Sleep No More

On Wednesday, we went to Sleep No More.

What an experience. I'll just paste my review here so I don't have to retype all about it:

Excellent, bizarre, intricate, eerie, beautiful.

I will not give too much away beyond the basic procedures since it is definitely nice going in without too much knowledge of what to expect. I strongly suggest that you go if you like theater, dance, film noir, Shakespeare, immersive experiences (haunted houses are a joke compared to this). The tickets might seem a bit steep, but it will probably be like something you have never experienced before (and it spans several hours).

Our tickets were for 7:20 entrance time, but there was a line to get in. A group of girls were asked by the bouncer to get stamped before they got on line and they thought they were about to skip the whole line, to which the bouncer said: go to the back of the line, this isn't a club. Awesome.

Once inside, you can check your belongings, but that means standing on line at the beginning and at the end. I suggest you bring nothing besides ID and maybe some cash for a drink.

Then you check in, get your tickets, and are directed to the bar. The bar is gorgeously done. The bathrooms are super slick and modern (this space was previously Home + GuestHouse). The host at the bar is quite charming and calls guests up to begin the experience.

Once inside, you are greeted by Constance, are given masks ('completely adjustable with the plastic things,' thanks Constance), and instructions (no cell phones, no talking, there are guards along the way to keep you safe).

Then you are set free and told 'fortune favors the bold.' So be bold.

The sets are incredible and can be quite spooky. The actors/ dancers are amazing, graceful, and in excellent shape. The choreography is powerful, I'm surprised that the actors are not all banged up - some of the fight scenes look quite real. The finale was CRAZY. I was a bit disappointed that the actors and crew didn't get a round of applause at the end though, there really was no way of showing our appreciation.

There is some nudity. One of the actresses bares her chest (woo woo -as Chris Rock says about Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction: 20 year-old titty, community titty; 40 year-old titty, your man's titty.) One of the actors shows his peen... wamp wamp.

Some tips:
- Definitely brush up on Macbeth. Though I read it a while ago, I was a bit lost at times.
- Wear the most comfortable shoes you can. Really. We walked a lot, back and forth, up and down. Do not wear $500 Louis Vuitton loafers, they might get dirty, wet, and/or worn down from so much walking (yeah a guy in front of us was wearing a pair).
- Wear deodorant/antiperspirant. You are walking a lot and it gets warm in there, especially not that it is heating up. Please spare others from your stench.
- Drinking lots of water or have gum handy (some people had foul breath). There is a bathroom in the bar area and somewhere else in the space.
- The masks are meant to make you anonymous - it definitely works and makes it a bit creepy. Your face will get sweaty though.
- If you go with someone and do not want to separate, it is possible, and might not take away from your experience, but just know that at some point or another, you will have to lead or follow. I went with my girlfriend and she followed me most of the time, but I still had to look back to make sure she was keeping up. Despite my best efforts, I lost her at one point. If that happens, don't worry, you'll find each other.
- Shows were recently extended through the end of June.