I was a little rushed getting to the show on Thursday night—the first of three nights in a row at Sleep No More. My train arrived from Washington, DC, at 6:30pm. Originally I wanted to swing by my hotel, drop off my luggage and change. But quickly realized this wasn't going to be possible. And I decided I should just go directly to the McKittrick from Penn Station. I emailed the house manager to see if they could accommodate my suitcase. Eric kindly replied saying that "the porter would handle my luggage for $3." I still felt a little silly coming into the show with a suitcase—who am I: Agnes or Lady MacDuff?—but they accepted me anyway. Eric asked me on my way through the door, "I assume you are only bringing good things into the hotel and nothing bad?" I assured him I was—remembering the recent events in Boston. But hopefully Eric knows my face by now. I need to formally introduce myself on the next visit.
I joked with coat check saying, "I thought this was a real hotel!"They gladly took my suitcase, which was amazing! Thank you coat check staff!
Immediately upon entering the Manderley, I ran into Violet (Elizabeth Romanski). It was so great to see her after meeting her the week before with bloodwillhavebloodtheysay, vertigomatty and caoine. She immediately recognized me, remembered my name and my polka-dot tie from the time before. And then she introduced me to Maximillian (Nick Atkinson). So excited to finally meet him, officially. I had to down my absinthe shot so I could go in with the Aces. I was the last one to make the group. Luckily Violet insisted I get in on the first elevator. Thanks Violet! ;)
Since I was the last one on the elevator, James let me—and only me—off on the fifth floor. I dramatically turned around to watch the door close behind me…hoping it created a proper effect for those still on the elevator.
I'm not a fan of the fifth floor. It still scares me. So, I ran down the hall as fast as I could to find the stairwell. Not sure why I didn't go to the staircase right next to the elevator, but nonetheless. I finally booked it down to the ballroom. I wanted to see who was who. No William Popp and no Tony Bordonaro—which actually was good because then I didn't fall into old habits. I honestly don't remember who was playing all the roles. (Three nights in a row makes things blurry.) But I decided to follow Lady MacDuff (Mariel Lugosch-Ecker) since I'd never seen her entire loop before. She's lovely. Not just a physical beauty, but very graceful and soulful. I didn't receive her 1:1, but stuck with her for the loop. It was interesting to see her transition. Always heart-breaking the way her story ends. But the resurrection is equally compelling.
For the second loop, I don't remember where I went. I think I tried to catch up with Agnes or Malcolm. And then I thought I should follow Mr. MacDuff (Patrick Ferreri). I saw him climb the walls, the card game, and I think I made it into the room to see the interogation. But he's hard to keep track of. And I felt like I'd seen some of his other scenes when I was following Lady MacDuff.
Ultimately, I went down to the lobby where I saw that Will Seefried was playing the Porter. And decided to stick with him for a little bit.
About the time of Lady MacDuff's murder and the reset, the Porter goes into his office. Well, when Will got to the door, it was shut and locked. He had to dig a key out of his pocket to open the door. Once opened, we found three audience members inside, sans masks, drinking and laughing. Will grabbed one of the masks and placed it on one of their heads. And then pushed them out of the room. Then he continued with the scene.
I stayed with him through the loop and then it happened… we locked eyes; he extended his hand and took me racing back to his office.
Unfortunately, when we got there, the door was locked again! Will dug around for the key, unlocked the door, found audiences members inside again (they might have been the same ones from earlier). This time he shoved them out and then ran away to find a steward (I assumed). I stood by the office door hoping that he would come back. I didn't want to miss this opportunity. Luckily he did. And then we entered for his 1:1.
It was touching and intense and emotional and erotic. I don't know how to describe it. I felt so honored to learn more about this character. And to experience his story. I definitely was present and open to everything that happened. Each part seemed important and touching and special. Will definitely moved me. I heard his take on the Porter is great, and I must join the chorus in saluting his performance. He became more than an actor for me. Definitely a highlight of the entire show.
Afterwards, I needed to collect myself and wandered into Manderley. I quickly found Violet. "How is your night, my dear?" she asked.
"It's good," I wimpered. "I just spent some time with the Porter," and my eyes started to well up with tears.
"Oh, did he finally bring your luggage up? He's so unreliable."
She made me laugh and definitely lightened my mood. We continued the conversation, and I told her that I'd be back over the next two nights. She said I might see her again… which made me very happy. It hasn't taken long to make me a fan. Elizabeth has definitely stolen my heart and soul.
