"Sleep No More": Who controls destiny?

After the world-famous immersive drama Sleep No More (hereinafter referred to as SNM) settled in Shanghai last year, it caused quite a stir in the entire theater circle. It was often so popular that it was hard to get a ticket. Unfortunately, I was in Beijing and had not been able to watch it. No chance to experience it. In July, in order to celebrate my upcoming birthday, my friends and I went to Shanghai. We planned to play 5 shows in two days and three nights. SNM was our first stop when we arrived in Shanghai. We started paying attention to the official ticket opening time more than a month in advance. It was really a blessing from fate to finally get tickets to the show.

On July 21st, the temperature in Shanghai was as high as 39℃, and the air seemed to be full of anxiety and boredom. We got off the train and hurried to the hotel to put down our luggage and then rushed to the theater, even though it was a 7pm performance. , but many people queued up in advance just to be the first audience to enter the venue.

SNM is an immersive drama adapted and produced by the British Punchdrunk Theater Company based on Shakespeare's famous play "Macbeth". Two-thirds of the actors in the Shanghai version are from the New York, London and Boston versions. The original cast also incorporates outstanding dancers from Asia. It is a perfect inheritance of the New York version of SNM, but it is not a complete copy. The production team carefully prepared many props that fit the background of Shanghai in the 1930s, and also added some branch lines with Chinese characteristics. plot.

The McKinnon Hotel is located at No. 1013 Beijing West Road, Jing'an District. However, this is not a hotel in the true sense, but a performance space that the producer spent 10 months building for SNM. . This once-abandoned office building has been carefully transformed and transformed into a mysterious hotel that was in Shanghai's heyday in the 1930s. The hotel has 90 rooms of various sizes and more than 3,000 drawers waiting for visitors from all over to explore. Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk, said -

In fact, SNM has allowed the audience to enter the immersive atmosphere they created from the beginning of purchasing tickets. The text introduction on the official website is like a real hotel, as if every A viewer is really booking a stay in general. What’s interesting is that after watching the show, I bought a customized key at the souvenir shop. When I received a call from customer service, the person claiming to be from the souvenir shop of the MacKinnon Hotel was a bit overwhelmed at the time.

McKinnon repeats the same story every day, that long-standing legend about desire and murder. However, due to the different audiences, the rotation of participating actors, and the unique perspective chosen, even every day Go to the hotel to check in, and you will gain different experiences from this recurring story.

What is the charm of SNM? Ma Chencheng, the producer of the Shanghai version, said in an answer on Zhihu——

On the high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai, my friends and I were scrambling to read the guide because we were worried that we would not know anything about it. I missed the excitement of this drama, but after entering the situation that night, I realized that all the strategies and preparations were not as important as the real feelings at the moment. I chose to follow my own heart and find it with my own intuition. What the audience unlocks are different perspectives and different lives. Just like Conor Doyle, the executive and casting director of the Shanghai version, said -

Regarding the strategy part, many viewers on Douban Zhihu Weibo have made very detailed comments Analysis and spoilers, I don’t want to go into details here, I just want to share some of my experiences after watching it with friends who are experiencing it for the first time.

There are some plot-related tips:

1. Not familiar with "Macbeth" will not affect the experience of watching the play, but it is better to understand the character relationships and the outline of the story. Although the story is based on Macbeth, it does not completely copy the original work. If you have not read the original script, it will not cause a big obstacle to watching. However, it is still necessary to understand the story outline and character relationships in the original work in advance. There is a little plot. The concept will make it easier for you to choose which character to follow, so that you won’t be completely confused.

2. Lack of proficiency in English will not affect understanding of the plot. After entering the theater, all audience members will be muted. This is a play that relies on dance, movements, and expressions to convey emotions. Except for some one-on-one scenes where you may chat with the actors, the voices of the actors can hardly be heard on the scene. , even if there is a whisper, you can feel free to experience it even if your English is not good.

3. Try not to read the guide that contains strong spoilers when watching it for the first time. Whether it is the Shanghai version producer or the founder of the theater troupe, the advice to the audience is that there is no need to do too much preparation, just relax and experience it with your heart. This is what I want to share with everyone who is preparing to experience SNM. So what if you are confused after reading it? If you make a choice based on your own heart, you will get a unique experience. In our lives, we have worked hard to ask ourselves not to miss this or let go of that. Why can't we truly make intuitive choices in this dream and let ourselves go completely?

