McKittrick Hotel
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Manhattan, New York
United States
 Exterior of the McKittrick Hotel | |
 Interactive map of McKittrick Hotel | |
| Address | 530 West 27th Street Manhattan, New York United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′02″N 74°00′14″W / 40.75056°N 74.00389°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2011 |
| Closed | January 12, 2025 |
| Website | |
| https://mckittrickhotel.com/ | |
The McKittrick Hotel (also known as The McKittrick) was a performing arts venue themed as a 1930s hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was located at 530 West 27th Street and was best known as the setting of the immersive theater production Sleep No More.[1] It also featured a bar and dining space known as Gallow Green on the roof,[2] a restaurant called the Club Car (originally called the Heath) on the sixth floor,[3] and a bar called the Manderley on the second floor.[4] In addition to Sleep No More, it was used as a venue for a number of parties, performances, and special events.[5] It closed in January 2025 following the final performance of Sleep No More and a trio of farewell parties entitled APPARITIONS.[6]
The venue's name is a reference to the Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo.
The McKittrick spanned roughly 100,000 square feet (9,300 square meters) across three adjoining warehouses.[7] There were six stories and around a hundred rooms.[8] This space was previously used as part of several nightclubs, including Twilo and Guesthouse before its conversion into the McKittrick in 2011.[9]
The McKittrick was never a real hotel, but Emursive, the producers of Sleep No More and many of the other events at the venue, have created a fictitious history for it. According to its official website, the McKittrick was built in 1939 to be New York's "most decadent" hotel but was shut down two days after the outbreak of World War II (six weeks before the hotel's scheduled opening).[10] While not all areas of the venue reflect a hotel theming, they generally maintained a 1930s noir aesthetic.
Programs and events
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The McKittrick was primarily used as the set for Sleep No More, a retelling of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth with additional elements from the Paisley witch trials and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. It spanned all six floors of the space and was known for its immersive elements and the distinctive masks that audience members wore during the performance.[11] Sleep No More opened on March 7, 2011 and closed on January 5, 2025.[6] It won numerous awards, including the 2011 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience[12] and special citations for design and choreography for its production company Punchdrunk at the 2011 Obie Awards.[13][14]
Additionally, the McKittrick hosted a wide range of limited-time events, including:
- Ghost Quartet, a musical song cycle by Dave Malloy, which premiered at the Bushwick Starr in 2014 and transferred to the McKittrick from January to May 2015.[15]
- Hypnotique, a burlesque show.[16][17]
- The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, a production of David Greig's musical, in partnership with the National Theater of Scotland.[18][19] It ran from November 2016 to April 23, 2017 in the Heath.
- SuperCinema, a series of parties inspired by movies such as Clue and The Great Gatsby.[20][21][22]
- Bartschland Follies (also known as the McKittrick Follies or simply the Follies), a late-night show headed by Susanne Bartsch involving a mix of cabaret and burlesque.[23]
- Inferno, a Halloween-themed party.[24][25]
- The Lost Supper – A Hypnotic Dinner Party, a mixture of dining and cabaret performance, featuring actors in animal masks.[26] It ran in a part of the Heath called the Attic in 2018 and closed on September 9 of that year.
- At the Illusionist's Table, a combination dining and magic performance designed, had a number of runs at the McKittrick.[27][28]
- Sleep No More: Salon Series, discussion sections following performances of Sleep No More. Salons were typically discussions between Emursive Chief Storyteller Ilana Gilovich and two members of the Sleep No More production team, followed by audience Q&A.[29]
- Sleep No More: Roundtable Series, audience talkbacks typically preceding Sleep No More performances.
- Speakeasy Magick, a magic show featuring a number of performers, each with a ten minute act. This was later moved from the McKittrick to the nearby Overlook Bar.[30]
- APPARITIONS, a three-night series of parties running from January 9–11, 2025 to bid farewell to the New York production of Sleep No More and the McKittrick.[31]
There were also various concerts and parties for other holidays and events.[32][33][34][35]
