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drinkthehalo · 7 years

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Shanghai. Again.

So I went to Shanghai again last week.

(I know. Ridiculous.)

A few thoughts... Consider this a sequel to last year's concluding thoughts and guide.

The Show

Some cuts that made me sad; some improvements that made me very happy. I'll do my best not to spoil.

The Porter/Boy Witch story has improved, because they have incorporated moments to replace some of the ones that are missing due to the changed lobby space.

I love one moment where Boy Witch looks at himself in a half-shrouded mirror. If you stand behind him, you see his reflection looking back at him in the mirror, and the Porter, like another reflection, peering at him from behind the curtain to the lobby desk.

And while I still miss the Porter's mirror in "Moonlight Becomes You," I love that if you stand in the right spot, you can watch both him and Lady Macduff, their movements mirroring each other.

Boy Witch has a great moment, coming up from the ballroom dance and after teasing the audience at the lost & found, where he walks through a long dark corridor into the lobby. Following behind him, you walk into the darkness, his shadowed outline slowly becoming apparent as you approach the light of the lobby. It's a powerful moment; Boy Witch in general feels more ominous in Shanghai.

"Witches 1" looks so beautiful. I've never found a reliable place to watch the New York version - some angles are always difficult to see. But in Shanghai, the lobby desk functions like a proscenium stage, and if you stand in the center you can see the whole thing clearly. They use the space so well, the witches spending more time behind and atop the counter, and the symmetry of the spacing and the movements is gorgeous to watch.

The lack of "Is That All There Is?" is still a huge loss. :(

I also adore the moment of the Bride dancing in the trees - not only is it beautiful, but it feels achingly like Wendy in Drowned Man.

I'm sad that they cut the hide and seek between Sexy Witch and the Bride on High Street. It was so much fun, although I'd guess that the logistics were too difficult.

I do love the new scene those two have together, but in general I don't feel like the Bride's story has as compelling of a narrative arc now as it had in December. Her relationship with Sexy Witch also isn't as clear to me now.

I really miss Hecate's fifth floor scene with the Bride, also cut. :( I felt that it incorporated the Bride more clearly into the existing narrative, better clarified her relationship with Hecate, and added emotional resonance to her story.

The Husband has a more developed story now, and I loved the emotional arc of his loop.

Duncan does something totally unexpected and brilliant. Which again, I won't spoil. But I loved it.

I greatly appreciate how much more dynamic and interesting the loops of Duncan, Cunning Man, and Speakeasy Barman have become. I know there are fans who enjoy watching a character sleep, or sew, or scrub cardboard, but to me these just seem like side effects of poorly defined character loops, and I don't mourn the loss. I think it's great that these characters have more to do.

There are new 1:1s. I had some but not others. All of the ones I had impressed me very much. I won't say anything else since it's spoilery, but kudos to Punchdrunk for doing a great job developing these.

The commercialism of the product tie-ins is a little bit distracting. But I don't think that the integrity of the show itself is compromised. The show is a work of art; I'd rather Budweiser and Kans spend their money on it than on another stupid TV commercial. I think people who criticize forget that art throughout history has been sponsored by those with money.

For the most part, the audience has gotten better since December. The stewarding is great, and one of the Woman in Bar characters actually demonstrates in her lift speech how to give performers space. It helps.

But I did make the mistake of going to the 100th show party, which was by far the worst audience experience I've ever had at a Punchdrunk show. I've honestly never experienced anything like it. People shoving ahead and pushing you behind them like a wild mob. There was no way to win - either you fall behind and can barely see, or you push ahead too, and either way you feel awful. I can't imagine how stressful this must have been for the performers as well. :(

On the plus side, 100th show Follies was delightful. (Only it's not called Follies there, I forget the actual name.) Fun to see such an interesting combination of people on stage - Lily and Sam, Conor and Garth, and several of the local cast.

The Performers

I don't even know where to begin. There are so many brilliant performers doing exceptional work; even in eight shows I didn't have time to follow everyone I wanted to see. A few specific thoughts:

Andrea Carrucciu

Andrea is brilliant. I can't complement his performances enough. He's exceptionally expressive with both his body and his eyes. From Porter to Macbeth he absolutely transforms, from sweet and awkward to intense and terrifying. His "Moonlight Becomes You" is beautiful, and his Macbeth is convincing both in his monstrousness as a killer and the aching vulnerability of Macbeth as a man who is in way over his head.

Fania Grigoriou

Fania is delightful to follow and brilliant at engaging the audience. She fully embodies her characters in every way. The contemptuous blasphemy of her Bald Witch must be seen to be believed.

