Sleep No More NYC Reviews and Tickets

86%

(1008 Reviews)

Positive

90%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Ambitious, Absorbing, Edgy, Intense, Clever

About the Show

A unique award-winning theatrical event: a site-specific Macbeth-meets-Hitchcock performance piece by Britain's Punchdrunk.

Running at the long-abandoned McKittrick Hotel on the extreme western edge of Chelsea, 'Sleep No More' is an adaptation of Macbeth. This piece of environmental theatre is comprised of an indoor promenade performance in which the audience walks at their own pace through a variety of theatrically designed rooms for up to three hours.

Member Reviews (1008)

Great staging, Original, Clever, Entertaining, Edgy

See it if You're a fan of elaborate staging. The attention to detail is AMAZING.

Don't see it if If you're looking for a story. It's too spread out to follow in any realistic way. It's very cool but not follow able.

Refreshing, Intelligent, Delightful, Clever

See it if If you like immersive theater. This was well acted and very creative.

Don't see it if If you like traditional theater. If you do not want to be on your feet watching a performance.

Must see, Ambitious, Clever, Edgy, Original

See it if you want a thoroughly original, unforgettable, unique, immersive theatrical experience.

Don't see it if you're a strict traditionalist and/or you're not open to a most unconventional staging of Macbeth. (Or you're uncomfortable on your feet.)

Ambitious, Absorbing, Enchanting, Masterful, Must see

See it if you love drama, mystery and magic. Provides a unique experience for each attendee combining dance and music with detailed worlds.

Don't see it if you cannot walk, climb stairs or move comfortable for several hours.

Absorbing, Ambitious, Dizzying, Edgy, Indulgent

See it if you want an immersive experience unlike any you've ever had, you love interpretive dance, or you just feel like running around.

Don't see it if you're not into Macbeth (it's partly based on that story), don't want to move a lot, or don't like dance or no dialogue.

Absorbing, Clever, Ambitious, Overrated, Intense

See it if You're interested in being a part of an evening of immersive art.

Don't see it if You think this is going to be a theatrical experience. If anything, it's more of a dance show -- it's theatrical, but it ain't theatre.

Absorbing, Edgy, Original, Thought-provoking, Intense

See it if You enjoy interactive theater and walking around a spectacular space and don't need dialogue to enjoy yourself.

Don't see it if You get tired easily or need a strict narrative through-line. There is no dialogue and so many stories you will never see them all.

Absorbing, Ambitious, Exquisite, Original

See it if you want to see something different and immersive, enjoy the dark style of Hitchcock, like to explore and curate your own experience

Don't see it if don't like crowds, want a clear story to follow, can't stand for long periods of time, are offended by nudity and graphic scenes

Critic Reviews (16)

For a previous production

“Sleep No More” is, in short, a voyeur’s delight, with all the creepy, shameful pleasures that entails. As conceived by Punchdrunk, this tale of regicide taps the same impulses that draw us to Agatha Christie mysteries and sensational tabloids, flavored with the snob appeal of biographies of self-destructive aristocrats."
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For a previous production

"A multitude of searing sights crowd the spectator's gaze at the bedazzling and uncanny theater installation Sleep No More...A true astonishment, turning six warehouse floors into a purgatorial maze that blends images from the Scottish play with ones derived from Hitchcock movies—all liberally doused in a distinctly Stanley Kubrick eau de dislocated menace."
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For a previous production

"What in Hecate’s name is Sleep No More? A dance-theater horror show? A wordless, nonlinear mash-up of Macbeth and the darker psychosexual corners of Hitchcock? A six-story Jazz Age haunted house for grown-ups and anyone who’s ever entertained sick cineast-y fantasies of living inside a Kubrick movie? ’Tis all these, and more besides. It was a lovely evening in hell, one I’ll be recovering from for some time."
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For a previous production

