Equal parts Shakespeare, modern dance, cabaret, and haunted house, Sleep No More is not easy to explain. With over 100 rooms on six floors, the British company Punchdrunk has combined three spaces in New York’s Chelsea district into one massive set that you are free to explore. Your journey begins inside the McKittrick Hotel bar and lounge, but you’ll soon find yourself wandering into a candy store, graveyard, hospital, library, and child’s bedroom – each one spookier than the next. Actors in 1930’s costume appear suddenly, moving anxiously through the rooms with a group of audience members excitedly trailing them. If you get disoriented and lose your friends, you’re doing something right.

Throughout the show, everyone is asked to remain silent and wear a Venetian mask, which allows the actors to be easily distinguished from other audience members. Like avatars in a virtual game, the masks give you a sense of anonymity, and lend a cinematic quality to the entire experience. The presence of other anonymous voyeurs can create a competitive environment, like a scavenger hunt. At one point, I found myself in a large dark room witnessing an intensely intimate scene of a woman (Lady Macbeth) tending to a naked, bleeding man (Macbeth) in a bathtub. A sea of white masks slowly and silently filled the room, crowding around the two actors on all sides. The audience had stepped through the fourth wall and had become part of the art itself.

Some of the sets are works of art on their own, like installations you’re allowed to touch. Collections of every sort decorate the rooms, from magazines pages and photos to headless baby dolls. The taxidermist shop holds an overwhelming assortment of skeletons, fur, and (real) stuffed animals. The only common thread between the rooms is an obsessive-compulsive madness. The sets were designed by Livi Vaughan, Beatrice Minns and Co-Director Felix Barrett, with the help of many local artists, prop houses, and junk shops. The accompanying sound design by Stephen Dobbie is appropriately haunting, ranging from subliminal ambient tones to crackling Victrola records.

Choreographer and Co-Director Maxine Doyle adds unexpected and captivating twists to many of the dramatic scenes. After a man is violently murdered in his sleep, three men carry the corpse down to a crypt in a stylized way. Their slow, tortured movements add an incredible air of symbolism to the scene, reminiscent of work from New York-based artists Eiko and Koma. Listen to Doyle talk about her choreography for another Punchdrunk production here: Every Good Boy Deserves Favor.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is more of an inspiration than a storyline, so don’t spend too much time looking for clues; it’s more of a visceral, non-linear experience. When you need a break, head back to the second floor lounge, where you can order a drink and listen to the lovely jazz band. Dave Bryant on the piano is nearly worth the price of admission. Sleep No More is one of the most unique and exhilarating productions to come through New York in a long time – be sure to check it out while you still can.

Sleep No More | presented by Punchdrunk and Emursive
Location: The McKittrick Hotel, 530 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10002
Tickets: $75-95. Click here to purchase.