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chrysillaSo there are two long hours between me and tonight's festivities. Time for an immersive theater recap :-D
I pregamed by watching the Patrick Stewart version of Macbeth, seemingly set in Soviet occupied Scotland? SNM wasn't a strict following of the play, but occasionally people would bring up lines that were fun to pick out and recognize. I agree with another blogger, "...it's more an emotional adaptation than a literal re-enactment of the play." And very awesome emotional adaptation at that :-D
My friend M and I met up outside the building, waaaay western Chelsea. The line to get in was pretty dark, it felt almost like being on line for a Disney attraction.
One odd thing- the coat check people gave me a hard time about not checking my small purse (which had meds in it in case I had illness relapses, and some cash and tissues). The first checker said it was a safety issue, dark rooms masks and such make purses less secure. The second said "Well you may not get to have certain experiences if you're wearing a bag, you'll be denied certain experiences for it." I think the first checker may have been more on the ball, and the summertime report I read of this said nothing about bag-prejudice. My guess is that audience members have been taking stuff, so now they're trying to discourage bags (and some in more weirdly manipulative ways). Nobody said anything negative about my purse after that point. M checked her bag and got a private audience, I got none, so maybe that's what they were talking about? Next time I'll wear the geek-shirt of many pockets instead.
M and I made it to the bar/waiting room and found the hidden ladies room. Level one unlocked: Achievement Bathroom! And the free no-hassle water spigot was nice of 'em.
ZOMG SPOILERS AHEAD!
I got a 2 card and M a 3, so I went into the elevator first. I'm not sure what time we went in, but probably at about 7:15 (my ticket time) since we got online at 6:30. And I was the second group to go up. I found the masks quite comfy, tho very sweaty by the third hour of running around.
The elevator guy barred me from leaving on the second to last floor, and then told us all he keeps the best guests for the last stop. Which was fun to hear after the anti-baggers regime at the door.
We got out on an odd landing that I don't remember very well, but the doors to 5 and 4 wouldn't open so I ended up on level 3. First the graveyard, then wandering around the crumbling courtyard, and having to touch the lady statues to make sure they were statues. Sho pretty!
From there I could see into the Macbeth's bedroom, where they were having a sexy romp dance. Macbeth left, Lady M stayed and sat in their bathtub for a bit, and then he ran back all bloodied up. She stripped him down (the Macbeths do a lot of stripping in this show) and washed off all the blood, they had some more wordless fighting/snuggling, and then he ran off again. I decided to stick around and watch Lady M for a while, since that's what I'd mentioned on the FB. She got dressed inside the dresser (with a window) which I tried to follow her into but a black-mask barred me. Whups.
I was getting the Lady M is crazy show, from her dressing room, and then I followed her out into the town-shops alley as she wailed and ranted at people. She grabbed at me a few times, that was fun. It was then that I got a weird audience participation vibe, here is a lady going mad, and she sees herself surrounded by random strangers in uniform white masks. Eventually she ran into Macbeth again, and they laughed maniacally as they led us down to the first banquet scene of the night.
After the first banquet, The Nurse took Lady M all the way up to the hospital rooms (from the ground floor to the fifth, oh god my lungs) where they led her to the bathtubs room, stripped her, and put her in one of the bathtubs.
I watched that for a little while and then wanted a change of scene. Wandered back down to the ground floor and found one of the Banquet Girls (I have no idea if they had character names) seducing one of the Banquet Guys (many of whom looked the same, argh). Then she went out onto the main dance floor which was suddenly covered in trees, and moved all the trees. Got bored again, went up to the landing and found a Servant Girl to watch. Lady M came in (are there two Lady M actresses? I think there may have been) and had a moment with her, and then the servant girl put some powder in a glass of something and put it on the piano.
Back on the main dance floor, the Banqueteers were all dancing in something that looked like the welcoming party of Duncan to the Macbeths' house, with lots of Duncan/Lady M. flirting. Also MacDuff seemed to have a boyfriend, much to the chagrin of pregnant Mrs. Macduff. Macbeth was spotlit on the balcony watching them. Duncan came up to the piano area with Lady M and maybe drank from the powdered glass. I followed Duncan to the viewing box to watch some more dancing, and then he went off to his quarters, coughing lots. Including a room with lots of ticking, and he did a dance where he tore the velvet covers off of many antique clocks. Eventually he found his bed and passed out, MacBeth turned up and smothered him to death. I think I ran back into my friend M at this point, and then lost track again.
Freaking out, McB went to wash his face in the cistern near the bed and it was filled with "blood". Then he ran off, presumably to the bathtub scene where I'd seen him before. As he passed me I realized I could smell *chocolate*. And I realized "ZOMG THIS IS A HITCHCOCK MOVIE!!!" Lol ;-) Clever actors! A bunch of people ran off with McB, I stayed when Duncan and Malcom (I think?) turned up to freak out and ring the alarm bell. They picked up Duncan, carried him downstairs and laid him out on the slab in the chapel, wrapping him in a blanket.
