Review: Sleep No More

At my roommate's suggestion, I went and saw Sleep No More. It was FANTASTIC. 

If you're going to be in NYC any time soon, I highly recommend it. It's a show, but so much more than a show. 

Located in Chelsea, the building it's housed in is a bit unassuming. The only sign that something more lurks within is a small plaque designating the space "The McKittrick Hotel". 

When the bouncer finally opens the door, you're ushered inside and (for $3) must check any bags or purses you have with you. You're given a gothic playing card - your hotel key, and then must walk blindly in the dark up the stairs to the in-house bar. 

Try the absinthe punch; you won't be disappointed. The champagne is also excellent. 

You're called into the main part of the "hotel" by your cards - aces go first, at least the night I went. You're given a mask and very minimal instructions:

1. Keep the mask on at all times. 
2. Don't speak. Do not speak. DO NOT SPEAK. 
3. Don't touch the actors, although the actors may touch you. 
4. The people wearing black masks are here to help you, but not to guide you. 
5. Fortune favors the bold. 

From there, the show unfolds itself into a 1920's murder-mystery scavenger-hunt choose-your-own-adventure ballet version of Macbeth. 

Characters act out a scene - usually in groups of two, but sometimes in larger groups and sometimes by themselves. They'll dance for a while, and then quickly break apart, running to opposite ends of the room. Choose one and follow, and get swept up in a different part of the show. 

The masks are ingenious - everyone truly is anonymous. You can get right in the actor's faces, get right behind them and witness as they writhe and dance and murder. And oh yes, there is murder. Perhaps the most effective part of the entire show is the silent commentary - here are people plotting and fucking and murdering each other, and we, a mob in white masks, stand by silent and approving. We want to see more. We touch the pillows the smothered a human being. We rifle through drawers, trying to find secret notes. Horrible, horrible things are happening, and we, the hungry audience, want more. 

When the show finally ends (and believe me, you'll know), you're welcomed back in the bar. Masks come off. People laugh and joke and drink too much champagne. A lounge singer serenades you with a low, sultry voice. The lights are back on. 

My tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes. No, really. Wear the most comfortable shoes you own. It's dark, you'll be running, and you'll be too busy exploring to care what you wearing on your feet as long as they're comfortable. 
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It can be very hot, and you'll be climbing up and down 5 flights of stairs. 
• Go to the early check in time. It will give you close to an hour longer in the hotel with less people trying to see the same scene. 
• Bring an open mind. Most of the scenes repeat themselves, so don't worry about missing out. Open jars. Have a drink. Sit down. Read a letter. Get in the way. Lurk in the shadows. 
• If you do feel lost, hang out near one of the stairwells. Chances are a character will be running through the doorway very soon, and you can go along for the ride.
• Have fun. If a scene is boring you, move on. Go bar the bar for a drink, and return when you feel comfortable. It truly is choose your own adventure, so take advantage of it. 

Tuesday 2.0

This post was taken from my Ireland Travel blog: britandsadiegotoireland.tumblr.com

Hooooo boy…today was a fun busy day!

So, after getting all ready this morning, we bussed back into the city center. After grabbing a pastry for breakfast, we hopped on the tour bus and were on our way.

Our first stop was the National Gallery. LOTS of paintings. Unfortunately, the keynote piece, Caravaggio’s Taking of Christ, was on loan to Rome, and we couldn’t justify flying out to Rome (well, we tried…who needs spring semester anyway?). At any rate, it had a lot of neat art and a few statues, a great Irish art section, and lots of very old depictions of Christ.

The second stop was Trinity College. Sadie and Brittney are now enrolled. Okay, maybe not, but we wish! The college is absolutely beautiful! We walked around for a good while, and then went to go see the Book of Kells. We almost didn’t go, since there was a hefty entrance fee, but after learning it also included the library tour, we gave it a go. BEST DECISION OF THE DAY. The book of Kells was neat, and the tour had a lot of old books and some grave markers (that you could touch!), but the best part was the Long Hall library. It gave us chills. It was absolutely gorgeous, and neither of us wanted to leave.

Stop three was Nassau St and Grafton St. Nassau St is kind of like the Irish artists’ lane…lots of fun little shops, which everything Irish. Grafton St is your very posh, upclass shopping. We went into a store called Brown and something, and omigosh, did we ever feel out of place. The first 2 levels were normal enough…kind of like Macy’s, or Saks 5th Avenue. However, the 3rd floor, well, floored us. Vera Wang wedding dresses, a bath shaped like a stiletto heel, and A HOT WATER BOTTLE COVERED IN ALPACA FUR. We pretty much ran out of the store at that point.

At this point, we grabbed lunch at a cute little cafe and hopped back on the bus.

Stop four was the Christ Church Cathedral. We originally picked this over St. Patrick’s because we though there was no entrance fee, but there was a small one. Oh well. Best part was at the beginning where, upon learning there was a fee, Brit swore “God dammit!”…in the cathedral. Luckily, no lightning bolts hit us or anything. It was a lot of fun…Sadie was a bit creeped out, but Brit loved it and dragged Sadie through the entire place. The Cathedral itself was pretty neat (lots of pretty architecture), but the real highlight was the crypt. Old graves, grave markers, costumes from the Tudors, and neat stonework.

Unfortunately, by the time we got done with that and got on the bus, the last Guinness tour had just ended. So that’ll be tomorrow. However, we rode the bus back into the city center and caught a showing of Alice in Wonderland at the Savoy Theatre. The movie was okay but the theatre was gorgeous! It was probably the original theatre, going back to when people actually dressed up and movies were silent. It had a red velvet curtain that actually covered the screen until the movie started. In a word, classy.

After the movie, we grabbed dinner at Cassidy’s. Unbeknown to us, it was famous! Bill Clinton ate here a while back…which apparently makes it famous :P At any rate, it had great food, a great atmosphere, and a really good bartender who served Brit up her first Irish Guinness (she decided she couldn’t wait for the factory this time).

And now we’re back at the hotel! Tomorrow’s plans include the Museum of History, the Museum of Modern Art, St. Stephan’s Green, and the Guinness Factory.

Cheers,

Brit and Sadie