Last night I went to Sleep No More, the much-discussed dramatic immersion that spreads actors and participants over five floors of an artfully deshabille Chelsea warehouse, made over to resemble a 1930s-era hotel. The dozen or so actors, who are differentiated from audience members by the fact that the latter wear masks and move in complete silence, weave in and out of the elaborate domestic tableaux, acting out scenes in a movement-driven interpretation of Macbeth. This experience can be entertaining or life-changing, depending on how much theater and avant-garde art you enjoy on a regular basis. Although I had a companion, my favorite element of the evening, which starts at midnight, was how much the experience is heightened by the individual's degree of interaction with the rapidly evolving environment. We followed along most of the time, and spent the last couple of hours in the show's point of origin: Manderley, a sort of house cabaret bar, drinking Lillet punch and Scotch respectively, listening to a singer glide through her repertoire of torch songs. Today I'm reading Shakepeare After All for the notes on Macbeth.
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