Most of our impromptu funeral procession ran out after them when they left. But then I remembered that Duncan is *in* the banquet scene (that resets the metaplot every hour/cycle), so if I just stuck around something wacky would happen. And then the Servant Girl traipsed back in, kissed Duncan, and brought him back to life. Followed by a cute dance back out on the main dance floor. Yay!
After this its all kindof a jumble. I wandered around the hotel check in area for a bit, saw the Young Girl with the suitcase, saw the Bag Clerk do his bag clerking dance, and then saw Mrs. MacDuff staggering around drunk. Followed her, and she went right back to the second nightly banquet scene. Having seen the first, I decided to take the opportunity to investigate other floors while most people were down there.
Looked around the town shops, found the super Verbena room with herbs hanging from the rafters, but nobody inside. And I found a door-like structure with no way to open it. Walked back out and into another room and found the Young Girl hanging out in her bedroom, with a few onlookers. After doing some primping, she runs through her closet, through and undertaker's rooms, and into an office. There was a locket or something? Then she wandered into the tailor shop and flirted with him for a while, until she suddenly ran off from him, there was a lady in a red dress and (either Malcom or MacDuff?), something about the locket again, and then we followed the tailor through a maze and back into his shop where the Taxidermist needed something mended.
I watched the taxidermist playing with bones for a while, and then he took an audience member thru a secret door for a private audience. I think after that I went up to look around the hospital rooms again, and found the Nurse making collages and patterns with nails and such. Wandered thru the maze of branches, found the Matron's hut where she was giving a private audience. We could kinda look thru the cracks in the walls, but it was kindof a strain. Found gates, locked. Eventually found the Nurse cleaning things in the bathtub room, and then she did a strange dance in the open window to the branch maze, and I followed her thru the window (badly, and strained my knee. its ok today tho). She ran out to the Matron's hut, they had a dance, Nurse led Matron back to the hospital rooms.
On my way back down I found a very macabre nursery, and suddenly the Taxidermist showed up with a teddy bear and looking quite melancholy.
Wandered around a bit more, and eventually walked into the Macbeths' being crazy in the town again, and followed them to the third banquet which had quite a dramatic ending. And that was the end of the show. On our way out I found a room with lockers and pheasants (?), next to an office, and a pentacle scrawled on the office desk with chalk.
I didn't get to see any of *the* Witches, tho I suspect most of the characters were witches in one way or another (esp the Nurse, Matron, and Servant Girl). Kinda ironic considering this was my Solstice celebration. I've heard that the Lady in Red was Hecate, and there was in fact a Witches Rave (I heard some people talking about it in the elevator but didn't think they knew what they were talking about). I thought the other two Banquet Girls might have been part of the Witches, but I'm not sure.
Based on sources saying that there were 100 rooms there, I feel like I was stuck on a circuit of a few specific areas. I never even found the Speakeasy, which from what the elevator guys said sounded like a no-plot zone for people that were tired of running.
M and I picked up the playbill/books, but they weren't all that helpful in figuring out which characters were which actors. But it clearly indicated that there were a lot more play-based scenes I missed. Next time I will try to follow MacBeth himself and see more.
I found the Townsfolk plots looked interesting, but wasn't sure how or if they tied in with the Nobles/Macbeth plot.
No private audiences for me, I guess me and my bag-self are just not special. But M got one where she was anointed with oil and presented with a sword and lordship (maybe by Malcolm?) so that was awesome :-)
All in all, surreal, it felt like wandering thru a dream. Or running, in some cases. A really macabre Euthanatos-y dream. With lots and lots of stairs. As I was seeing familiar Macbeth'ish plot pieces out of order, it reminded me in a fun way of reading The Orphan's Tales. "O wait! I saw this fifty pages ago!" Tho my usually good-with-details brain was a little annoyed at how two or three of the Nobles characters looked almost exactly alike, so I couldn't tell who was doing what.
I'm not completely cured of my emo-ness, (especially in light of new stupid-doctor news today *headdesk*) but I don't remember the last time I felt so excited & invigorated about something. I felt a bit sore after all the running around but not too exhausted, and I feel better than usual today. Yay! Interactive theatrical glamourbomb!
I am thinking of going back in February (Imbolc, lol), and it *really* pays off to get in as early as possible, b/c you can stay as long as you like until the last banquet scene (the full show is about 3 hours long). And to not carry a purse, or something. Anybody want to come with?
