Honest Review of Sleep No More in New York – Is It Worth Seeing? [Part 3 – Most Detailed Version]

Must see moments in Sleep No More

While characters pursue their stories in different rooms, key passages bring everyone together. The scenes below are especially important across the three hour arc. Make note of them when you visit.
All images below are merely illustrative as photography is not permitted inside.

① The first prophecy

Location: second floor lobby
Three witches greet Macbeth at the hotel counter with the first prophecy. They hail him as Thane of Cawdor and as one who shall be king. To Banquo, they foretell that he will not be king but his line will rule. Then they vanish. Macbeth, already harboring ambition, begins to hope.

② The ballroom dance appears three times

Location: first floor ballroom
This is where scattered performers converge and dance. Audiences who have been following different characters gather here as well.
Macbeth watches from the second floor with a hard stare. The Sexy Witch bewitches Macduff. Lady Macduff drinks poisoned milk offered by Catherine Campbell and collapses. After the first dance, King Duncan is killed by Macbeth.

③ The banquet (There are three of them!)

Location: first floor ballroom
A long banqueting table fills the hall. Most characters take their seats before the Macbeths arrive.
Banquo appears late, looking like a blood soaked ghost.
After the guests disperse, the Macbeths remain. Suddenly Macbeth abandons Lady Macbeth and rushes off, leaving her stranded as the scene ends.

④ The second prophecy

Location: fourth floor Hecate’s bar behind the taxidermist
This passage uses intense strobe effects.
The three witches gather at Hecate’s bar and warn Macbeth to beware of Banquo.
Hecate sits at the table and witnesses everything.
With a burst of strobe, the witches spring into motion, Macbeth bursts in, receives the prophecy, and bolts to arrange Banquo’s murder.

⑤ The card game

Location: fourth floor tavern
Malcolm, Banquo, and Macduff gather in Hecate’s bar to discuss the cause of death of King Duncan.
As they drink and play cards, a frenzied Macbeth storms in.
Malcolm and Macduff escape, but Banquo is left and Macbeth kills him.

Who is who a character guide

Stories play out simultaneously across the hotel, and there are original characters not found in Shakespeare as well as relationships created specifically for this world. Even if you know Macbeth, some threads can be confusing.

Use the chart below and these notes to ground yourself before you go.

Main characters

Macbeth

A Scottish general and vassal of King Duncan.
After the witches foretell kingship, he kills the king. it is hard to forget Macbeth returning covered in blood and bathing with Lady Macbeth. After the second prophecy, he murders his friend Banquo, too.

Lady Macbeth

Macbeth’s wife.
Even more ambitious and forceful than her husband, she drives him to atrocity. After reading the letter about the witches, she quarrels fiercely with Macbeth and goes to the dance alone. Once Macbeth is king, guilt consumes her and she starts suffering sleepwalking and visions.

Duncan

King of Scotland, who favors Macbeth but is assassinated by him.
He’s often portrayed by a slightly older actor. His chamber features a small chapel, a bookcase, and a fireplace.
Before the dance, his son Malcolm shaves Duncan’s beard in a quiet scene.

Malcolm

Elder son of Duncan.
On learning of the murder, he and Macduff and Banquo move the king to the chapel below.
Later the three discuss the death over cards in the tavern.
In the dance he partners with the Boy Witch.

Banquo

A Scottish general and Macbeth’s friend.
The witches foretell that his line will rule Scotland.
After Macbeth becomes king, assassins kill Banquo at Macbeth’s command. He later returns as a specter to haunt Macbeth.

Macduff

A Scottish nobleman.
He discovers Duncan’s body. After Macbeth’s men kill his family, he seeks to join forces with Malcolm against Macbeth.

Hecate

Signature look a long red gown with dark feathers
Goddess of witchcraft.
An eerie observer across the story, most often found in her bar.

Supporting characters

Lady Macduff

Identifiable as pregnant.
She fights with Macbeth in the lobby and is killed once, then later appears alive and dances with Macduff. In the ballroom Catherine Campbell offers her poisoned milk and she collapses.

Boy Witch

A young man with dark shadowed eyes.
One of the three witches. He dances with Malcolm as the only male-male pair and is the man who dances on the billiards table.

Bald Witch

A woman with a shaved head, often in a navy or deep green dress and with a wig that she removes after the dance.
One of the three witches. Notable for a fierce fight with Macduff on the dance floor.
Note that she isn’t necessarily bald, depending on who plays her role.

Sexy Witch

Often wears a green dress with ruffled straps.
One of the three witches. In the dance, she provokes Lady Macbeth while partnering with Macduff. She delivers the prophecy to Banquo after the dance,
then heads to the candy shop and gives Macduff poisoned sweets.

Porter

A bellman in hotel staff attire.
Often seen with Catherine Campbell. Some interpret him as harboring an unrequited love for the Boy Witch.

Catherine Campbell

A stern looking housekeeper in maid attire.
Repeatedly attempts to give Lady Macduff poisoned milk. She behaves misteriously: covers every clock with cloth, settles King Duncan into bed, dances on the bed, and sets a metronome, among other things. She sometimes draws a guest into a room and speaks to them unmasked.

Tailor

Named Fulton. Keeps a shop opposite the taxidermist and frequents Hecate’s bar.

Taxidermist

Named Bargarran. He’s often with the tailor, and also visits Hecate’s bar behind the shop.

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