The Drowned Man Analysis

Punch Drunk’s “The Drowned Man”

The Drowned Man for me was a complete out of this world experience. It’s set on five floors in an abandoned postal office right next to Paddington train station. Within these five floors are two love stories with their themes of betrayal that portray a loosely based true story. We were all given masks when entering the space. All the same, blank faced mask. We then got placed into an elevator where we got instructions to remain silent, to try and explore alone and that exploration was encouraged thoroughly. This gave me the need to try and see absolutely everything available to me, a tall task indeed. When let out of the elevator we set off into the immense space. It was hard to grasp what was happening;
Wendy watched him be unfaithful and was distraught. I followed him and suddenly his frustration became too much for him and led to the point where he bursts out into dance. I can see how much agitation caused by the always rising emotion Marshall had and it made me connect so much more to the performance. For me the performance was enhanced with the dancing, it made me feel more connected with the performer and the emotion that character went through. If they were hurt I’d be hurt with them. For me it’s like a Butoh, a form of performance through grotesque body movements created by Japanese dance legends Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. “It 's a very real philosophy, explains Molly Barrons, a dance student and former Country Station waitress. “Their technique of movement, their repertoire of choreography, and their philosophy on art and life -- it 's clear in their everyday actions. It doesn 't switch on when they walk onto a stage. It 's not a persona or a theory. It 's the same with other Butoh masters; it 's in their daily interactions with the world."(2002) Using dance in the performance keeps it naturalistic and this quote shows that dance is showing one’s everyday interaction through dance.
Inspired and based loosely on Buchner 's fractured masterpiece Woyzeck, this amazing journey follows its cast leading to its eventual dramatic ending. The audience has their own ideas on what is real and what is illusion but this journey portrays so much emotion that the audience can relate to and connect to. Punch Drunk’s “The Drowned Man”, for me, did not disappoint. As William’s postcard to Mary states “”You are ingrained on my mind” The Drowned Man is certainly ingrained on