Here is the blogged guide that helped me :-) The Spoiler-Free User-Friendly Guide to Enjoying Sleep No More
<3 Chrysilla
I pregamed by watching the Patrick Stewart version of Macbeth, seemingly set in Soviet occupied Scotland? SNM wasn't a strict following of the play, but occasionally people would bring up lines that were fun to pick out and recognize. I agree with another blogger, "...it's more an emotional adaptation than a literal re-enactment of the play." And very awesome emotional adaptation at that :-D
My friend M and I met up outside the building, waaaay western Chelsea. The line to get in was pretty dark, it felt almost like being on line for a Disney attraction.
One odd thing- the coat check people gave me a hard time about not checking my small purse (which had meds in it in case I had illness relapses, and some cash and tissues). The first checker said it was a safety issue, dark rooms masks and such make purses less secure. The second said "Well you may not get to have certain experiences if you're wearing a bag, you'll be denied certain experiences for it." I think the first checker may have been more on the ball, and the summertime report I read of this said nothing about bag-prejudice. My guess is that audience members have been taking stuff, so now they're trying to discourage bags (and some in more weirdly manipulative ways). Nobody said anything negative about my purse after that point. M checked her bag and got a private audience, I got none, so maybe that's what they were talking about? Next time I'll wear the geek-shirt of many pockets instead.
M and I made it to the bar/waiting room and found the hidden ladies room. Level one unlocked: Achievement Bathroom! And the free no-hassle water spigot was nice of 'em.
ZOMG SPOILERS AHEAD!
I got a 2 card and M a 3, so I went into the elevator first. I'm not sure what time we went in, but probably at about 7:15 (my ticket time) since we got online at 6:30. And I was the second group to go up. I found the masks quite comfy, tho very sweaty by the third hour of running around.
The elevator guy barred me from leaving on the second to last floor, and then told us all he keeps the best guests for the last stop. Which was fun to hear after the anti-baggers regime at the door.
We got out on an odd landing that I don't remember very well, but the doors to 5 and 4 wouldn't open so I ended up on level 3. First the graveyard, then wandering around the crumbling courtyard, and having to touch the lady statues to make sure they were statues. Sho pretty!
From there I could see into the Macbeth's bedroom, where they were having a sexy romp dance. Macbeth left, Lady M stayed and sat in their bathtub for a bit, and then he ran back all bloodied up. She stripped him down (the Macbeths do a lot of stripping in this show) and washed off all the blood, they had some more wordless fighting/snuggling, and then he ran off again. I decided to stick around and watch Lady M for a while, since that's what I'd mentioned on the FB. She got dressed inside the dresser (with a window) which I tried to follow her into but a black-mask barred me. Whups.
I was getting the Lady M is crazy show, from her dressing room, and then I followed her out into the town-shops alley as she wailed and ranted at people. She grabbed at me a few times, that was fun. It was then that I got a weird audience participation vibe, here is a lady going mad, and she sees herself surrounded by random strangers in uniform white masks. Eventually she ran into Macbeth again, and they laughed maniacally as they led us down to the first banquet scene of the night.
After the first banquet, The Nurse took Lady M all the way up to the hospital rooms (from the ground floor to the fifth, oh god my lungs) where they led her to the bathtubs room, stripped her, and put her in one of the bathtubs.
I watched that for a little while and then wanted a change of scene. Wandered back down to the ground floor and found one of the Banquet Girls (I have no idea if they had character names) seducing one of the Banquet Guys (many of whom looked the same, argh). Then she went out onto the main dance floor which was suddenly covered in trees, and moved all the trees. Got bored again, went up to the landing and found a Servant Girl to watch. Lady M came in (are there two Lady M actresses? I think there may have been) and had a moment with her, and then the servant girl put some powder in a glass of something and put it on the piano.
Back on the main dance floor, the Banqueteers were all dancing in something that looked like the welcoming party of Duncan to the Macbeths' house, with lots of Duncan/Lady M. flirting. Also MacDuff seemed to have a boyfriend, much to the chagrin of pregnant Mrs. Macduff. Macbeth was spotlit on the balcony watching them. Duncan came up to the piano area with Lady M and maybe drank from the powdered glass. I followed Duncan to the viewing box to watch some more dancing, and then he went off to his quarters, coughing lots. Including a room with lots of ticking, and he did a dance where he tore the velvet covers off of many antique clocks. Eventually he found his bed and passed out, MacBeth turned up and smothered him to death. I think I ran back into my friend M at this point, and then lost track again.
Freaking out, McB went to wash his face in the cistern near the bed and it was filled with "blood". Then he ran off, presumably to the bathtub scene where I'd seen him before. As he passed me I realized I could smell *chocolate*. And I realized "ZOMG THIS IS A HITCHCOCK MOVIE!!!" Lol ;-) Clever actors! A bunch of people ran off with McB, I stayed when Duncan and Malcom (I think?) turned up to freak out and ring the alarm bell. They picked up Duncan, carried him downstairs and laid him out on the slab in the chapel, wrapping him in a blanket.