The witch combination of Fania, Miranda, and Olly is the best I've ever seen, which is saying a LOT. They have the most amazing energy, pushing each other to the next level, shrieking and cackling and smacking each other, so absolutely delightful and wicked and thrilling. I'm in awe.

Lee Wen Hsin (Debby)

I somehow ended up watching her Dragon Boat scene like five times, and was consistently awed at her performance every time.

Lily Ockwell

In some ways Lily was the star during this visit. Every show she popped up in a surprising role - Lady Macbeth, Bride, Sexy Witch, Lady Macduff, and Nurse.

I never would have expected to see her as Lady Macbeth, but she totally killed it. Lily exudes sympathetic humanity, which made the cruelty of her actions toward Duncan even more painful to watch, and her remorse completely convincing. Her final bathtub scene was heartbreaking.

Also, her Sexy Witch scream in the rave deserves its own credit in the program. I knew it was coming and I still jumped out of my skin.

Liu Yu

His Calloway is charming, handsome, and by the end he remembered the names of everyone in my group. Seems like the entire show might stop running if he ever takes a sick day.

Miranda Mac Letten

Miranda's Sexy Witch is a work of art. Dark and haunting, more layered and mysterious and compelling than I ever thought Sexy Witch could be. Her bar solo seems to defy gravity and move at light speed; it's a stunning accomplishment.

Olly Hornsby-Sayer

Olly has totally come into his own as a performer - he’s very confident and comfortable with the audience, and seems like he enjoys his roles. I had a great time following him. At one point as Boy Witch, he startled me and other audience members so much that we screamed out loud. He's gotten so great at the Boy Witch eye contact and audience interaction. As Speakeasy he was an absolute delight - I found myself laughing multiple times throughout his loop.

Omar Gordon

Some of his dialog as Cunning Man cracked me the fuck up, which I will not quote here because it's spoilery, but omg. Brilliant.

Omar's Banquo is also fabulous, never more so than in the ballroom dance, where his chemistry with Fania's Bald Witch lights up the room.

Sam Booth

Sam is a genius, let's be honest. He took a character that spends half his NY loop sleeping, and made it into one of the most interesting performances in the show. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say this Duncan feels deeply and uniquely human, and his story is absolutely haunting.

Shen Ni

Her Hecate is riveting and terrifying.

Tang Tingting

In both her roles, she is one of the most impressive Punchdrunk performers I've ever seen. She has such presence, and can go from otherworldly and intimidating to profoundly human and sympathetic.

Tim Bartlett

I was very impressed with what I saw of his Taxidermist - didn't get any 1:1s, but even just watching his loop, I loved the intensity of his nervous energy, and the humor in his friendship with Speakeasy.

The Spaces

The Drama Hotel is open - it's Shakespeare-themed, expensive, and not designed by Punchdrunk. It has an outdoor bar on the ground level, which is more lively than the Manderley after the show.

The eighth floor rooftop has the Cosmos Cafe, which looks like a bland version of Gallow Green, also isn't designed by Punchdrunk, and doesn't serve alcohol. The views are gorgeous.

The seventh floor has both a speakeasy and a restaurant, also not designed by Punchdrunk. I didn't go into the restaurant (it doesn't have vegan options) but I loved the speakeasy. We met a fabulous bartender there named Eddie, who'd traveled the world - his cocktails and conversation rivaled the best bartenders I've met anywhere.

The different bars feature two different cocktails named "Sleep No More" - one absinthe-based and one espresso-based. The espresso one was particularly fabulous (and appropriately named!).

Shanghai

A few updates to the recommendations I shared last time:

* James Turrell "Immersive Light" exhibition at the Long Museum. Fascinating series of artworks created with light; worth spending half a day to take it in.

* M50 Arts District, especially the Island6 gallery and its amazing artworks incorporating video, light, sound, and interactivity.

* Propaganda Poster Museum - incredibly interesting, and sheds so much light on China's historical perspective on the West.

* Huangpu River Cruise at dusk - amazing to watch the futuristic cityscape light up around you as the sun sets.

* Mount Sanqingshan - we took a two-night trip here via high speed train and climbed a beautiful mountain. Thank you @whenwillweawake for planning it!

The Drowned Man

I was traveling with a group who were mostly Drowned Man fans, and talking mostly to cast members who'd been in Drowned Man. Everything seemed to bring up memories of it, and we talked about it for hours. It continues to awe me how deeply that show left its impression on our souls.

#sleep no more #sleep no more shanghai #punchdrunk #the drowned man

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