The New York Times: After more than a decade of performances, “Sleep No More” — the immersive, Hitchcockian riff on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” — will close the doors of its cargo elevator for good when it plays its final performance on Jan. 28.
Rising production costs drove the decision to close, said Jonathan Hochwald, a producer, who also cited an unwillingness to raise ticket prices commensurately. “It’s an enormous undertaking with hundreds of employees,” he said.
5 comments:
I have heard incredible things about “Sleep No More,” but I had no idea that it was ever going to close anytime soon. I unfortunately do not think that I will ever get the chance to see it. I have never had the opportunity to have an immersive theater experience, but I would love to experience one day. I think “Sleep No More” is the only immersive theater experience that I’ve ever really heard of, but I’m sure there are plenty more great shows like this out there. It does seem as though they have been incredibly successful, and it is quite impressive how well they have done, considering that immersive theater is not the most popular or advertised thing to the general public. I do wonder why they decided to close, and I wish they were going on for a little bit longer so that I could get a chance to see it.
When I saw the news earlier this week, it was sad to hear the closing of such a phenomenon show. There are many immersive theatrical experiences now in New York and around the world, but I think of ‘Sleep No More’ as one of the pioneer in this field after its oopening in 2011. Although I haven’t seen the show in person, I’m still amazed how the production team altered the plot in such a way that the audience ‘sees’ a different story everytime but the overarching plot stays the same. To me, that’s an incredibly seamless level of collaboration and I cannot begin to imagine the complexity behind the logistics of showrunning. As the article discussed, such operation requires a large crew and staff, and the production cost just keeps rising. I wonder whether the Shanghai chapter will close too because I know it’s also having a huge success there, so it would be a shame if both close.
I have often heard great things about the show Sleep No More and had hoped to one day see it. I am sad to hear that it is closing before I will get the chance to see it. It is not often you hear of an immersive theatre experience. Especially an almost Silent one telling the story of Macbeth in the style of Hitchcock. As someone who loves Alfred Hitchcock movies, the idea of sleep no more has always appealed to me. The fact that no one gets the whole story and everyone's experience is unique is just so mind blowing. I have also heard great things about the sets. All around I have never heard a bad word about it. The amount of moving parts in that show is amazing, and the way the plot was engineered is brillant. To take a classic show that most people would be familiar with like Macbeth, throw in some Film noir aspects and themes and then craft the story in such a way that you can follow just about any character around and still get the gist of the story while having a unique experience. It's just brilliant, I am so disappointed to hear that it is closing and that I will likely never have the opportunity to experience such a unique show.
Sleep no more is finally closing after many years of running, which is really sad to me, as I never got the opportunity to see it. I really think the idea of having a theater production in an interactive, immersive space, such as a hotel, is such a fantastic idea. I really wish I had gone to see it during my time in New York over fall break. It’s very sad that the producers have agreed to cease the production, but I can see why–they didn’t want to raise ticket prices any more, and the show was becoming monetarily unsustainable. I love how it helped expand the idea of what immersive theater could be, and it really changed how a lot of people view that genre. The idea of having the audience move through spaces with the characters I really like, and I really hope another immersive experience happens to that degree again.
It is so sad to hear that “Sleep No More” is closing! I am however glad that they had a long and successful run even if it isn’t continuing. While I haven't seen “Sleep No More” I have seen one of Punchdrunk's other works, “The Burnt City” which was absolutely incredible. I saw “The Burnt City’ in London over the summer and it completely made me remember why I love theatre and truly how much I Love immersive theatre. One of my good friends saw “Sleep No More” and was raving about it non stop. The scenic design and attention to detail in Punchdrunk’s sets are unmatched. They construct there shows in a way that makes you feel like you are actually walking around Troy, in the case of “The Burnt City.” You also transition so quickly and seamlessly between indoor and outdoor spaces. Overall, I am sad to see it go but I hope something incredible takes its place and I can’t wait to see what that is.
Post a Comment