Sleep No More is AMAZING- Page 13

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 4:41pm

The rooms had so much detail I just had to, yes. I'm sure the performances were good, but up to this day I can't wrap my mind around some of those rooms.

Also the budget vs. profit makes no sense to me at all, if it really costs millions to put it allon, how can they make any money within the short time frame?

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 4:42pm

re FindingNamo, I accept that I had the right experience, but I'd really like to know if I saw ALL of the experience. (I assume the MORE I would have seen of their work the more RIGHT it would have to be, no?) So again, was there a floor ABOVE the hospital ward? What rooms were on it? And where was the duplicate bar with the Witches' Rave?

(You guys have no idea how much this has been bugging me since I saw the show a month ago. Even resorted to constructing my own recollections of the various groundplans of the hotel to figure out what I missed.)

So please answer so I can set my mania to rest. :)

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 5:06pm

Others who have seen it several times might be able to point out the right location, but I can say I almost miss a lot of rooms for following the instinct of not going places like behind counters, etc.

It was after an hour or so I realized I could go into any space unless someone stopped me from it. I discovered so much stuff then.

Updated On: 5/14/11 at 05:06 PM

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 5:49pm

Charles, as I understand it, *spoilers* the 6th floor is wardrobe/hair/makeup/special rooms you have to be invited into; the 5th floor is the hospital ward (I was first off the elevator first time I went); the 4th floor is the street of shops/speakeasy/Hecate's dupe Manderlay bar; the 3rd floor is the Macduff suite of rooms(?) and the Macbeth's bedroom, and the cemetary/ruined courtyard; the 2nd floor is the hotel lobby and the Manderlay bar; the first floor is Duncan's bedroom and those little alcove church rooms; and the lowest level is the ballroom/forest. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 5:58pm

@penny you're spot on with the additions of the taxidermy room on the 4th floor and the hotel lobby and the small restaurant on the 2nd floor. The 6th floor is being worked on.

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 6:03pm

...and next to the taxidermy room is a bathroom where one of the witches (the male one) washes off blood after the orgy.

Also, on the same floor as the hospital ward is the maze of branches, and the nurse in the hut.

[gymdudeva]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 6:45pm

I'm taking my partner on the 23rd. Neither of us have been yet. I'm telling him next to nothing before we go! He doesn't even know what show we are seeing!! Heheheh! I did tell him to dress comfortably and wear comfortable shoes for lots of walking. I think that right before we go in, I'll tell him to explore everything, that we may get separated (and maybe even SHOULD separate), that any one person can see only a fraction of the whole so don't get frustrated (just go with it), and that there is no right or wrong way. Anything else that one should know at a minimum?

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 6:58pm

Look at the SparkNotes online summary of Macbeth before you go in - it helps you understand the c-section scene (which many people think is an abortion scene - no, it's a c-section), the Birnam Wood references, etc. I'd tell him it's mainly Macbeth, with bits of Rebecca, mixed up and thrown into a 1930s noir hotel.

Or hell, don't tell him anything, lol!

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 11:14pm

Just got back from my second time and absolutely loved it once again. This time I was lucky enough to have two one-on-one encounters- first with Malcolm, wherein he cracked an egg in my hand and dirt spilled out (I think there was a mushroom as well?), and the second in the Nurse's hut, wherein I was spoon-fed the "poisoned" tea and told the story of a girl who saw everything and everyone around her die. Both were super intense- the nurse's hut really threw me for a loop- and both totally made the experience even more enjoyable. I spent more time shying away from the main Macbeth story (although, I did manage to catch Duncan's death and Banquo's- both of which I missed the first time)and focused more on the "B storyline" and really enjoyed seeing a story I was less familiar with.

My friend who I took with had a complete blast. I set him up with a witch at the opening dance sequence in the ballroom and he was set. He also was pulled away for a one-on-one with Hecate and still doesn't know quite what to make of that experience. But, he did say repeatedly he wants to go back.

My only complaint is that there seemed to be significantly more people there this time than when I last went, which made it nearly impossible to follow any main characters. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that a number of the audience had apparently missed the memo about wearing reasonable footwear, as there were a number of men there in full suits with dress shoes and several women in heels (there was even a woman in a pristine white dress and large wedge sandals). But other than that, it was a great experience once again

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 12:57am

It seems like Hecate only pulls men in for the one-on-ones, am I right?

Also, when is the opening dance sequence?

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 1:04am

@Jeanius I love the Malcolm 1-on-1! It's really intense. One of the times I went, I had just gotten out of the elevator, started walking down the shops street and was immediately dragged into it by Malcolm. Great way to start the show haha. I still haven't had the 1-on-1 in the pagoda with the nurse. Can't wait to check it out.

I see wayyyy to many women in really big heels. Punchdrunk should really strain the "wear comfortable shoes" message.

@penny I'm pretty sure i've seen a woman pulled into Hecate's 1-on-1 before but i could be completely making this up.

