rm ([personal profile] rm) wrote2011-04-17 05:31 pm

Sleep No More

Patty and I saw Sleep No More last night, which was fantastic, and has been extended through May 7, so you should go see it if you're in the area.

We were strongly cautioned to know as little as possible about it going into it and were ultimately fine with that, although we feel that the fear of spoilers was perhaps excessive.

I will write a real review on LfT, about how all interactive/imersive theater like this ultimately become a narrative about celebrity, even if that isn't the main narrative, but I wanted to post some "shit you should know" under the spoilers area -- this is like triggers and environmental concerns and stuff.



- If you have any degree of night blindness go with a friend and DO NOT SEPARATE even if you are encouraged to do so.

- Patty encountered a moment with a strobe light that really bothered her and strobes don't normally bother her. I note it because most performances warn about this and this didn't. I didn't encounter the strobe.

- Actors will touch you if you get too close or are in their way. Sometimes they will seek you out. The odds of this happening to you are low, but if you don't deal well with strangers touching you, hang back.

- I found the show erotic, and it's certainly very adult. There's a lot of nudity.

- I have a particular, hard to explain horror of medical stuff. Forced medical stuff, medicine used as punishment being particular things for me. THERE'S AN ENTIRE FLOOR OF THE EXPERIENCE THAT IS LIKE THAT. It was a bit challenging. It's not gory, but it totally messed my stuff up.

- There's a lot of blood. You may stumble on a murder scene OUT OF SYNC WITH THE ACTORS. Which meant I found the crime scene before actors did and accidentally STUCK MY HAND IN A BOWL OF "BLOOD". This may be less traumatizing to someone who hasn't played the Lady in this play, but it FREAKED MY SHIT OUT.

- I imagine someone somewhere is freaked out by people expressing non-verbal anguish or talking in made-up languages. There's not a lot of this, but I found it unsettling enough when I encountered it that I thought you should know.

- Other audience members will start doing shit that fucks with you -- like hiding in coffins and bathtubs and shit. So just, you've been warned.

- It is, hwoever, easy to tell audience from actor because of masks everyone in the audience has to wear. They do fit comfortably over glasses, but Patty said she felt hers was hard to breath in and I felt mine gave me a headache.

- Much of the set is made of old books/photographs/paper and there's a TON of artificial smoke and scent used to convey various locations. Probably not a viable show for the chemically sensitive or some asthmatics.

Now you know.



BUt the show was HOT and I will write about it when I get the chance.

[identity profile] rose71.livejournal.com 2011-04-17 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I've heard great things about the show (both the original Boston production and the NYC one), and I'll look forward to your review!

For your warnings, it could be worth adding something about the amount of walking, standing, and stair-climbing involved. I was eager to see the show, but I have limited mobility, so (after hearing and reading about the show's layout), I felt that it would be too much of a challenge. Very sad, because the interactive & active participation sounds fascinating!
melebeth: (Default)

[personal profile] melebeth 2011-04-18 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
You might actually call the show and talk to them if you want to attend. We were told in steward training that are committed to helping people with limited mobility see the show - particularly those in wheelchairs, although I suspect they can adapt those accommodations (which include having someone assigned to help you around and use of the elevators) to others.

[identity profile] rose71.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks for the tip! It's great to hear that the theater is so committed to helping people see the show (I'm not in wheelchair myself, but have other limitations). Sadly, I think I've missed my chance, since I'm now back in Boston and not revisiting NY in the next few weeks. But in the future I hope to be more enterprising about calling and asking show venues about mobility.
melebeth: (Default)

[personal profile] melebeth 2011-04-18 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
Keep an eye out on the schedule if you do return to NY. I would not be surprised if it got extended further.

[identity profile] iterum.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
The ticket staff told us Saturday night that they had just that day or the day before been extended into June, so perhaps that will become official soon if it hasn't already.