Higgins) and a cast of 17, it’s Punchdrunk’s most ambitious site-specific production to date and its on for 13 performances only from 13 July 2010.