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 1:40am

@penny: Hecate pulled a woman into the 1-on-1 when I was there tonight, so it does happen. But she does seem to favor men. As for the opening dance, I was in the first group to get into the piece, and ended up in the ballroom (my group bumped into the Macduffs right away and they led us there). It's repeated at least one other time in the show, as I recall seeing it at a later time the first time I went. But it essentially brings together the major characters (save Macbeth) and has them perform a ballroom dance in the ballroom, during which Lady Macduff is forced to drink a white drink which causes her to faint (she fell right into me this evening- had to think quick to catch her), starting off the basic action of the play for the majority of the characters.

@yay_gerb: That's pretty much exactly what happened to me- I was walking down the street, turned to head into hallway to the prophecy/Hecate room and was right behind Malcolm as he turned into the room. It was quite the experience- although I did like that he smiled reassuringly right after locking the door, it actually put me at ease. Definitely try to catch the nurse- getting fed the tea is pretty freaky.

Updated On: 5/15/11 at 01:40 AM

[viola13]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 3:54am

The show I saw Hecate pulled in women twice for one-on-ones. Both times it was the person standing right next to me. *sigh* lol.

I really, really need to get back soon.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 9:58am

@viola A lot of the time, if you somehow interact with Hecate in the rep bar she will pick you for a 1-on-1. I just followed her around for a track and once when she went to go do a 1-on-1 with someone else, i sat at her table and was looking through her stuff and when she came back she seemed very interested in me. After the "Is That All There Is" lip sync she took me for a 1-on-1.

@penny Not sure if you noticed this at the ballroom dance but Macbeth is actually there up on the mezzanine watching the whole dance happen. Lady Macbeth sees him during the 2nd song and keeps looking up at him.

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 10:37am

Thanks, y'all! Crap! This show plays hell with my OCD. I've been in the first group both times I went (even though once I had a ticket for 7:20, they put me on in the first elevator group). I went to the Macduff suite of rooms, Lady Macduff came out a door, danced around their apt, packed a suitcase, went to the lobby, and there Mrs. Danvers and the clerk tried to poison her. After that I think she headed downstairs - was it for the dance? I think it was, but now I can't remember!! Arrrrggh!!! I thought the piece started off with the banquet, but that comes at the end of the cycle, right? Starts with the ballroom dance, ends with the banquet?

I need many, many more tickets. And I just got laid off!!!!

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 11:35am

I'm not exactly sure if it starts with one specific group scene like the ballroom dance or the banquet. I know when i've been in the space earliest, around like 7:10 the Macduff's dance starts sometime around then. So i would assume the ballroom dance scene is around 7:20-7:30ish. I think it would be really tough to try to list the scenes in order since so much happens at the same time. Sorry to hear you got laid off! Good luck finding a new job so you can go back.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 12:21pm

Oh, that was Mrs. Danvers who poisons Lady Macduff?

We got dropped off at the last floor, and watched Macbeth murder the king (which was a brilliant theatrical moment). A bunch of people ran off after Macbeth, but I stuck around and watched the men come and move the king's body. Then I hung around that room and watched Mrs. Danvers come in, kiss him and followed them to the ballroom, where they danced. I didn't know at that point who she was, but the whole thing was fascinating.

I also found myself really drawn to Lady Macduff and tried to follow her around as much as possible.



Did anyone have a one on one with the taxidermist? My friend did and she said it was very unnerving.

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 1:20pm

Ooh, what happened?

[rougeduck]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 1:45pm

It was an incredible experience! (SPOILER) My favorite part was when Lady Macduff locked eyes with me and she led me into a small room where I was treated as her lost son. After removing the mask, she grazed my facial features with her hand. She then put salt behind my right ear, because she apparently would do this when I was five years old, and dipped my finger in salt water and put it to her eye. She then tore a piece from the bible, put the "tear" in it and gave it to me. After a very intense moment of letting me go she then escorted me out and locked herself in the room. It was very intense.
Oh and by the end Mrs Danvers and I were totes a couple I guess. She led me to the final scene and held on to me the entire time and then escorted me out giving me a kiss on the cheek. I didn't realize how hands on this production would be!

[walkedthroughmany]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 5:52pm

I had a one-on-one with the taxidermist. I don't want to spoil it, but if you are afraid of needles (like I am) you will be very unnerved.

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 3:13am

So, does anyone know the answer of budget vs. profit?

If it has the budget of a Broadway show, but originally only had a month to run and can only fit a few hundred people, how can they afford to spend that much to lose it all?

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 11:40am

They knew they werent going to originally run for only a month.If they were to originally run for a month, they never would have even made it to opening night. Instead of extending the run through the end of summer or beyond that, they'll just keep extending it for a few weeks at a time so it looks like it's all sold out, which i guess increases people's desire to see it. It has been sold out for virtually every show so far and many of the time slots over the next month and a half are sold out, as well. No discounts + sold out 8 shows a week + increase in prices after the first month of operation + no paid advertising = eventually profitable right?

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 7:27pm

Well, if by eventually profitable we are talking about a couple of years, maybe.

Otherwise, I don't see how - perhaps the budget was not really "in the millions" as it has been claimed.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 9:21pm

Im sure it was, but it might not be as many millions as we think. They also had a lot of volunteer help putting together sets and whatnot.

[rougeduck]

Posted: 5/17/11 at 11:18am

Which one was Hecate...and where were the witches?