An Underworld Journey into 'Sleep No More'

Benton Madsen scalar path page

Looking around at what people have written, it appears I am not alone in my fascination with the hotel itself. Looking back at the lack of dialogue on the part of the actors, and the fact that you don’t see all of them in equal measure means that the hotel has an unfair advantage: it is naturally the best at playing a silent role, and you will be following the hotel no matter which actor you choose to observe. It was interesting, most people’s descriptions use the passive voice. For example from Andrew’s page: "No sooner have you arrived than you are given a mask, told not to speak, and thrust into a dark, rickety elevator operated by a lone figure.” The way he describes it, the experience happens to him, it is not his will, he is passive and the world around him draws him here, in other words he is fated, much like Macbeth as another page pointed out. It’s also interesting that people are thinking this way because intuitively you’d think one has more agency in a production like Sleep No More then they would in a run of the mill play. But in reality I don’t think they do; you can end the second world of a play by stepping outside, not so for the hotel. You could feasibly go outside, but it would require rushing down stairs, running through the bar, and back out the hallway. The physical distance between you and the year 2015 makes you feel like you have less agency in Sleep No more then you do with a traditional play.

I also found Amelia's page interesting: I had not thought about how omnipresent religious iconography was in the McKittrick. But she's unmistakably right; the imagery is everywhere. Interestingly I had focused more on the superstitious acts of the characters. If you look closely they do tons of tiny, seemingly innocent superstitious rituals: blowing sand, drawing hands, unsheathing clocks and more. I think that further underlines her point that the set up of the room conflicts with the actions of the characters.

Harmony's page also reinforces the idea that SNM, despite being all about choice, actually strips you of your ability to decide. She like Andrew uses the passive voice, and even goes so far as to describe the experience as one that shapes the audience to taylor the needs of the McKittrick, rather then you tailoring the experience of SNM to suite your own needs. All in all interesting take. 


 

This page has paths:

Contents of this path: