Sleep No More, the Off-Broadway production that takes guests on a thrilling theatrical experience based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth tragedy, is sadly coming to an end in January as reported by The New York Times.
Sleep No More first came to New York over ten years ago after runs in London and Massachusetts. Created by the English theater company Punchdrunk, production company Emursive brought it to a 100,000-square-foot Chelsea warehouse which they reimagined as the McKittrick Hotel.
They began performances in March 2011 and with sold-out performances driven solely by word of mouth, it seems as if a key to the McKittrick Hotel is quite the hot commodity.
According to The New York Times, Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk and a co-creator of Sleep No More stated:
None of us ever imagined we’d be here talking about the show in 2023 — it was only on sale for six weeks at first. Above all it was the audiences in New York who embraced our show and made it such a success.
The award-winning theatrical experience tells Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy through a darkly cinematic, film noir lens.
Through an awe-inspiring blend of acrobatic choreography, moody film noir soundtrack, and five floors’ worth of rooms to explore, guests put on masks and freely roam the space to their desire, interacting with the characters along the way. What results is a journey that’s not only unique to each person, but different each time.
According to The New York Times, Jonathan Hochwald, a producer of the show, stated rising production costs as the reason behind closing. And though production costs were rising, the team was unwilling to raise ticket prices.
The production will sadly shutter its doors for good after it’s final performance on Sunday, January 28th. According to New York Theater Guide, by the time it closes it will have played 5,000 performances.
Punchdrunk directors Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle stated:
We are incredibly proud of the artistic community Sleep No More has nurtured and the many distinct audiences it has loved in New York. Thirteen years ago, we could never have imagined the astonishing journey this show has been on. It’s had an incalculable impact on us all and will live on in our hearts, seep through our skin, and sleep in the deepest parts of our imaginations.
Learn more about the experience and grab tickets before it ends here.