“Sleep No More” (McKittrick Hotel in Chelsea, NYC)
One of my major Bucket List NYC items that I wanted to check off before leaving for the West Coast was somehow securing tickets to “Sleep No More,” an interactive play based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I first heard about the production from a co-worker who had experienced it for herself and I soon became even more intrigued as I read reviews in the Metro and on Yelp. Priced at $75, I had second thoughts about buying tickets, but ultimately decided to cough up the cash and see what all the hype is about. The verdict: Worth every penny.
I trekked to the Chelsea area on the West Side and met up with my good friend Avi at the McKittrick Hotel (the same venue where the popular “Blood Manor” haunted house is set up every October). We found our place in line and headed into the dark entrance shortly after our assigned 7:30pm time. We followed the sound of music through a dark hallway and ended up in a swag bar, where the ambience felt as if we were in the 1600’s. Unfortunately, we had to pay 2011 prices for drinks! From the moment we walked in, everyone was in character from the host to the waitresses to the bartenders. Even the bathroom had some old school soap next to the sink. Great way to start the “show.”
After chugging our strong mixed beverages, our cohort was called and about a dozen of us were ushered into a small elevator, where everyone was given “Venetian-style”/Scream masks (see above) to distinguish ourselves from the actors in the play. We were taken to the 4th floor, not knowing exactly what to expect when the elevator door opened.
From top to bottom, the entire hotel was set up like a old European town (not that I know what a typical old English town would look like, but you get the idea). Keep in mind that the last time I read “Macbeth” was way back in high school and even then I was using Spark Notes. While it would help, it didn’t seem to matter. Equipped with our white masks, we were free to wander throughout dungeons, cemeteries, bed rooms, infirmaries, town shops and more as the characters were acting around us. You could shuffle through old letters from Macbeth, open drawers and look at old books, or even grab a handful of candy in the candy shop located in town. This was the best part of the experience: this play was a “Choose Your Own Adventure” kinda thing, where you could choose to follow whichever character you wanted as they were dispersed throughout the four floors of the makeshift world. As an end result, everyone has their own individual and unique experience.
While I’ve read that some people choose to follow a single character to better understand the flow of the story, I thought it was a better idea to bounce from actor to actor according to how I felt seemed interesting at the moment. At times, I would hear dramatic music playing in the distance and I would over run over to see exactly what was going on. In one room, a man was writing a letter to his lover and you could actually look over his shoulder to see what he was writing on his typewriter. Being the jackass I am, I actually picked up one of the letters he was reading just to see if he would break character. No deuce!
Following Lady MacBeth was always an adventure - expect a lot of fake blood, nudity and choreographed intercourse. If you happen to go and don’t mind getting creeped out a little bit, be sure to check out the graveyard and infirmary.
This went on for about 2 hours or so, but since there was so much going on, the time seemed to fly by. The actors would run from room to room and chasing them down added more suspense. Eventually, all of the characters end up in the same place for a grand finale. I’d tell you more, but I think it would be more beneficial to actually go see it for yourself.
If you can somehow get tickets before the production ends on September 5th, follow my advice: go with a group of friends, drink a little beforehand and explore the hotel on your own. I found myself trying to weave through couples holding hands and making out. Not cool. If you ride solo and take your time to walk around and experience everything for yourself, you’ll have a lot to talk about with your friends at the bar afterwards when its all said and done.
