My Thursday evening was full of Calloway and gin and whiskey and a German man-boy and Satan and Satan’s identical half-brother and his comically oversized fist and an enormous purple dildo and a small purple buttplug and a singing dead witch and also quite a bit of jazz.
I mean, I don’t want to say I told you so, but I definitely did tell you so.
Number 82. Sleep No More is really something right now — in my opinion the show is as good as it’s ever been. The cast are almost all new to me but they’re doing some great work, and there are still a few of my favorite familiar faces, including a couple I was not expecting (hello, Zach McNally boy witch).
The new content, though, is astonishing. I can’t overstate how intoxicating it is to walk into a show I’ve been going to for over four years and then spend half the evening with no idea what the fuck is going on.
Anyway, probably go to the show if it’s been a while since you were last there.
Just a bunch of creeps living our best lives.
Yup, yes, good.
THESE PARTIES WERE GREAT
They were seriously great. The costumes looked like 10 million bucks. The sets were lavish. They posted a schedule of events, and even if things ran late, it was still so helpful to know where-ish and when-ish to consider being if I felt like it. This did not AT ALL diminish any amount of surprise; everything was a complete thrill. It only diminished aimless wandering which is not a thrill (one aimless wander per party I like, but it gets old), and also being asked after the party by friends who work in the building if “[you], omg saw…”, and having to truthfully answer: “no, I literally did not see anything all night”. Also the DJ’s were great in every room. They played music: music humans can dance to. Thriller only that one time and it was a remix. Please re-hire for future events.
DINNER WAS DELICIOUS AND LARGER THAN MY THUMB
My own plate! My very own plate! And it didn’t seem to slow dinner service at all so let’s never do family style mains again please thanks. And also Chef Heath: I know you love the spice, but thank you for making the spicy element (peppers) a separate element that could be avoided by delicate flowers like myself. This dinner was completely worth the price paid on food and drink alone (a first). I don’t even like beets and I ate the beet starter because it was that tasty. Heath party dinners have historically been so bad that I actually brought my own sandwich to this one, and then did not have to eat it. I think I ate an entire platter of the best string beans I’ve ever had, and no shame. Paisley Players always A++.
I HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN LIKE “BUT NO, I’M DONE GOING TO SLEEP NO MORE, I’LL GO TO HALLOWEEN PARTIES BECAUSE HALLOWEEN BUT NO MORE SHOW AND NEW YEARS EVE NO FUCKING WAY” AND THIS PARTY CHANGED MY MIND AND I MIGHT ACTUALLY GO SEE THE SHOW AGAIN AFTER NEARLY HALF A YEAR AND PROBABLY NYE TOO
That’s how great the design, and performances, and heart put into these parties was. It reminded me of everything I loved about the show, even while being centered around literally my least favorite character in the building. I know there’s some new stuff happening in the show itself, but I honestly had run out of fucks to give. These parties brought my fucks back. It was all a feast, but at the same time they didn’t over do dance performances (there was the opening number, and then two main ballroom performances and that’s perfect, because it allows people to still get their own groove on in the ballroom. When you have a performance what feels like every 10 minutes [Mayfair 15], the stop/start of your own dancing becomes an annoyance, and you start to dread watching people dance with lobsters on their heads, a thing that should never be). And it was so sexy because it didn’t try to be sexy! (Life tip: trying to be sexy makes you the opposite of sexy).
NIGHT FAVS
Every time Stella St. Clair showed up mic in hand. She is a precious jewel. Literally the best.
The insane dancers on the lobby stage. So weird in the greatest way.
The fun house.
The dream doctor.
That they never ran out of champagne.
DOG BITES MAN
The crowd on the 30th was made out of stardust and angel farts and it was amazing. The crowd on the 31st had a terminal case of lady pushing. And I don’t mean people pushing ladies, I mean LADIES pushing, pushing, pushing through doors, in lines, on dance floors. Best lady pushers: the gems in black (2 cool 4 costumes) who shit talked a group of people politely waiting for the elevator to 4 with the devastating burn: “GOD THEY THINK THEY’RE SO HOT. HAVE THEY EVEN BEEN TO SLEEP NO MORE BEFORE. CHRIST”, and then pushed so aggressively into the foyer that someone fell into a fire-hose and a steward had to physically restrain the crowd so no one got trampled (thanks). While this would be a hilarious comment under any circumstances, it’s especially spectacular when you know that the group they were talking about was comprised of literally the super-est of tumblr superfans, and that I also saw one of these ladies introduce herself to a steward as a fellow employee. So yeah: we’ve seen Sleep No More, Spanky. Once or twice. See you next Tuesday (I won’t but at least one of the people you tried to mock probably literally will).
BUT NONE OF THAT WAS TECHNICALLY THE PARTY’S FAULT AND SO POINTS WILL NOT BE DEDUCTED.
All of this is true and correct.
Inferno 2015 was great - possibly the best SNM party yet, but certainly the best since Carnival des Corbeaux. I feel like basically every complaint I’ve ever had about the special events was handled and then some. Dinner was abundant and delicious and the Paisley Players were perfection as always. There were tons of surprises and unexpected treats, including at least five different 1:1s (one of which was one of the best Punchdrunk moments I’ve ever had). The bars were busy but not impossible to get to, and anyway there were tons of places to get shots. There were snacks. Aaron Paul was boy witch during the opening piece and it was a delight to party with him afterward. The costumes and performances were all top-notch, and it was actually possible to find most of them because - wonder of wonders - we got a printed schedule.
Most of all, I had a blast dancing and drinking and sweating with some of my very best friends, and somehow my giant crow hat did not disintegrate mid-party as I’d sort of assumed it would.
I had been planning to skip the New Year’s Eve event, but this party was so great that I’m going to have to reconsider that, I think. In fact, the party has actually reignited my interest in seeing the show - I haven’t seen it in months and had not been planning to again anytime soon, but now I’m dying to go back. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that this year’s Inferno actually reminded me why I fell in love with Sleep No More to begin with.
Photos of the Lodge from Interior Design.
Now that it’s starting to get chilly at night, I’m totally ready for the Lodge to come back.
Remember that time I said I was tired of all the McKittrick parties being basically similar but increasingly expensive, and then I went ahead and bought tickets to the next McKittrick party anyway?
You have one more chance tomorrow night to experience Calloway’s Salon, and I strongly recommend that you do so.
ngjewness asked:
It was good! I had no idea there was a camera directly behind me or I would have tried to make the back of my head more interesting.
If you’ve ever wondered what the back of my head looks like, feel free to stare at it for a full thirty minutes. Also Felix Barrett was there I guess.
Scenes from Calloway’s Salon, featuring Monty, Hans the man-boy, and Detective Cocaine.
Number 80 was lovely. I think once every two or three months is the perfect cadence for me - my last several shows have all been great, and last night particularly so. The current cast is solid.
