Anne Imhof Unveils ‘Doom: House of Hope’ at Park Avenue Armory

Wherefore art thou Romeo? Anne Imhof’s new performance piece “Doom: House of Hope,” lets several Romeos answer — and leaves audiences to untangle their own “why” during the three-hour runtime. Shakespearean characters, rendered in a stark aesthetic, appear in vignettes throughout the Park Avenue Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall, outfitted with a fleet of black SUVs parked throughout the hazy space. Early on, Romeo appears in the back of a black Cadillac pickup truck, imbibing a shot alongside Juliet, while another Romeo gets tattooed atop the neighboring SUV. Other cast members — Mercutios, Benvolios, Tybalts, dancers and other creatives — climb on and into other cars around the room, where performers hold extended dance poses, smoke and read aloud from their cell phone screens.  The show opens with a “funeral march” for Romeo and Juliet as the ensemble cast advances toward the audience, waiting behind barricades. Once removed, guests are left to wander around the room and find their own positions to take in the performance. A jumbotron in the middle of the space announces how much time remains, ticking down from three hours in red numbers. But “Doom” isn’t about presenting audiences a pared-down Gen Z rendition of “Romeo & Juliet,” even though

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