An Inside Look: BATSU! (New York City)
Last week, I went to BATSU in Manhattan’s East Village for a second time! And if you have no idea what that is, you’re in for a fun surprise. In this show, some of the city’s coolest improvisers compete in hilarious challenges in order to avoid “batsu”, which happens to be the Japanese word for “punishment”.
At a Glance
🗺️ Location: New York City, USA
📍 Venue: BATSU!➝
📅 Dates: Currently Running
🎭 Type of Show: Interactive
🌐 Language: English
⏰ Runtime: 2 hours
About BATSU! in NYC
The BATSU! experience begins before you even enter the space. The theatre itself is quaintly hidden in the East Village (one of my favorite parts of NYC), only to be found by one simple lantern and a doorman. You would never know that such a huge bundle of fun awaits you on the other side of that door.
Upon entering, we were led to the communal tables where you can choose to order some food. And we of course ordered a bit of sushi to get in the mood. The night started off with some light entertainment and dancers on stage. And soon it was time to begin!
BATSU! itself is basically a live version of a Japanese game show. The games officially opened after the sounding of the gong. And it was then that we met our four competitors. The night was full of so many fun challenges for them – some party games and some general improv games. And whoever lost each one, got … you guessed it! BATSU!
If you’re at all confused by the photo above, that’s just one of the punishments. In this particular punishment, an angry pirate comes onstage and mops the faces of the “losers”.
Curious about what some of the other punishments are? Well, I don’t want to give away too much because the constant surprise is half of the fun! But I will say that there’s also the huge balloon, the body sushi, the beer chugging, the chicken, and the naughty ballerina.
There are even more fun surprises that happen throughout the night! One of my favorite parts was the sake ninja! If you choose to buy one of the BATSU! headbands (and actually wear it), the sake ninja will be secretly visiting your table to refill your sake from time to time. And I would definitely recommend splurging on this, because it’s so fun to be a part of all of the social drinking. “KANPAI!!”
The host was awesome, the staff was incredible, and the improvisers were hilarious! We were smiling and laughing from start to finish, along with everyone around us. The effort that has been put into this show is unbelievable, and it’s definitely a “must-experience in NYC”. Next time you’re in the city, I can definitely recommend booking tickets for BATSU!
What to Know Before You Go
• Although BATSU! is interactive, you don’t have to take part if you don’t want to. Anyone who participates signs a waiver and volunteers to be part of the show, and you can even win free beer and prizes! If you’d rather just sit back and watch, you can absolutely do that!
• You can order food and drink during the show if you’d like to, but this isn’t included in the ticket price and there is no minimum order.
* The featured image is by @nybucketlist.
* A special thanks to BATSU! for the invitation to the show!
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Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip and the author of The Thespian’s Bucket List. She is also the creator of The Cast Album List. Her background includes a BA in Theatre, a TESOL Drama certificate, and professional experience in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