Then I went back into the hotel. I hung around the Porter some more until the finale, where he and Catherine Campbell pushed us all down to the ballroom. I purposely hung close to the Porter for the hanging where he stood behind me and squeezed my shoulders. Tears again! Then he walked me out to the Manderley.
Definitely a great night at the McKittrick. Highlights were the Porter 1:1 and hanging out with Violet. Plus seeing scenes I'd never seen before. I spoke to Mariel briefly after the show to compliment her Lady MacDuff.
And then I had a surprise visit from Sunday!! She popped over to the Manderley just to join me for a drink. It was so sweet! And it felt great to have someone to talk with about all my experiences that night. Thank you Sunday! You're awesome!
Finally got checked in to my real hotel, but was reeling from the experiences that night! Couldn't wait to go back!
I returned to the McKittrick with some trepidation. Given the excitement of the prior weekend’s Gallow Green opening, paired with the sorrow from a legend’s departure, I postulated this could be an off visit. It wasn’t.
Selected Cast: William Popp (Malcolm); Debra Zalkind; John William Watkins; Hope Davis (Bald Witch); Ching-I (Sexy Witch); Luke Murphy (Macbeth); Phil Atkins; Nick Atkinson; Isadora Wolfe (Lady Macbeth) Mariel Lugosch-Ecker (Lady Macduff); Emeri Fetzer (Agnes Naismith); Hecate (Julia Campanelli); Orderly – Sai Samboon.
LOOP ONE
Off of the first elevator I joined the bartender briefly in the speakeasy and then meandered over to Malcom’s to watch him and Agnes. Alluring chemistry with Pop and Fetzer. I followed Agnes back through the speakeasy and then was the only one with her as she crafted the locket. My first Agnes 1:1 soon followed.
Emeri is striking and strong – reminds me a little of Emilia Clarke. Loved the intensity and proximity. Could feel my heart beat loud and clear. As often noted the Narnia exit could be less obvious - and in hindsight I should have checked out her bedroom longer. But a brilliant start to the night.
After the card game, I got my first taste of the interrogation. I went to the back of the room upon entering not knowing where to go. Soon Malcolm came down there and body checked me strong in the corner – nearly hard enough where I wanted to tell him I was ok. It was tremendous - as was the entire scene. Some good chatter on contact recently - I’m a big fan of any/all of it.
Outside I ran into Lady Macbeth in the midst of her ranting, and followed her down to the ball. On the way, she stopped, looked me in the eye and asked if I could speak – I think I nodded but kept quiet. Conflicted with emotions of pity for her. Yet LM deserves none.
I remained near Lady Macbeth through the banquet, watching her intently, and she took my hand off the stage and we went up all those stairs to the hospital together. A few times she gazed crazily into my eyes – shivers. Upon arrival with the orderly she bathed. But when she came out and extended her arms towards another mask to be dried, he confusingly just hugged her lightly instead of helping. No swat team came in to stop him, but it was pretty harmless. I regret not going over and giving the towel to him – perhaps LM should motion more in that direction to help the less intuitive.
LOOP TWO
At that point I hauled ass down to the lobby seeking to witness the prophesy for the first time, however the Boy Witch was already singing. Love his complete synchronization. The prophesy would have to wait.
Next – I sought out the new Hecate. Wandering around the rep bar is hard for me – I’m not patient and feel like I’m wasting time without action or learning anything new. When I did see her, she appeared to be Julia Campanelli. I didn’t get a 1:1 with her after a couple of turns, so I moved on.
In the second loop I witnessed most of the rave. It’s funny to me that the first few shows I watched the rave without realizing where I was – something about the lighting and the crowd I guess. I watched Hecate during this period – her expressions were more like watching her kids playing in the playground than witnessing evil transpiring. Honestly I wasn’t feeling it. I followed Hope’s bald witch after the rave and then dried her back. Her thank you smooch was heavily chocolate scented.
I then went downstairs and watched the Lady Macduff killing – big crowd this time. Heard some gasps as the pregnant Lady was thrust into the wall. Once the crowd was allowed to approach there was no way to even see her on the couch.
LOOP THREE
As noted earlier I finally saw the prophecy – loved it. Some of the movements reminded me of improv games where you attempt to lock in with your scene partners and mimic unrehearsed moves as a group simultaneously. I then joined my first ballroom scene of the night, getting some dance time with Hope. She is so strong and confident. Hope was more sinister this time around than in prior shows I’ve seen – I like her best when she’s jovial here.
I stood nearby in case Lady Macduff needed help. She fell towards a larger mask who didn’t seem to realize what was happening. I ended up nudging him to clear his fog - not my job but I didn’t want him to miss it. When she came to I followed her upstairs with a group. Once up there I got lucky and snagged the 1:1.