For viewers who are experiencing it for the first time, no matter how well prepared you are beforehand, it will be difficult to follow your preparations once you actually enter that space. There are many unexpected factors. It will affect your decision-making, but this is the wonderful thing. This immersive experience makes me feel that this play, like our lives, will not follow the script exactly, even if everything is arranged well, even in the end The ending is certain, and what you get in it is a journey that is different from anyone else's.

4. You don’t have to follow the main character, but you have to choose who it is best to follow them for a complete circle. The three-hour performance will repeat the plot three times. In the last time, all the actors will guide the audience to the long table at the end of the plot, so missing the ending will not happen. Although there is no official guide, the creator of the theater company still gave the audience some Suggestion: follow Macbeth in the first circle, choose a branch character in the second circle, and wander around in search of surprises in the third circle. This arrangement should be a safer choice for viewers who are experiencing it for the first time.

But when I was flipping through the guide, I didn’t remember anything. I only selectively remembered one sentence, “Follow the most handsome one.” Although I missed this crucial sentence. Despite all the main plot of Macbeth, I unexpectedly got to watch the charming and sexy Conor version of the wizard. I got an amazing face-to-face interaction with him, and also unlocked a very exciting two-on-five confrontation that is said to be a rare opportunity. , that’s probably what the saying goes, something must be gained.

There are some tips that have nothing to do with the plot:

1. Try to arrive as early as possible. If it is a popular show such as a Friday or Saturday night show, please try to arrive at the theater about 1 hour before the show time. Only the first batch to enter will be able to experience the complete plot three times. I believe everyone will not want to miss a minute.

2. Try not to wear glasses. Friends who are short-sighted, please wear contact lenses. Every audience member who enters the theater needs to wear a white mask to distinguish himself from the actors and staff. The space under the mask is already small, and you have to run around with your glasses stuck. These three hours will Just imagine how difficult it is.

3. Try not to wear high heels. Even if you don't run wildly, running up and down for three hours is still a lot of exercise. It is better to change to a pair of flat shoes that have no presence to make yourself more comfortable.

4. Make eye contact with the actors bravely and accept the invitation graciously. The great charm of SNM is that the actors will invite the audience to perform one-on-one. When they send you an invitation signal, you have to look at them bravely and accept them calmly. Once you are selected, it will be a very unforgettable experience. However, please be careful and polite. If you follow closely and disturb other audience members, or interfere with their performance, you will be disliked and thrown out of the theater.

5. If you want to experience one-on-one plots or interact with actors, you will have more opportunities to follow the side characters. The protagonist Macbeth shouldn't have much interaction with the audience, and there are people from Wuyang Wuyang following him. There is basically no chance, but if you choose some side characters, the winning rate will be much higher, and the one-on-one interactions between the side characters are very exciting. miss.

An important point needs to be drawn here. If you are lucky enough to meet the wizard played by Conor Doyle, please do not hesitate to follow him! Follow closely and don’t lose it! You will see a great master with first-class dancing skills, a moving expression, aloof charm, and an infectious aura that is so powerful that you can't look directly at him and can't bear to look away! The wizard is the man sitting on the far right side of the long table scene (the far right side of the audience's perspective). The wizard's photo is attached below for everyone to follow, thank you.

(The following may contain spoilers)

After rambling so much, the actual feeling of watching the show has not been fully expressed until now, two weeks later, when I recall That night felt like a dream.

The dream begins with the cheerful music in my ears, the boundless darkness in front of my eyes, the wall I lean on, and the feeling of not knowing where the road under my feet ends.

After the curtain at the end of the darkness opened, everyone entered the waiting area of ??the jazz bar. Afterwards, the audience would enter the theater area in groups according to the playing card numbers they received. Before entering, staff would seal their mobile phones and distribute masks. As well as instructions for watching the performance. After everything was ready, a group of us entered the elevator. I didn’t know which floor I was pushed out on, and then I looked inexplicably at the surrounding audience wearing white masks like me, running around in a hurry. According to the plot The setting is that we play the role of a "ghost" wandering around this hotel as if no one is around. The mask is indeed an exquisite prop. Hidden under the mask, you can spy without scruples. No one knows what you are thinking at the moment. Fear, confusion, discomfort, embarrassment will all be well concealed.

