emma story's internet blog — Sleep No More #8 Though last night was my eighth...

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Sleep No More #8

Though last night was my eighth visit, almost everything I saw was still new to me. I decided to start out in the ballroom, which I hadn’t done since my very first visit over a year ago, then followed Duncan (Phil Atkins) for the first cycle. After the shaving scene, which I’d never caught before, I switched to Malcolm (William Popp). Apart from being the first night I’d ever followed Malcolm, it was of course the first time I experienced the Malcolm 1:1, which now rivals the taxidermist’s for the most intense moment of the show for me (so far).

Speaking of the taxidermist, I decided to catch up with him after my Malcolm moment, since Sai was playing him last night and I’d never seen Sai do anyone other than Barman. Definitely a good choice! And I have green fingers once more, just a couple of days after I finally got the last specks of green off my other hand.

I decided to wander freely for the last hour or so, and ended up on the fifth floor, where I managed to catch up with the nurse, who I almost never actually see. I followed her as long as I could, though I was impeded by a clump of whispering girls in high heels and jingling jewelry (WHY WOULD YOU WEAR THAT). I had given up and decided to take a stroll through the maze when I was pulled into the gazebo, also for the first time. I won’t spoil the 1:1 for those of you who haven’t seen it, but it was actually the perfect note to (almost) end the show on.

I decided to start heading downstairs and realized I hadn’t been in the speakeasy at all and didn’t know who was playing Barman, so I ducked in quickly and saw it was the new cast member whose name I don’t know (he was Duncan at the May Fair, for those of you who were there). Spent a few minutes in there before it was time for him to escort me to the ballroom for the hanging.

Because it was the Friday early show, I didn’t spend as much time drinking and chatting at the Manderley as I normally would, but I still had time to catch up with my friends and the lovely staff who by now know me maybe a little too well. So all in all, nearly a perfect night. Can’t wait to go back.

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Collected treasures from my visits to Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel. Not pictured: treats from the candy shop, and another I won in a card trick from the speakeasy bartender. The first time my gentleman caller and I attended the show was last spring, and I don’t think we could have predicted that we’d have gone back another three times in less than a year. Have I had enough yet? Apparently not, since I just got tickets today to the special Manhattan Cocktail Classic event in May. It’s not that I feel a burning need to collect achievements… I suppose just want another chance to be in that place for three hours.

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emmastory
emmastory

Collected treasures from my visits to Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel. Not pictured: treats from the candy shop, and another I won in a card trick from the speakeasy bartender. The first time my gentleman caller and I attended the show was last spring, and I don’t think we could have predicted that we’d have gone back another three times in less than a year. Have I had enough yet? Apparently not, since I just got tickets today to the special Manhattan Cocktail Classic event in May. It’s not that I feel a burning need to collect achievements… I suppose just want another chance to be in that place for three hours.