Muriel was my matron on my second visit. And now having had her Lady Macduff 1:1 I can say she is my favorite 1:1. I think she has great confidence physically, but her personal connection and care and expression and focus is fantastic. Even knocking over the water on me - and with people annoyingly banging on the door - she didn’t miss a beat. Dig her.
I’m somewhat at a loss the moment the 1:1 is over. I don’t know if I should keep following, or if that’s selfish in some way. In the end I watched the card game again and this time the vanquishing of Banquo. It’s a powerful fight. I wonder how they have the energy and coordination at that point.
Before heading down for the finale I wondered around the Macduff flat looking for any signs of Fraggleness. I found none, although if there is one I assume it would be closed by that point of the show. Another masked viewer snuck in behind me in the mirror room and unintentionally scared the crap out of me - I guess I was "locked in" since I actually yelled - a wee bit embarrassing.
The finale killed -- literally. Luke is deliciously full of vitriol and dire expressions. I can’t tell if Macbeth is really suicidal at that point, or if he is being pushed into it. In any case the loud smack of the chair signaled the end of another amazing visit.
CONCLUSION
What else is there to say? I love this show. There’s much I haven’t witnessed yet (e.g. still no Hecate 1:1s). I’m jealous of all of you heathens who live nearby. If anything, I hope that recent departures brings more attention to the other excellent SNM players discussed less often.
I was disappointed to learn that if you stay in the Manderley afterwards past a certain point you lose the chance to view the cast board. It would be nice if the board was moved up into the coat check once it shifts. Next time I’ll remember to check it out before going back into the bar. I asked a barman if Gallow Green was opened for drinks afterwards and the man in black said not yet - it was chilly anyway.
One quick shout-out to two new friends (Mike and Jessica) from Toronto that were at their 9th show. They were enthusiastic and patient during my post-show yammerings.
There’s been some interesting tumblng lately around the use of a time piece while visiting. My view is that for the first couple of visits timepieces should be left behind. This was my first visit where I used a clock to help ensure I got some specific things accomplished. I can see my approach changing over time in a similar way as others – and as that happens I expect the time piece will once again be foregone.
Lastly, this blog is intended to help me recall adventures. I hope I don’t give the impression I have anywhere near the SNM experience as so many great tumblrs. Audax at fidelis!
If both of you had the skills necessary to play any role, which characters would you most like to play and why?
From the desk of the Thane of Glamis
If I had the dance skill to perform any role I think I would try my hand at Lady Macbeth. I tend to have a more sympathetic read on the Macbeths than most and I would love to explore those possibilities in regards to how Lady M is portrayed inside Sleep No More. I would love to try a version of Lady M that is older, confident, and idealistic but yet uncomprehending of the gravity of her actions. In her mind the murder of Duncan is the best thing for both her husband and Scotland - an event that would prove ultimately uniting to all. In her quest to create a new family for herself and a new era for the the kingdom she honestly doesn't see the long-lasting damage her manipulations can and will cause. This could be in part due to the death of her child, her estrangement from her husband and the ravages of war - trauma can do that to a mind. It's an interesting read and I'd love to see if it would be possible to portray something like that in the show.
From the desk of the Thane of Cawdor
This question takes care of the immediate problems inherent in putting yourself into a Sleep No More role; namely that I am attractive enough and have enough talent and skill to do it! Go fantasy. :)
It took me some thinking to figure it out, but I think in the end I'd be the Porter. There's a lot of layers to that onion, and it seems to be that you could play him for a very long time without getting bored of finding new ways to do it. As a bonus, you get to interact with a large number of other characters. Also, part of what sealed my decision is that I'd get to dance with Mariel Lugosch-Ecker regularly. I was leaning toward Cunning Man/Fulton for, among others, that very reason.
The other thing about the Porter is, I feel he's the only truly good and decent person in our little melodrama. Everyone else either commits terrible deeds or allows them through inaction. The Porter tries to help. He fails, but in the trying, he demonstrates his character. He is, perhaps, the one real victim in the entire piece. Lots to work with there.
Awesome question, Anon. I love the ones that make me think about the hows and the whys of characters. It's easy to lose your way among the gloss and the dance and the overwhelming nature of this show, but it all exists for a reason: to impart emotion. This made me think about being the one trying to share an emotion.
Emily Terndrup and Mariel Lugosch-Ecker performing the Can-can at the Carnival des Corbeaux. Maximillian err...well introducing, in theory, but more like "molesting" in practice. :)
