NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The 鈥淢acbeth鈥�-inspired immersive theater experience that is hosted in three empty, hulking warehouse spaces in downtown New York City will say goodbye early next year on its 5,000 performance.
Producers said Wednesday that they'll wrap up the experience on Jan. 28 after 13 years and having welcomed more than 2 million visitors to the art installation-meets-theater-and-dance piece with elements of both Shakespeare and Alfred Hitchcock.
鈥淭hirteen years ago, we could never have imagined the astonishing journey this show has been on. It鈥檚 had an incalculable impact on us all and will live on in our hearts, seep through our skin and sleep in the deepest parts of our imaginations,鈥� producers Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle said.
Created by the British theater troupe Punchdrunk, visitors to the fictional 100,000-square-foot McKittrick Hotel are handed Venetian-style masks to wear and are encouraged to explore. About 25 performers act out mostly wordless scenes inspired by Shakespeare鈥檚 play while dressed in 1930s outfits and giving off a film noir vibe and an 鈥淓yes Wide Shut鈥� feel. It became a draw for tourists and a
Over the years, the space became a multi-venue dining, nightlife and entertainment destination, with a rooftop garden restaurant and stages that attracted sets by everyone from Mumford and Sons and Sting to Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Brandi Carlile, Dua Lipa and Josh Groban.
For the intrepid, about 100 rooms have been carved out over several floors 鈥� some as small as a child鈥檚 bedroom and others as large as a ballroom. The outside has also been brought inside, with a gritty cemetery and a massive forest included in the mix. Guests are encouraged to rummage about the infirmary, taxidermist's place, padded room, libraries, apothecaries, laundry and even a detective agency. Open the drawers, read the books in the shelves: Each room is decorated with no detail unspared. They even seem to have their own odor.
A production in Shanghai is in its seventh year.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
