I’m so happy XD
Tag Archives: McKittrick Hotel
Sleep No More – Hecate Fanart
“Speaking of which, did you encounter Hecate? I was hoping to see your artistic rendition of the woman in red…” ~ HH
So I never got a good look at Hecate. My only encounter with her was quickly interrupted by screaming witches and strobe lights. This is what I imagine her to look like. XD
Sleep No More – my second experience – lastly
The end of my night was a blur.
Here were some of the more lucid moments…
Most Suspenseful :
Everyone held their breath as Malcom lathered up Duncan for a shave…perhaps the closest he ever gave…
Most Aha!-I’ve-Seen-A-Photo-of-This! :
Mad Lady Macbeth sat in a bathtub, after being undressed by the nurse.
Most Rapid Transition from Adorable to Unsettling :
The taxidermist stitched close a teddy bear (aww) and laid it in a crib surrounded by headless dolls (creepy!).
Most Spoiled by the Theater Program:
Most Awkward:
I met scorchedthesnake. Instead of striking up a normal conversation, I tapped him on the shoulder, gave him a coin, and ran away. I’m not usually this awkward in real life, I promise!
Most Celebrity-like:
“Come quick! Look at her dress!” One of the coat checkers called to the other, before handing me my coat. Frequent revisitors probably got greetings all the time, but I felt super special.
My second Sleep No More experience was SPECTACULAR!
I had an amazing time bombarded by all sorts of surprises.
It was a significant improvement on my first trip.
Now the question is…should I go back?
Sleep No More – my second experience – continued
A glimpse of a speeding man sent me dashing after him, only to catch dust.
Lost among the shadows, I eventually encountered Malcom, Banquo, and Macduff processing with the dead Ducan. It was a somber moment when I bore sole witness to his funeral.
The trio later reconvened at the speakeasy.
Beneath shady lighting, they dealt out cards and responsibilities.
After a few rounds of games and alcohol, they hammered the nail into Macbeth’s coffin.
Right after Malcom and Macduff had slipped away, Macbeth stormed in, and lunged after Banquo.
The two entwined in a brawl.
This fight was not a delicate dance.
It was savage and brutal!
After being tossed all over the speakeasy, Macbeth finally corned the fallen Banquo behind bar, and struck repeatedly with bone-breaking ferocity.
Finally, a silence came over the room.
The bloodied Macbeth staggered away as the speakeasy bartender rested a brick on the pool table.
Banquo was no more.
Just as I was gathering my wits, a guest next to me whispered:
“I read your blog.”
Whoa!
More To Come…
Sleep No More – my second experience
It’s hard for mindblown individuals to tell tales, so I can only try.
Spoilers Below
“Look at this one. She looks so innocent but we know what she really is.”
Faye nudged my shoulder as I entered the elevator waiting area.
She was absolutely right. I was about to pull an insane stunt: tipping the Bellhop.
As the next-to-last person off the elevator, I saw the Bellhop pressed up against the steel blue walls, hands held in. A hairline before stepping off, I turned. I stared into his eyes while extending out a coin. He looked back with eyes of confusion and solemnity. After a motionless eternity, I pressed the coin into his folded hand, and then dashed off to my adventures.
To the Bellhop, I was probably a madwoman who just gave him a rusty quarter. To me, the Bellhop just experienced my 1:1, with all the elements: surprise, confusion, and souvenir. My rusty quarter was double-headed coin embellished with the McKittrick thistle. The bold always made their own Fortunes.
After my crazy experiment, I found myself in King James Sanitorium. A nurse glided through like a wandering spirit. To my incredulity, no one else was in sight. I immediately started to follow her. She came to a doorway, paused, and stared into my eyes, with a frighteningly intense gaze. Slowly, she reached out her hand.
Hesitantly, I took it.
She unlocked a black door and she beckoned me inside.
I entered.
I entered a place of fear.
The door locked behind me.
The rooms reverberated with demonic banging of exorcism-intensity.
The nurse was a looming shadow, seating me on a therapist char.