"I felt that the primary impulse was to make theatre matter, to have an over-all emotional effect, in which décor and dance are equal to the dramaturgy, as in eighteenth-century operas...Does this mean that, if one forgets moments of the piece in this doomed party atmosphere, it’s superficial? Yes. Does this mean that the profound role the piece plays in altering one’s consciousness makes it a deep work, too? Yes."
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For a previous production

"This isn’t faddish hipster ephemera. Far from it. Chances are, you’ll walk away from “Sleep No More” obsessing over its myriad details, chewing over your peculiarly intoxicating trip in a way no traditional theatergoing can match. Punchdrunk stakes its art on an ancient, even primitive premise: There is no source of storytelling as powerful as the human body."
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For a previous production

"Ambition is the fatal flaw in "Macbeth," but it's the key to the success of "Sleep No More," a sensational interactive theater piece inspired by imagery from the Scottish play and Alfred Hitchcock thrillers."
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For a previous production

"Bring an open mind, a healthy curiosity, and perhaps a decent working knowledge of Shakespeare's Macbeth, and you will have a fascinating time at Sleep No More, the simply astonishing environmental theater piece now playing in Chelsea. Theatergoers will find themselves wanting to return to the McKittrick time and again to dive into this deliciously eerie experience."
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For a previous production

"There are two distinct parts of 'Sleep No More': the physical production, and the personal experience, and both are apt reasons to attend...'Sleep No More' is full of surprise revelation and poignant moments; what makes it unique for a theatrical piece is both the ability for these moments to come even when actors are nowhere to be seen, and the intense level of absorption that occurs during the experience."
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For a previous production

"It is an engaging if dizzying mix of design, dance and drama...The production depends on theatergoers’ prior knowledge of the Scottish play, generally a good bet, although the more recently someone has read it (or seen a straightforward production of it), the more the disparate images and chaotic moments of 'Sleep No More' will cohere."
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For a previous production

"Rarely have I seen a more money-grabbing show, which has wowed New York's critics, but left me feeling short-changed...How on earth can a company charge such high prices for a show you cannot hope to appreciate fully in one, two or even three sittings? The numbers just don't add up. Except in the box office. And at the bar. Oh, and in that gift shop."
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For a previous production

"The experience of this production is just like a nightmare: detailed, hard to convey in words, elusive, weirdly logical somehow. Even when you don’t enjoy it, you relish the experience...It all reminded me of the Tower of Terror at Disneyworld. I mean that as a compliment...When it works, it’s exhilarating. But, like a roller coaster, it has some duller patches, and it’s not for the physically weak...I’d get on line for this ride again. And there’s more to explore in this nightmare."
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For a previous production

"'Sleep No More' isn’t for everyone...But for years people have found the experience fun and exhilarating, and word of mouth has encouraged others to try out 'Sleep No More' for themselves. So if you’re up for a little adventure or your curiosity has been piqued, then put on your comfy shoes and check it out."
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For a previous production

"In "Sleep No More," Shakespeare's “Macbeth” is transformed into a 1940s noir nightmare. This is not a play you sit and watch. Spectators at "Sleep No More" are given white masks to cover their faces, instructed to keep silent, and then set loose into the maze for up to three hours. How long you stay, where you go, and what you see is entirely up to you."
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For a previous production

"My heart raced the entire time; I felt nervous and exhilarated...There's so much more to say about Sleep No More, but I don't know how to say it without clumsily stumbling over the experience for someone else. All I can say is that you should go, and if you do: be bold. And if someone makes eye contact with you, hold it."
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For a previous production

"Hidden in New York City is the best live performance show in town and that show is Sleep No More, which is way off Broadway and way, way out of the box.Sleep No More is a show that stays with you long after its over...If living theater is your cup of tea, then Sleep No More is good to the last drop."
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For a previous production

"It’s tough to feel any sense of reward, or accomplishment, or even emotional gratification from your actions. Maybe I’m just not smart enough for an experience like Sleep No More, but my time at the show was confusing and frustrating. I came craving a story and left with nothing but flashy fragments and uncomfortable moments."
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