IN THE PRESS

There was an orgy in the next room. Or possibly a riot. Upstairs the aristocracy colluded. Downstairs the workers plotted. Norms were flouted, alternative medicine practiced. The world tumbled toward anarchy and decadence. Honestly, there are worse ways to spend an evening.

Created by and featuring original cast members of Sleep No More, the work will play Governors Island.

Spring is in the air and, amidst the horrors, new productions abound! I caught up with Kelly Bartnik of Artemis is Burning to discuss upcoming previews for The Death of Rasputin, an immersive show taking over the LMCC Arts Center at Governor’s Island.

There lived a certain man, in Russia long ago, who was big and strong (in his eyes, a flaming glow); most people looked at him with terror and with fear, but to Moscow chicks, he was such a lovely dear. We speak, of course, of the libertine faith healer Grigori "Rah Rah" Rasputin, the so-called mad monk who insinuated himself into the Romanov court in the waning years of imperial Russia until a conspiracy of aristocrats finally managed to have him killed.

Creating an immersive theater production is no small feat, especially with a limited budget and a cast of 10. But the collective Artemis Is Burning pulls it off with The Death of Rasputin, a new show created by Ashley Brett Chipman that rivals the classic Sleep No More and the more recent Life and Trust.

Performances will begin on April 17, 2025.

Previously on sale through April 27, tickets are now available through May 11, 2025.

Sleep No More Goes Outside and Also To Russia™ in The Death of Rasputin, a new immersive performance piece running April 17-May 11 on Governors Island where “his­to­ry is sus­pend­ed, loy­al­ty is test­ed, and desire will save you…stakes are high. Where will your alle­giance lie?” I mean, obviously, as the extremely historically accurate 1997 film Anastasia taught me, not with Rasputin!!!!

Whispers in the candlelight, shadows in the corridors— The Death of Rasputin is no mere play; it is a descent into decadence, a fever-dream of power, prophecy, and betrayal. This debaucherous satire unfolds as a lavish, unholy revel, conjuring the espionage and mysticism that danced at the edges of the Romanov dynasty in its twilight hour. Here, every character claws for dominion, every ambition is laced with poison, and every grasp for power pulls them closer to the abyss.