Hand to God vs. Something Rotten vs. Sleep No More

Heading to NYC in late April with the husband, and we're already booked to see Fun Home, Hedwig, and Curious Incident. I have one more slot for a show, and it will be the only thing I get to see for a year or more. Interested in your thoughts.

Originally I was planning on Sleep No More, because it sounds like a really different experience, and I was led to believe it's closing soon. My concerns are whether or not it will actually fill an evening, and if the actors interact with the audience (a big source of anxiety for my husband). We tend to appreciate different and interesting experiences more than conventional ones.

When Hand to God started getting such great preview feedback, I wondered if I should see that instead. We tend to go for dark comedies and don't get offended by controversial topics as long as they are handled smartly.

But when the Something Rotten preview feedback started up, I thought we might be missing the big hit of the season. I have concerns we won't like it, though. Although we both enjoyed Book of Mormon and Avenue Q, we really didn't like Spamalot, in spite of being Monty Python fans. Humor which seems easy / obvious / slapstick really does not work for us. Just a personal thing, not a judgment.

Help!

Originally I was planning on Sleep No More, because it sounds like a really different experience, and I was led to believe it's closing soon.

Did you actually read/hear this somewhere, or are you just going by the "Booking only through May 31, 2015" on their website? Because they always have something like that on their site, but if the show is indeed closing, I'd like to go before that happens.

/threadjack

I haven't seen Sleep No More, but given what you mentioned, I'd go with Hand to God. I'll admit that I didn't like Something Rotten very much, but I think even fans of the show would agree that if you don't like schticky/obvious humor then it isn't for you.

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I can only speak about Sleep No More, which I saw this January and it was an amazing and unique experience, that I enjoyed immensely !

Oh, also #2 Sleep no More has performances on Mondays, a day when most other theaters are dark !

Updated On: 3/27/15 at 05:33 PM

...and if the actors interact with the audience (a big source of anxiety for my husband)

I would not bring your husband to Sleep No More.

If your husband doesn't like audience interaction, don't go to Sleep No More. It's brilliant, but the actors do get in your face (sometimes literally). I would pick Hand to God, personally, but I will also openly admit that I didn't really care for Something Rotten. I adored Hand to God though, and it sounds like you guys would too based on what you said and the other things you're seeing on your trip.

I've seen all three - Sleep No More five times, Something Rotten! once, and Hand to God twice (and going a third time next week). Hand to God gets my vote!

Updated On: 3/27/15 at 11:47 PM

Your husband will have absolutely no such problem in Sleep No More. The whole audience wears masks and they just follow the actors, you choose which of the different actions going on to follow. There is no stage, except in the end and there is no audience interaction there. The whole thing is in a big old Hotel with a few floors and you are free to go wherever you want. I don't recall any single viewer being the centre of attention or singled out for all to see, at any point! It is a truly incredible experience!

Updated On: 3/28/15 at 05:30 AM

Your hubby won't have any problems at Sleep No More. *spoilers for SNM follow* The closest thing to a public one-on-one that I saw happens in the "dark" Manderley bar (you enter into the "light" Manderley bar, but there is a replica bar on another floor). At one point Hecate (gorgeous redhead in a long red evening gown) comes in, delicately eats a bloody steak in a spotlight, catches the eye of someone in the crowd, then beckons them forward. She spits out a ring and places it on the person's finger. (I know this sounds gross, but it was super cool, because it happened to me.) One of my friends got a private one-on-one with Hecate, who drew her into a little tearoom and read her tea leaves. The water turned blood red and Hecate floated a little paper boat on top of it, and my friend got to keep the boat. Get a 7pm time slot - more and more audience members pile in throughout the night, so it gets more crowded and harder to see things as the night goes on. The top floor is cool, but not much happens plot-wise up there. Remember that there are also characters from Rebecca wandering around, as well as Macbeth. Definitely read a SparkNotes synopsis of Macbeth and Rebecca before you go - not necessary, but it helps. If you end up liking it, also try Then She Fell, which is a much more intimate piece of immersive theater - it's almost all one-on-ones.

OK, I'm officially sold on both. Now to just figure out how to fit them both in.
Thanks to everyone for your advice.

The OP should avoid THEN SHE FELL like the plague-- it's EXACTLY the nightmare show his husband would clearly hate. We waited months and months to finally get a booking at THEN SHE FELL after loving SLEEP NO MORE so much. An amateurish wanna-be of a show with the most excruciating fake one-on-one vibe imaginable as far as we were concerned. (And yeah, I know we're in the minority on this view.)

Following up to thank everyone for their feedback.

Along with Fun Home, Curious Incident, and Hedwig, we managed to squeeze in both Hand to God and Sleep No More, as well.

Sleep No More was mind-bending. Still trying to take it all in days later, and I've been busy reading up on the details and all the bits I missed. I keep learning more about the scenes I encountered and wishing I could go right back and visit it again. Didn't get any 1-1s, but I did have a semi-personal encounter with the Porter in his office which was great. Also, the show was just right for my husband: no stress issues at all. Loved it!

And Hand to God... wow, that was phenomenal. I've never laughed so much at any show in my life, but it wasn't just a shallow comedy either. I'm replaying the scenes in my head, and I hope I get to catch it again on a future trip. The actors were great all around, but Stephen Boyer gave what is probably my favorite performance ever.

Thanks to everyone who helped me plan this trip.