![]() At first I was hesitant to touch the different elements of the set. Audience members are encouraged to interact with the props. Ranging in theme from sweet shop to graveyard, they drown every one of your senses. The rooms are both intricate and diverse. While I was more than happy to stop and watch a scene being performed, I was happier still when roaming the rooms on my own, without anyone to distract me from the immense amount of detail and sensory information to absorb. The performers are universally charismatic and compelling however they aren't the only stars of the production. I didn’t hear any sound uttered, but the intent of various scenes came across clearly none the less, though various forms of physicality. Actors (although it might be more appropriate to call them dancers) roam the floors enacting scenes in various spots throughout the course of the evening, loosely following the path of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as they go. The production itself encompasses six floors and one hundred rooms which audience members are encourage to explore at their own pace. There are two distinct parts of Sleep No More: the physical production, and the personal experience, and both are apt reasons to attend. What this production doesn’t have becomes quickly irrelevant though, because what it does offer is an intricately designed, impeccably executed alternate reality for its audience to step into. I like fourth walls and assigned seating and personal space, and Sleep No More has none of these things. I like words and plots and structured scripts. From what I read ahead of time, I wasn’t sure it was going to be my thing phrases such as “performance art” and “non-verbal acting” made me quite nervous. I had done quite a bit of research on the production before biting the bullet and making the trek out to Chelsea to see it (for me, anything west of 10th Avenue is a trek). Part themepark, part Shakespeare, Sleep No More is completely immersive theater everyone should experience once.įor quite a few reasons, I almost missed the British theatre company Punchdrunk’s New York installment of Sleep No More. As masks have since become an everyday part of our lives, this year, audience members will still receive masks for the performance, however, they’ll be worn atop KN95 masks that will also be handed out prior to the start of the show.*Check out the Theasy Guide to Sleep No More for helpful tips before you see the showīOTTOM LINE: Unlike any theatrical experience you've ever had. Pre-pandemic, guests would receive a mask upon arrival that they were to wear throughout the show. In this film noir adaptation, audiences are encouraged to create their own journey for an unforgettable evening that’s equal parts macabre and intoxicating. Instead of having the traditional divide between the stage and audience, Sleep No More is a living piece that invites the audience to immersive themselves in the story. However, this unforgettable theater experience will officially return to NYC come Valentine’s Day. The alluring and immersive telling of Shakespeare’s MacBeth tried to comeback earlier last fall, but remained shutdown due to the Delta variant. Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More had sadly closed down along with all the other theaters in March 2020. ![]() Sleep No More finally returns to the McKittrick Hotel this month.
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