REVIEW: New York City’s McKittrick Hotel has seen many ghosts

Photo: Earlier in its run at the McKittrick Hotel, Nicholas Bruder starred as Macbeth and Sophie Bortolussi as Lady Macbeth in Sleep No More. Photo courtesy of © Yaniv Schulman / Provided by O&M DKC with permission.

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NEW YORK — After several extensions throughout 2024, it appears the end of Sleep No More is fast approaching. The landmark immersive show, which sprawls across several renovated floors of a Chelsea property in Midtown Manhattan, is finally checking out of the McKittrick Hotel, the multi-use space that used to feature a host of theatrical entertainment. According to its website, Sunday, Jan. 5, will be the final time to enjoy this haunting retelling of Macbeth, and amazingly tickets are still available for the final weekend.

To cap off the multi-year run, the McKittrick will also host a farewell party called Apparitions, spread out over three nights, Jan. 9-11. That will be the final nail in this blessed coffin, the last time for audience members to roam these haunted hallways and peer into rooms to see spooky storylines unfurl with passion and poetry.

Of course, the question is whether the McKittrick is going anywhere — at least one hopes there is a way to save this performative property. The decision is ultimately up to the theatrical producer Emursive, which runs the shows at this slice of real estate.

Friday nights are when the hotel showcases a burlesque spectacle known as Hypnotique, with thumping beats, wandering patrons, intricate dance sequences and glow-in-the-dark drinks. Performances for this 21-and-over show continue through Friday, Dec. 13, but extensions occur almost monthly.

Emursive has taken some of its theatricality away from the McKittrick and set up in the tony environs of Downtown Manhattan.

For example, there’s Speakeasy Magick, an illusion show that plays Tuesdays through Sundays. Under the leadership of Todd Robbins, a magician extraordinaire, this daring night of sleight-of-hand is macabre and marvelous. Thankfully performances for the show are on sale until Jan. 31, and one hopes the evening program continues for much longer. This used to be performed at the McKittrick but has now transferred to the Overlook Bar in the Flatiron District.

Life and Trust, with tickets on sale through Sunday, Jan. 12, plays at Conwell Tower in Downtown Manhattan’s Financial District. The immersive experience is a rumination on sex, money and power, with audience members deciding which characters they want to follow. There are numerous people to take in, including vaudeville actors, Wall Street tycoons and daring scientists, according to press notes.

If libations are the preferred form of entertainment for audience members, no worries because the McKittrick and Conwell Tower have them covered as well. Drinks are available at the Club Car and Gallow Green at the hotel, or the Conwell Coffee Bar where Life and Trust plays. This reviewer appreciates the music and musings at the Manderley Bar, which is where Sleep No More begins and ends … until it begins no more.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Click here for more information and tickets.

Updated: Speakeasy Magick is now playing at the Overlook Bar, not at the McKittrick.