Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The Lost Supper – A Hypnotic Dinner Party


A Surrealistic Journey Well Worth Taking

Reviewed by Judd Hollander

Did you ever have a dream where different elements from completely separate parts of your life - a current love, a place you visited as a child, a long-dead relative - suddenly come together in a way that makes perfect sense? This intersectionality best describes the exquisite and immersive experience that is The Lost Supper – A Hypnotic Dinner Party. Taking place at the McKittrick Hotel, home to the legendary Sleep No More, and the soon-returning At The Illusionist’s Table, The Lost Supper is an event that occurs in a missed pocket of time.

Taking place at The Attic, a newly rediscovered space at the McKittrick, the event begins as guests are led through several different rooms, each of which has a feeling of being somewhat off-kilter. Some rooms provide hints of explanation as to what you are seeing, while others invite conclusions. However, in either case, the line between what is real and what is not becomes increasingly blurred.

            Photo credit: Jane Kratochvil for The McKittrick Hotel

Inside the main event - a dinner party that takes place in a distinctly mid-20th century supper club slightly out of sync with history - guests are seated by name at pre-arranged tables. Musical numbers from the late 1940s to the early 60s are performed during dinner, which is a three-course meal, with preferences selected at time of ticket purchase - a vegetarian option is offered - served by extremely talented hosts and waiters, who appear both on and off the stage, constantly interacting with guests in a perfectly synchronistic plotline that weaves audience, story and performers together seamlessly. In such an altered atmosphere, what is served really doesn't matter, but many of the menu items are reminiscent of then-trendy food in the 1950s.

While there is no formal dress code for The Lost Supper, "festive, chic, costume attire" is suggested. Many guests wore period-appropriate costumes, many were in modern dress, but dressing as the McKittrick suggests will help you blend in better with the performers and hosts, who are a constant presence throughout. At points, guests and performers were nearly indistinguishable as they enjoyed the evening and the dinner party unfolded.

Telling too much about The Lost Supper would spoil the delight of being a part of the spectacle that unfolds before your very eyes. In the tradition of events presented at the McKittrick, the more guests chose to participate in spirit of the dinner party, the more fun and interesting it is.  

Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience, The Lost Supper offers a fascinating peek into a different sense of reality which you will not soon forget. Nor, one might add, should you want to.

The Lost Supper
The McKittrick Hotel
320 West 27th Street
Tickets: 212-904-1990 or www.mckittrickhotel.com
Reservations are required in advance for all performances.
Running Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

No comments: