I suppose I should post a few words on the Sleep No More Remixed performance last night, although honestly my mind is mostly trying to wrap itself around the fact I’m flying to London tomorrow, which also impacted my mental state for last night’s show. I also spent way too many hours in a real cemetery over the weekend doing some research for the tour I’m giving soon… but I digress.
For those who read this tumblr for the literary posts or are real life friends who I haven’t harassed with this information: Sleep No More is the immersive theatrical performance currently running in New York based on Macbeth. The Remixed performance last night was a special event only for returning “guests” (you see, the venue is called the “McKittrick Hotel” so you’re a guest rather than an audience member).
My expectations were middling for Remixed and I distinctly remember saying to the friend I was meeting there that they “would probably just change the soundtrack.” I mean, these are performers and staff who just did a double Saturday show, and they have to get ready for the following day, so learning new tracks or making complicated changes to the set would have been impossible. So it wasn’t too surprising when I heard “November Rain” suddenly playing from the ballroom. This just happened to coincide with the first time I’d ever decided to see what the Mrs. Danvers character does, which is not go to the ballroom with the rest of the characters, so I’m not sure what the reaction was to the sudden strains of Axl Rose’s voice over the ominous scene.
The night continued with 80s or recent film music replacing the usual swells of 40s and 50s jazz and Hitchcock soundtracks. Some of this was highly enjoyable, including the Boy Witch’s “Diamonds are Forever” and “Cool” in the Boy Witch’s speakeasy freak out. (I promise I did more than just follow the Boy Witch, those are just what stand out to me.) Other choices were odder and seemed a little too out there, like the Jurassic Park theme when the nurses meet in the woods, or R. Kelly’s “Bump N Grind” between the Speakeasy Bartender and the Sexy Witch (yes, really).
The other changes in the evening involved the cast, with different dancers rotating into the parts. I only saw the Hecate transformation, where she basically went in the door of her secret room and came out as a different person. (I usually hate the hanging-out-in-front-of-Hecate’s-room crowd, but I got a bit trapped in a corner at this point.) This was great, as one of the things I love about Sleep No More and what makes it a continued draw is the way different people inhabit the same spirits of the characters.
Since they were getting everyone into the hotel quickly, there was a crowd right from the start that didn’t let up. I’ve been enough times that I didn’t feel the need to fight the crowd, so instead I was just a background lurker, peering around corners or watching from the balcony. I actually did move around more than usual, though, as I was curious about the music changes. Usually I follow the Taxidermist, Porter, or Boy Witch because I like the tortured types. I did take a break in the Manderlay Bar, though, as my knees are still not what they used to be, and there was a great solo vocal performance by one of the sultry male hosts.
I’ve read some reactions this morning about the unruliness of the crowd, which I saw some of. To the people dancing in the middle of the ballroom scene: it’s not about you…. And the desperation for contact with the actors, through the 1-on-1’s or even just a brief touch was a bit distasteful. Again, it’s not about you. I’ve always viewed the Sleep No More experience as being a ghost to these people who are trapped in the most horrible moments of their lives. You’re haunting them, you are a brief specter appearing for the evening and these things will happen the next night, and happened the night before, without you at the center of them. Yes, it’s wonderful when you have those personal moments and I know that they’ve definitely cemented my love for the show, but it’s not the reason for going.
Oh wait, did I say a “few words”? You know that brevity is not my strength. But I wanted to write something, as I’ve posted on my blog about Sleep No More somewhat extensively and know some people were asking about my reaction. For the record, this was visit number nine, and ten is already booked for May. I may be finished after that. Every time I go I’m hoping for a little of the same thrill of the first visit back in April 2011, of the unknowable, and while there are glimmers of discovery each time, I know I won’t have that experience again. Perhaps much of the disappointment of last night’s crowd, all returning guests, was that we as a collective are all seeking that surprise that has been lost, that pound of our hearts when we first first walked through the dark tunnel to the Manderlay not knowing what to expect and that shock of losing ourselves in this dark world.