emmastory

Remember when I got contacts specifically to see this show for the first time? Remember when the programs were a single sheet of folded paper (and were free)? Remember when the cheap shows were $75?

~~~ just 2011 thingz ~~~

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Sleep No More #10 & #11 The tattoo crew (that’s me in the middle of the tattoo sandwich with bloodwillhavebloodtheysay and his brother) descended on the McKittrick again on Friday for I thought would just be an early show (for me anyway) but ended up...

Sleep No More #10 & #11

The tattoo crew (that’s me in the middle of the tattoo sandwich with bloodwillhavebloodtheysay and his brother) descended on the McKittrick again on Friday for I thought would just be an early show (for me anyway) but ended up being my first double header.

Honestly, I started drinking at about 7pm and stopped at around 5am, so the bulk of the evening is just a big blur of whiskey and champagne, and I’m not going to try to do a proper recap. But I was extraordinarily lucky in terms of 1:1 timing, and ended up with seven total across the two shows, five of which were completely new to me (Banquo, Lady MacDuff, Hecate, Nurse, and the sixth floor). By the time I ended up back in the Manderley after the late show, I was a big mess of sweat and ashes and scented oil and food coloring and lipstick. It was glorious, and I’m going back tonight.

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sleep no more mckittrick the mckittrick hotel punchdrunk

Sleep No More #5

I had thought my fourth trip to the McKittrick might be my last, but I couldn’t resist the special event for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. I’m very glad I decided to go for it, because it was by far my best visit yet. (And let’s be honest, this won’t have been my last one either.)

The biggest and best difference was the size of the crowd. I don’t know why the event didn’t sell out - maybe because it was only promoted through the Manhattan Cocktail Classic and not through a Sleep No More email - but I’m so glad it didn’t, because the smaller crowd changed the whole feel of the show and made the evening so much nicer. I only encountered one rude audience member (a drunk girl who was throwing pebbles and clumps of dirt at actors mid-scene) and there was a very pleasant lack of pushiness overall. There were very long stretches of time where I would be the only one following a particular actor, even well into the second and third cycles, and I can’t remember that happening before (at least for me).

As for the cocktails, they were all free (after the $125 ticket of course) and they were all fabulous. I found recipes for them here; the punch was definitely my favorite. I brought my lovely friend Linda with me (her first time), and as we were the first ones into the Manderley bar, we had just enough time to finish our drinks and nibble on appetizers before the aces were called.

I had planned to spend the first cycle on the fifth floor, but when the elevator let us out on the fourth, I decided to go with it, and followed Matty Oaks as the tailor for quite a while, until he chose me for his 1:1 (which was the third time I’ve experienced that scene but the first time with Matty). At that point, I switched to following Sai Somboon as the Speakeasy Barman for a bit, as I’d never spent much time with his character before. I stayed with him through his card game, which I finally won. I enjoyed my victory shot, then stepped out to let others play.

I wandered aimlessly for a while at that point, and ended up catching the interrogation for the first time, which blew me away. I decided I should get off the fourth floor finally, so I went down to the hotel lobby where I saw that Eric Jackson Bradley was playing the Porter. I hadn’t spent much time with the Porter previously, and I think Eric is wonderful, so I stayed with him for most of the third cycle. There were a couple of other people following him as well, so I didn’t expect to be chosen for his 1:1, but I was. This was my first experience with the Porter, and if you’ve done it then you know how intense it is. (And if you haven’t, then I won’t spoil it for you.) Definitely the highlight of my night.

At that point I realized there were only about twenty minutes left in the show, so I headed back up to the fourth floor where I ran into the taxidermist, another character I hadn’t spent much time with. I stayed with him until he took me to the ballroom, where Sai found me and escorted me out after the hanging.

As for the afterparty, I can say that Linda and I had a great time, and also got very, very drunk. Free whiskey has that effect on me. I’d actually never chatted with any cast members out of character, but the afterparty crowd was small and laid-back enough that I felt comfortable doing so, so that was lovely as well. I just hope I didn’t make too much of a drunken ass of myself (or if I did, I hope everyone else was just as drunk as me.)

When we stopped at coat check on the way out, we were given a deck of souvenir Bowmore / Sleep No More playing cards, which I thought was a nice touch. I also noticed afterward that our masks had Bowmore stickers on the inside, lest we forget exactly what kind of whiskey we were drinking all night. All in all, I have to say the small crowd, the excellent drinks and snacks, and a bit of luck on my side made for a really excellent evening. Well worth the serious hangover I’m dealing with this morning.

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Sneer all you want, but what Punchdrunk has managed to accomplish with both Sleep No More and The Drowned Man is completely improbable and almost unbelievable when you stop to consider it, and ten years from now I know I’ll be grateful to have experienced any of it. Choosing to keep going to either show, knowing you don’t care for it, and then complaining about it online seems to me the height of tone-deaf arrogance - like lighting $100 bills on fire in a bar and acting surprised when you get shit for it. Find something new to love, and leave the rest of us in peace.

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dmoldovan
dmoldovan

UNABASHED SLEEP NO MORE POST!!

Saw SNM for the 2nd time on Tuesday (the 19th) and going in I didn’t think it would be possible to enjoy the show more than I did the first time but this experience was OUT OF CONTROL.

I decided to get there super early and arrived at the McKittrick behind two hardcore fans. I started reading a book but could not hold my focus overhearing the two discuss the cast for tonight and shows past. I introduced myself and discovered they are some of my all time favorite tattooed superfans bloodwillhavebloodtheysay and Caoine ! Loved talking to them before and after the show - very funny and sweet both of them.

emmastory

These are all things that happened! I had the pleasure of meeting dmoldovan on Tuesday night and you should really read his whole recap because it’s great.

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