She peeled off my mask, and laid me down, and with a blanket, tucked me in. She then pressed her breathlessly still face oh-so-close to mine.
Suddenly a wall lit up with words prophesying Duncan’s death.
The nurse coughed violently into her hand, revealing a nail!
Ushered out in seconds, I was left with only a whisper: “don’t tell a soul”.
To Be Continued…
Sleep No More Fabric
A little while ago, Marley asked me if the fabric for the Caroline Dress was available on Spoonflower. I’m happy to announce it is, thanks to the amazing folks at Sleep No More.
Time to indulge your SNM-obsessed DIY-er!
May I interest you in a bowtie?
Bowtie Patterns:
David Bowtie – BurdaStyle
How to Make a Bowtie – Prudent Baby
Bowtie Pattern – LA Times
Caroline Pattern:
C Dress by Masty (with minor modifications)
Fabric:
Sleep No More – Spoonflower
Caroline Dress – inspired by Sleep No More
Last night I dreamt I went to McKittrick again…
…except in my snazzy new dress!
I’d wanted to make a 1940s dress ever since my first Sleep No More escapade.
The vicarious excitement from my friend’s recent trip set the motors of my tiny sewing machine in motion.
With permission to incorporate the McKittrick pineapples, I designed and printed my very first fabric through Spoonflower.
I present to you: Miss Caroline.
It features a bold print, sweetheart neckline, and long sweeping skirt; a refined version of my Dandyweeds Dress
I’ll be donning this for my second visit to the McKittrick in May.
I’m looking forward to all the things I apparently missed.
I really want a 1-on-1 experience but those seem wretchedly rare.
Either way, I’ll be bloody bold and resolute.
Maybe I will pay fortune a visit.
I hear she has favorites.
*Edit: Apparently they aren’t pineapples, according to scortchedthesnake, they’re thistle, whoops ^^;
*Edit again: Fabric now available on Spoonflower, with approval {Link}
Sleep No More – my experience
I can’t contain my excitement.
I thought I’d post about my Sleep No More experience later, but I had too much fun reminiscing.
My memory is not keen on the sequences or details of events. I will just portray the ecstasy.
SPOILERS BELOW
When I arrived at the McKittrick Hotel, I was completely out of breath.
My geographically-challenged self had ran many blocks desperately searching for the entrance. I was super late.
Much to my dismay a huge line had formed.
In my hour of wait, I conversed with a lovely lady.
She couldn’t believe I rode the bus from Boston just to see this show. I couldn’t believe she could parse my ecstatic speech. I was hyper.
I noticed Hitchhock graffitis along the exterior wall. I thought they were charming coincidences, instead of deliberate details. A plate near the front door warmed my heart. It referenced Manderly, a storied mansion from one of my favorite books: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Finally inside, a well-dressed gentleman greeted me.
“Is this your first time staying with us at the McKittrick Hotel?”
With a nodd, I was handed my room key and a mask.
The 13 of spades, how lucky!
Donning my mask, I ventured into a dark, weaving corridor. I was apprehensive.
Slowly, the corridor metamorphosed into a gorgeous 1940s lounge, with ladies in dazing dresses and a wonderful small band.
A courteous gentleman escorted me to the elevator, to enter the rest of the hotel.
A lovely lady in red announced the rules of the McKittrick Hotel. No talking, no electronics, and no removal of the mask.
With a loud THUD startlingly the silent audience, the elevator door opened, revealing an operator.
“Fortune favors the bold.”
The elevator stopped ascending, and people hustled out. Suddenly, the operator stopped a man, and closed the elevator doors. We were once again being transported.
When we finally emerged, a ballet was unravelling before me. A gentleman and a pregnant lady danced among the bookcases. I was enthralled. When the dance concluded, I dashed to the other rooms.
I was short on time. My bus back to Boston left at 10pm, which left only an hour for exploration. I climbed to the top floor. There I ran through the hospital, peeking under the covers of every bed I found. My glimpse of the operation chair triggered images in of mad patients under the hand of maniacal doctors.
