Immersive theater in the sauna. You’ve really heard it all now. But this is NYC, baby. We love a strange construction of events. And it’s not just any immersive theater that’s heading to the sauna; it’s Death of Rasputin. And while I might not trust just any production to pull off a sauna version of its performance, Death of Rasputin really is a special case. Whether it’s holding a full-scale production on an island, or putting on an abridged version of its show for only a handful of nights, or taking its characters out of their normal storylines and putting them into a fun, Slavic party at the club, Death of Rasputin always manages to understand the assignment. And this latest iteration of Death of Rasputin, set in NYC’s Othership bathhouse, is one of my favorite versions yet. On the face of it, having an immersive theater performance in a sauna sounds strange. But when you stop to think about it (and actually get to experience it), you find that it’s, well, incredibly immersive. And true to form, Artemis is Burning’s Death of Rasputin dazzles as it makes its mesmerizing scenes that much more sultry, chilling, and consuming by using its unique new setting to its best advantage.
Let’s first allow Death of Rasputin to share a vision of this experience at the Othership sauna and ice bath in its own words. The description of this immersive theater event reveals, “Step across the threshold and into a realm where shadows whisper, candles tremble, and Russia’s most notorious mystic stirs once more in one of his favorite realms of rebirth: the banya. You are summoned to an evening of occult ceremony, ecstatic cleansing, and soul-shifting indulgence. Grigori Rasputin and his devoted circle are ready to unravel you, purify you, and rebuild you into something worthy of his feverish, impossible devotion. Swear in his presence. Surrender to his seduction. Witness the strange and shimmering magic that swirls around history‘s original Bad Boy.”
At its core, NYC’s Death of Rasputin is an immersive theater production that transports audiences back to the last days of Russia’s Romanov Empire to tell a fantastical tale of Grigori Rasputin, the royal family, and other figures that did or could have surrounded them. In a larger-scale version of the show, one can follow the story of Rasputin, the nobility, the revolutionaries, or the royal family. In the rendition of Death of Rasputin in the sauna, each group is represented by one individual or so. But though the characters are slimmed down, the magic of the tale only grows more seductive and intimately intriguing.
If we look back briefly at Death of Rasputin‘s description of its Othership sauna experience, all of the words it shares might seem alluring, but impossible to achieve in the mundane plane of our actual world. So trust me when I say that every single one of them is true. When you step across the threshold and into the sauna to begin this Death of Rasputin adventure, immediately getting thrust into a ritual séance to call Rasputin out of the land of the dead and into the realm of the living, something shifts. It might be the strange experience of engaging with theater in your swimsuit, it might be the way the sauna transforms into an amphitheater as an unusual crowd of people fills it, or it might be the sudden beating of your heart as you inhale sultry, heated air, and allow yourself to be whirled into the story as you call for Rasputin to join you and breathe with everyone all around you. Perhaps, it is all of these things, and the final match of the actors’ brilliant performances to light the fuse.
Against all odds, Death of Rasputin puts on a full immersive performance in its sauna space. Characters come together and part ways across three different spaces in the sauna, each with different features and interactive qualities only available in this kind of location. As an audience member, one cannot witness the whole experience in one visit. But, as with other immersive performances, must make choices as to where they wish to go, which character’s story they wish to see, and how they wish to take in the experience. You can stay with one character for the entire journey, switch tracks mid-way, or simply wander to your satisfaction. Remarkably, the space isn’t transformed for Death of Rasputin as with other immersive productions, but instead Death of Rasputin transforms the space. The show turns ice plunge baths into baptism pools, showers into blessings, and the steam of a sauna into an occult sacrament. The spa’s music and lights, usually reserved for soothing music and calming light experiences, lend themselves instead to serve as the backdrop for arcane rituals. It’s incredible how quickly everything around you shifts in service of the fantasy.
And, most importantly, Death of Rasputin in the Othership sauna, brings to life what I call that immersive theater thing, that moment when you get shivers up your spine because you’re inhaling strangely scented air, your body is transformed in some integral way, and the whole world has shifted, because perhapsGrigori Rasputin will reach a hand out to you and tell you that he dreamed about you last night, and what a wonder that you have arrived here with him. And it is, in that moment, the most wondrous of things.
For those who have seen Death of Rasputin before, aside from the obvious, there is much new to explore in this sauna version. The story to me feels much more eerie and mystical this time around, all the characters transforming into slightly more serious, perhaps darker, versions of themselves. This world of Death of Rasputin is more constantly steeped in ritual and magic than its former incarnations have been. And it’s honestly one of my favorite versions of the show. I love a fairy tale unfolding itself in an immersive performance, something that feels constantly drenched in an otherworldliness that cannot be otherwise achieved in life. And Death of Rasputin in the sauna delivered on this in spades. Additionally, though some scenes return from other versions, there’s plenty of new material to keep you riveted and give you that much more insight into the characters you already know and love.
Fantastically, though there’s a darker tone to Death of Rasputin at Othership, there’s still this delightful, brimming, powerful love that cascades from the show. Matching not just its literal space but the metaphorical spirit of a sauna designed for wellness, Death of Rasputin seamlessly incorporates elements of breathwork, meditation, and reflection into its performance this time. For me, notable moments of this include the priest Iliodor, played by Louis Butelli, encouraging you to confess your sins and find forgiveness, and Rasputin’s acolyte, the witch-like figure Lohktina, played by Andrea Murillo, taking you into a searing sauna and leading you through a series of chants that include notions such as, “I feel my feelings deeply.” The show is remarkably deft in its incorporation of these moments — leading you into them as part of the story and never feeling cheesy or heavy-handed. Within the sexiness, darkness, and seduction of the performance, there was a beautiful thread of light that resonated with themes of connection and self-acceptance.
Finally, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Death of Rasputin has a wonderful communal vision of what immersive theater should be. Special moments of connection were shared with many individuals: a look, a touch, a whisper. And anyone who wanted to be pulled more deeply into the show was given the chance to do so. Beyond this, the space for this performance invited a wide range of individuals to attend — Death of Rasputin fans, Othership spa members, and people who had just wandered in. After the performance was complete, the show also offered time in the sauna for everyone to connect and discuss what they’d just seen, regardless of what had first brought them there. And the result was a buzzing, lively formation of a brand new community. And that’s the most beautiful magic of all.
Death of Rasputin‘s performances at the Othership sauna runs twice more, on January 20 and 26. Tickets are available now. The show runs for about an hour and is followed by another hour of unstructured time at the Othership sauna. The performance stars the incredible Ginger Kearns as Katya, Zina Zinchenko as the Tsarina, Jake Ryan Lozano as Rasputin, Louis Butelli as Iliodor, and Andrea Murillo as Lokhtina. And trust me, this shines, delviering mesmerizing performances in an unconventional setting.
In short, don’t miss out on immersive theater in the sauna. You’ll be sorry if you do.