With minimum publicity, Punchdrunk, that astonishing exponent of “immersive” theatre, has unearthed another wondrous found space to wow us all over again with its unrivalled vision. In the echoing vaults of Tunnel 228 underneath Waterloo, director Felix Barrett once more asks persistent, unsettling, thrilling questions of his audience: how far into the unknown, into the dark, dare you venture?

More of an installation piece than recent Punchdrunk offerings, this draws on Fritz Lang’s classic film Metropolis to create a surreal underworld, which we explore wearing protective masks. A host of contemporary artists have provided weird and wonderful works — a coffin bursting with the stuffed heads of tiny tweeting birds, for example — and actors scuttle about but the best moments come when you find yourself far from performers and other audience members, left alone to react to the space. I didn’t realise I was afraid of the dark until I couldn’t muster the courage to enter one pitch‑black corner.
Exquisite, visceral theatre.

Tunnel 228 (until May 25)