I descended.
I found myself in a dark graveyard. The night howled and smoke loomed over the tombstones. I was alone. Slowly and timidly, I followed a small footpath.
A statue of a cloaked woman stood in the center, extending her hand. After starring at her for many minutes, I mustered up the courage to touch her. “Fortune favors the bold,” I muttered to myself.
The end of the graveyard gave way to large room with glass-paned walls. Encircled by a large crowd, a lady slowly danced around the room, spellbinding their gaze.
I noticed a bathtub on a dais pooled with rust colored water.
I proceeded out of the room and into the staircase.
I dashed to a floor with shoppes paving the walls. I watched as three masked guests pillaged the candy store. One of the guests kindly handed me a sweet from a jar before running to his own adventure.
I peered into another shop and saw a lady and a man quarreling. Papers were flung everywhere.
The lady shoved past all the guests and ran away into the streets. The man was left standing alone.
I found myself in a speakeasy bar.
A few guests watched the bartender intently. One was seated at the bar. Beside him was a water-filled glass. I desperately wanted the bartender to offer me a drink, but alas, he only shuffled a deck of cards.
I skittered onto a floor that situated me back at the McKittrick Hotel. Luggages dangled from a corner room. A dinning hall and a plush lounge warmly invited explorers. I glanced at the menu on well-set tables. Everything looked delicious.
A lady in dark dress came by the kitchen area of the dinning room and prepared a drink. The pregnant lady came by shortly after. She spread jam over a piece of toast, before requesting the drink. This began a spectacular danced spectacular dance on top of the tables.
They waltzed into the lounge with another man. They conversed through motions, depicting the the pregnant lady’s addiction to this drink. Before I finally snuck elsewhere, I nibbled on the toast. It was dry.
I found a forest, much a like the graveyard. There was a giant wolf staking among the trees.
I treaded quickly, until I found a hut with light. It was small, and locked. I pressed eye to the crack and made out a few photos and a small bed. I wished I could have stepped in.
I met up with the lady in black once again. I followed her to a shrine where a dead man laid on the altar. She danced on the the dead man, and he came alive! They exited the shrine together.
I happened onto my most intense scene of the night. Jollily turning a corner on a the hotel floor, I stumbled upon another gentleman and the pregnant lady dancing. He was a different person from the bookcase dancer. Something was dark about the dance. It became a struggle for the woman to get away. Just when she has freed herself, the man lifted her and slammed her repeatedly into the wall! BAM BAM BAM
She feel back with blood allover.
The gentleman dazedly jotted to a dark ballroom and glanced at a single beam of light. From the murder moments before to the haunting look of the gentleman, I was stunned.
My night ended when all the major characters gathered around a banquet table. The slow motion of the characters and the dazzling lights made the view unforgettable. I watched as a giant crowd gathered on the floor. It was magical.
I was very sad that I only spent an hour enjoying this marvelous performance. Compared to my friend’s experience, mine was extremely tame. I didn’t have any one-on-one interactions with the characters, nor did I see the witch’s rave. I’ve decided to attend for a second time. Hopefully I’ll catch the much coveted scenes.
As for my Sleep No More projects, they have trumped everything else. I’ll bring updates as soon as my plans finalize.
Sleep No More
Sleep No More is the best show ever! It’s immersive entertainment based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. You start off checking in at the McKittrick Hotel, and then explore five floors of gorgeous film noir setting.
You meet stunning characters, and watch how their actions intertwine.
I saw Sleep No More in January and raved it to everyone. It was unbelievably awesome!
One of my friends was intrigued and went to go see it yesterday. We compared stories today.
I’d missed so much! For me, I arrived late to the show and had to leave early, so I rushed. I only caught glimpses of crucial scenes!
I’m definitely seeing this again!
No spoilers in this post, but I’ll put up a summary of my and my friend’s experience after the show’s run is over.
Right now, I’m super inspired by Sleep No More. My next few projects will be heavy on this theme.