![]() ![]() It’s what theater teachers like my wife call “Experiential Theater.” The way she explains it, it’s theater that exists as an event. Sleep No More is not the traditional kind of theater- there is no proscenium, no stage, no seats, and only one platform. Going from the general to the specific, I’m going to talk a bit about what the show is, then describe the experience a bit, and then offer some tips for people who have never gone before. I will provide a basic outline of the production, and give you an insight into what I experienced, but I would urge you to see the show yourself without any preconceptions, so if you want to keep the mystery going that surrounds this production, I suggest you stop reading…Īlright, if you’ve chosen to keep reading, that means you want to know more, so more I shall give you. ![]() WARNING: this is a production where, the less you know about it, the better your experience will be. It was scary, interactive, exciting, clever, sexy, and even a little disturbing, but without a doubt it was incredible, original, and true Shakespearean theater.īefore you read the review though, a word of caution. Experience it for yourself.This was without a doubt, the most incredible theater experience I’ve ever had. However, if pressed, I believe that it is equal parts art at its most tragically beautiful, terrror within its strongest and wildest grip, and absolute pure, unadulterated imagination. So what exactly is Sleep No More? That answer is quite complicated, because it can mean so many things to so many different people, quite dependent on the paths chosen and the mindset possessed during the experience itself. culminating in what can only be described as the most surreal moment ever offered by the performing arts. One never knows what to expect at the McKittrick Hotel. ranging from an elegant dance in a ballroom, to bizarre rituals and bloody baths. The scenes that may be viewed are completely invigorating. However, do not fear, because all other forms of communication and investigative methods are highly encouraged, including touching props, digging through file cabinets, or sampling gumdrops in the candy store. This proves much more difficult than it seems, for in each new zig and zag in this plot based on a twisted Macbeth, it is often almost painful not to ask questions, or to share a secret that was whispered in the forest maze. Try as one might to make this a group effort, it is nearly impossible, as each guest must don a mask upon entering, as well as stumble through this massive labyrinth. Sleep No More takes each visitor on his own private journey through nearly one hundred rooms and scenes, all offering choices and scenarios that can either be followed, or discarded for a more interesting development in the next hidden space. ![]() What comes next is a myriad of forbidden fantasies, spread as deliciously as any buffet, with temptations around every corner, down every darkened hallway, and hidden in every night stand drawer. The "hotel guests" are then sent into the now famous Manderley Bar, where a beautifully re-created lounge scene is in full swing, with libations available for purchse, before your numbered card is called, and you begin, well. You are immediately ushered to something eerily reminescent of a hotel check-in, at which point you are given a playing card to symbolize your "room key". Rising into the night, whispered promises of the macabre float through the air like autumn leaves. 27th Street, in New York City's neighborhood of Chelsea, the building itself is foreboding, to say the least. Housed in the eccentric McKittrick Hotel at 530 W. but I will tell you this: it is brilliant. The enigma that is Sleep No More can not be personified with mere words. I am even perplexed by the pieces that fall in between.
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