Most of our impromptu funeral procession ran out after them when they left. But then I remembered that Duncan is *in* the banquet scene (that resets the metaplot every hour/cycle), so if I just stuck around something wacky would happen. And then the Servant Girl traipsed back in, kissed Duncan, and brought him back to life. Followed by a cute dance back out on the main dance floor. Yay!
After this its all kindof a jumble. I wandered around the hotel check in area for a bit, saw the Young Girl with the suitcase, saw the Bag Clerk do his bag clerking dance, and then saw Mrs. MacDuff staggering around drunk. Followed her, and she went right back to the second nightly banquet scene. Having seen the first, I decided to take the opportunity to investigate other floors while most people were down there.
Looked around the town shops, found the super Verbena room with herbs hanging from the rafters, but nobody inside. And I found a door-like structure with no way to open it. Walked back out and into another room and found the Young Girl hanging out in her bedroom, with a few onlookers. After doing some primping, she runs through her closet, through and undertaker's rooms, and into an office. There was a locket or something? Then she wandered into the tailor shop and flirted with him for a while, until she suddenly ran off from him, there was a lady in a red dress and (either Malcom or MacDuff?), something about the locket again, and then we followed the tailor through a maze and back into his shop where the Taxidermist needed something mended.
I watched the taxidermist playing with bones for a while, and then he took an audience member thru a secret door for a private audience. I think after that I went up to look around the hospital rooms again, and found the Nurse making collages and patterns with nails and such. Wandered thru the maze of branches, found the Matron's hut where she was giving a private audience. We could kinda look thru the cracks in the walls, but it was kindof a strain. Found gates, locked. Eventually found the Nurse cleaning things in the bathtub room, and then she did a strange dance in the open window to the branch maze, and I followed her thru the window (badly, and strained my knee. its ok today tho). She ran out to the Matron's hut, they had a dance, Nurse led Matron back to the hospital rooms.
On my way back down I found a very macabre nursery, and suddenly the Taxidermist showed up with a teddy bear and looking quite melancholy.
Wandered around a bit more, and eventually walked into the Macbeths' being crazy in the town again, and followed them to the third banquet which had quite a dramatic ending. And that was the end of the show. On our way out I found a room with lockers and pheasants (?), next to an office, and a pentacle scrawled on the office desk with chalk.
I didn't get to see any of *the* Witches, tho I suspect most of the characters were witches in one way or another (esp the Nurse, Matron, and Servant Girl). Kinda ironic considering this was my Solstice celebration. I've heard that the Lady in Red was Hecate, and there was in fact a Witches Rave (I heard some people talking about it in the elevator but didn't think they knew what they were talking about). I thought the other two Banquet Girls might have been part of the Witches, but I'm not sure.
Based on sources saying that there were 100 rooms there, I feel like I was stuck on a circuit of a few specific areas. I never even found the Speakeasy, which from what the elevator guys said sounded like a no-plot zone for people that were tired of running.
M and I picked up the playbill/books, but they weren't all that helpful in figuring out which characters were which actors. But it clearly indicated that there were a lot more play-based scenes I missed. Next time I will try to follow MacBeth himself and see more.
I found the Townsfolk plots looked interesting, but wasn't sure how or if they tied in with the Nobles/Macbeth plot.
No private audiences for me, I guess me and my bag-self are just not special. But M got one where she was anointed with oil and presented with a sword and lordship (maybe by Malcolm?) so that was awesome :-)
All in all, surreal, it felt like wandering thru a dream. Or running, in some cases. A really macabre Euthanatos-y dream. With lots and lots of stairs. As I was seeing familiar Macbeth'ish plot pieces out of order, it reminded me in a fun way of reading The Orphan's Tales. "O wait! I saw this fifty pages ago!" Tho my usually good-with-details brain was a little annoyed at how two or three of the Nobles characters looked almost exactly alike, so I couldn't tell who was doing what.
I'm not completely cured of my emo-ness, (especially in light of new stupid-doctor news today *headdesk*) but I don't remember the last time I felt so excited & invigorated about something. I felt a bit sore after all the running around but not too exhausted, and I feel better than usual today. Yay! Interactive theatrical glamourbomb!
I am thinking of going back in February (Imbolc, lol), and it *really* pays off to get in as early as possible, b/c you can stay as long as you like until the last banquet scene (the full show is about 3 hours long). And to not carry a purse, or something. Anybody want to come with?
Here is the blogged guide that helped me :-) The Spoiler-Free User-Friendly Guide to Enjoying Sleep No More
<3 Chrysilla
