A blond man in a tuxedo approaches the brunette and asks her to dance. They do, slowly. Blues music plays and a few more “Sleep No More” participants wander out of the warehouse and into the bar.
Punchdrunk, the company responsible for “Sleep No More,” shocked New York with its interactive, site-specific theater piece. “Sleep No More” offers its viewers a rare chance to lose themselves in its unflinchingly immersive warehouses. Garbed in white masks and set loose in the McKittrick Hotel, participants follow only their own curiosity and an unspoken rule not to touch the actors. The rest is an outstanding, “Macbeth”-themed adventure best experienced alone.
The show’s staff makes a real effort to isolate guests from each other. Audience members are split into groups at random and immediately asked to cover their entire faces with plain, white masks. They are forbidden to speak or whisper. In the dark, shady rooms, everyone looks the same.
Punchdrunk is a very detail-oriented theater company, and its staff makes few choices arbitrarily. “Sleep No More” is about getting lost. Being separated from anyone they might know empowers each audience member to abandon pretenses of disbelief and irony. Being alone allows the participant to feel truly scared in the dark hallways of the warehouse, but it also gives them the bravery to walk down these passages.
The bar at the end is fun — which cheapens the show somewhat. It’s also an unnecessary relief. “Sleep No More” is phenomenal — the company could have unapologetically insisted that they offer a chance for personal exploration but that exploration requires being alone. Instead, they sell their awe-inspiring show short with some spiced wine and a jazz band. They’ve hired men to ask the girls to dance. The young women laughing at the “Sleep No More” bar just don’t get it. Participants slip back into their accustomed groups — it’s too easy. Punchdrunk should have left the socializing to some lesser play.
“Sleep No More” plays weekends at the McKittrick Hotel (530 W. 27th St).