I slowly found a place where the crowd gathered, a bar. There seemed to be a fierce fight taking place here. When I arrived, one of the tall men had his face covered in blood. The fight was gradually coming to an end. The tall man forced his opponent into the bar, then found a brick on the wall near me, walked back to the bar and hit the man he pinned down to the ground again and again. I didn't get close, I felt miserable just by imagining it. I stood at the door of the bar and looked at him from a distance, and also looked at the "ghosts" surrounding the murder scene who repeatedly poked their heads towards the bar floor. I don't know why, but I felt a sense of regret. Chill on back. Recalling the staff's instructions before entering the venue, "Don't get too close, you will see more scenery in the distance." I seem to understand a little. We are also part of this drama, and the "ghosts" who are watching indifferently seem to be the same. As an accomplice in a murder, silence is not an unforgivable crime, but it still cannot escape its responsibility.

I guessed that this was the scene where Macbeth murdered Banquo, so I ran with everyone following Macbeth, and then came to the scene of the long table, which is very important in the play. I sat on the left and right sides of the long table. On the side are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The performances of all the actors in this scene are both restrained and indulgent. Perhaps because they are all dancers, their control over the body has reached the level of proficiency. A group of men and women are entangled with each other. He caressed and kissed her, moving slowly as if the playback speed had been slowed down. From the perspective of the audience, sitting on the right side of the long table is the wizard. I just took one look and couldn't take my eyes away. After the plot of the long table ended, I gave up Macbeth irrationally, thinking that no matter what, it mattered. Following this little brother, even I didn’t know what role he played at the time.

Probably everyone else had gone to follow the main line, so there were not many people following the wizard. Not long after, he ducked into a compartment next to the stairs. I watched from the exit. I watched him gazing at himself in front of a cross. When he stood up and walked towards me, I stepped back to make way for him. However, I was pulled up and lifted my chin. I stood there blankly and was at a loss. There seemed to be some charm in his eyes. Arrogantly, when I lowered my head to kiss him on the cheek, my mind probably exploded. For a moment, OS in my heart really should follow the handsomest one. After that, I witnessed Conor running and flirting all the way, dancing enchantingly to seduce everyone, singing My Funny Valentine with a sad expression and tearful eyes, sitting on the ground naked and wet, flirting, every frown, every smile, and every move was written in capital letters. After following him for a full circle, I followed King Duncan and Prince Malcom to complete their plots. However, when I met Conor on the way, I was almost lured away by him again.

The three hours ended quickly. After the show, it was still muggy outside, but the irritability was replaced by excitement. Although it was already late at night, the streets of Shanghai were brightly lit. This foreign-style international metropolis, this city that never sleeps and is full of people, gave me an unforgettable night. In addition to the sultry Conor, the gorgeous and strange light effects of the Elysium Sacrifice, the scene of the Duncan father and son being wary of each other but tenderness, and the ending of Macbeth hanging above the ballroom are all in my memory.

There are many questions in my mind. What did we gain and what did we lose in the chase? What did the characters in the play gain and what did they lose in the struggle for power? Who controls our destiny? Is it in our own hands, or is it determined by God? Is there really a mysterious force that controls each of our lives? Do people really have the ability to predict the future? If we know our destiny in advance, does every choice we make towards this destiny echo this destiny arrangement, or is it possible to change the trajectory of our destiny?

I have been reading the original Chinese version of "Macbeth" slowly over the past few days. I used to find it unbearable to read Shakespeare's style with gorgeous rhetoric, but now looking back, I find it more cute and frank. Time has passed. It will eventually change you and me. What we didn’t like or understand before may have a sense of enlightenment at a certain moment one day. The past that we once complained about and disliked may become a beautiful memory that is difficult to let go of after the passing of time.

Our lives may indeed be guided by destiny, but whether you are moving forward in line with destiny, or you want to rebel against destiny and live your life, you make a choice and you become a unique self. No matter what kind of scenery is waiting for you, if you face it bravely, accept it, or try your best to change it, this life will be worthwhile, right?

A few days ago, there was a discussion about SNM in the drama group. It was mentioned that there is a god who has been watched 70 times on the Internet. Everyone expressed various incomprehensions and felt that it is better to do something more meaningful if we have this time. That's what I thought at the time. But when I was writing this article today, I suddenly wanted to ask myself, what is meaningful? How to define what is meaningful for each individual? Maybe this is an unsolvable question, because no one can understand life for others.

Limited by time and energy, I may not play it twenty or thirty times, but I still want to experience it again. Following different characters will give me different perspectives, but I am still led by the nose. If I could walk freely and casually in that time and space, I would be full of curiosity about what kind of experience it would be like to watch the performance of actors + audience from a further dimension. This year I began to slowly realize that not everyone must achieve worldly success in life. Bravely exploring the unknown world with curiosity is the greatest respect I give to my life, and it is also the contribution I make to my own destiny. choice.