Feeling my way through the darkness. Transfixed, horrified, and oddly inspired. Lost yet mesmerized by the controlled chaos unfurling all around.
These were just the few set of feelings that swept through me as I finally got to walk and run through the Sleep No More show, nearly 11 years after it debuted. Yes, I absolutely loved it. And I am sure my thoughts aren’t that novel or new, yet I wanted to write out exactly what transfixed me and how it may relate to the 2022 experience that I (and perhaps man others) live in today.
(A few notes from me before I continue for those curious:
- All I had known about the show was that as a guest, I was to wear a mask and follow scenes around at my own pace in this hotel. I also remembered that it was inspired by Macbeth.
- Wasn’t aware of who the characters were in this story at the outset. It took me about until a major scene about 30 minutes in with all the characters that I started to make connections. I also wasn’t aware about the one-on-one sessions.
- And no direct spoilers although there will be some moments from the show I will vaguely reference! May do a spoiler blog someday later on…)
Don’t Look Away
There was a moment during my runthrough of the show in the 2nd hour where I had lost the original character I had been chasing. Suddenly, I found a new character roaming a foggy alleyway with a small yet engaged crowd around her. She suddenly quickly left with this 10–15 people chasing after her. I thought to myself, ‘why the hell not?’ and bolted after them. I thought I had lost them though as I was in a dark hallway where I couldn’t see anything except the two walls around me. I stopped for a moment before another guest ran into me who was also attempting to figure out how to find this character. Motioning sorry in the darkness to where I thought the other person was (which was pretty foolish in retrospect), I pushed forward and was met by one of the most mysterious rooms I saw in the entire show.
I was so transfixed by what was going on and couldn’t look away. The music; the lights; the fog/set pieces. I stared into the eyes of the actress as she acted, and our eyes locked at one point, tears streaming down her face. In my mind, I was reeling with ideas, trying to connect what was going on; who this character was; and why she was looking at me. Soon after, as the actress was walking away, she pointed at me. And I looked around, dumbfounded. I had to literally point to myself and cocked my masked head to the side in confusion. She nodded her head, came over, and grabbed my hand to take me to a haunting and surprising one-on-one session.
I recount this particular moment of my experience because one - it still resonates with me so deeply on one of the many, many surprises this show has to offer. And two — as I look back on this scene, I thought about how present and alive I was throughout the experience. The show definitely sets the stage for this by practicing both commonly used and more out-of-the-box aspects.
- One, like some concerts, your phone is locked in a small pouch.
- Two, once you enter the show section, you aren’t allowed to talk and should be wearing your mask at all times. This makes you feel isolated yet integrated as a strange purveyor of what is transpiring.
- Three, you are immersed in the show itself where you are super close to the actors and can possibly interact with them if they indicate so (and not paying attention makes you miss cues on where characters may be headed or details that may help you better understand a scene).
Your Unique Story
Some may counter that movies, concerts, and theater give similar experiences, which is mostly true to varying degrees. Yet rarely have I felt my attention so integral to what is going in a creative sense. Perhaps a better comparison is a haunted house ala Universal Horror Nights or a superb queue experience like the Indiana Jones Adventure ride or even an Escape Room, but Sleep No More integrates all these experiences into a creative one that challenges you to follow and piece together like a detective and never telling you the answer even after it is over.
In the present-day society which demands so much of our attention from all over, it’s such a refreshing experience and one that can be so different for every individual. The bar that you start at and end at is such a great place to listen in and trade stories. With the 100 rooms and multiple stories going at once, no individual will experience everything other than the dedicated, repeat participant. Someone had a splatter of fake blood on their mask and was asking around to see if they had something to wipe it off. Another individual was recounting an infamous and scandalous scene that I had completely missed. And I was asking around about my strange one-on-one experience and received some clues as to what had happened from a veteran of the show experience, who was literally cosplaying as one of the characters. It reminded me of being a student in London, recounting stories with others at a pub all night long.
Existentialism vs. Destiny
Finally, what of the story itself? As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, I went into the experience pretty blind to what was going on and much like many do nowadays, looked up all the analysis and discussions to see what people thought and compare it with my thoughts. A bad force of habit of the current instant feedback loop age for sure, but I did enjoy getting super fascinating interpretations of the experience and really reading between the lines — whether intentional or not.
For me, it was a story really about the philosophies of predestination and existentialism battling one another throughout the story. Of course, I believe the story and some of its source material is slanted towards one part of this battle but creates this interesting push-and-pull experience throughout and is reinforced by its music/set pieces; the walk through the hotel itself the minute you step inside and show your ticket; and the structure of the story and its characters actions.
In particular, I love the concept of the masks and how it’s so cleverly integrated into the themes of the show and the characters themselves. You are given purpose in this prewritten narrative and although are expected in the story, you also give the story an unexpected edge to tweak certain aspects. (If you ever played the Final Fantasy VII Remake game and think of the ghosts in that story, it has some interesting resemblances to what you go through as an audience member while being given more autonomy in the show.)
There And Back Again
Sleep No More is definitely an experience like no other, and although admittedly not for everyone (might not be your jam if you don’t enjoy modern dance / abstract plotlines / lots of running around), it made such an indelible impact on my life and creative outlook. What a wonderful amalgamation of so many different influences and styles that oddly work so magically together. I can’t wait to go back down the rabbit hole soon as another ghostly visitor to the Mckittrick Hotel…
