530 West 27th Street
Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel is a remarkable, singular theater going experience. It’s often compared to a haunted house, which I suppose it is in format.
You enter and are left to explore several floors of darkened hallways and creepy stuff but this Macbeth performance is far more complex than your run of the mill scare tactics.
Everyone’s experience will differ. I personally spent a lot of time with the scenery – all of which you can interact with and in my case, accidentally thieve. (I was ushered out of a room with a prayer card on my hand).
There’s action happening all around but rather than closely follow this fellow masked audience members I kind of drifted in and out if the action. Sometimes I’d have neat moments alone with an actor but I also missed some things, but everyone does which is why if I had money I’d be going back for more.
Aside from impeccable, intriguing set design (the witches den, old hotel, and detective agency are particularly enthralling) the performance itself, consisting of a lot of interpretive dance can be amazing like a number featuring a pregnant woman on the top shelf of a book case and the big ballroom.
While one of the more intense scenes (trust me you’ll know it when you see it) would be most impressive to a 19 year old who’s really into David Lynch. If that sounds snarky, I once was a 19 year old really into David Lynch and it was a pretty great thing to be. I guess just different things affect me now (the first long dark hallway alone gave me the willies more than the sight of blood).
Since we needed to trade off babysitting duties Jim and I went alone the same night several hours apart. I think solo is a great way to experience this and the makers seem to agree as there are several attempts by them to break you apart from friends.
There’s so much to say about Sleep No More but it’s better to find out for yourself and then we will chat.
I’ll just say that it’s really fantastic and inventive so if anything I’ve written intregued you I highly suggest you buy a ticket today, right now! You might regret it if you miss this one!
But what do you think?