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    Punchdrunk Shakespeare

    The City made sure I never slept: Art, eats and theater in the Big Apple

    Joseph Campana
    Aug 20, 2011 | 6:00 pm
    • The city went mad for the Technicolor splendors of "Through the Looking Glass"featuring Dale Chihuly's improbable glass sculptures.
      Photo via Museum of Fine Arts Boston
    • Even more impressive than the lines for Chihuly were the hordes pouring into theMetropolitan Museum of Art to see their record breaking show, "AlexanderMcQueen: Savage Beauty."
      Photo via Alexander McQueen
    • There is also a kind of schizophrenia built into the Royal Shakespeare Company'sresidency at the Park Avenue Armory, which at one point housed the SeventhRegiment of the National Guard.
      Photo by Stephanie Berger/Park Avenue Armory/Facebook
    • Through Sept.17, you, too, can have what I like to call an interactive Macbethexperience in the McKittrick Hotel on West 27th Street.
      Photo by Scouting NY/Flickr

    Thank goodness New York is the city that never sleeps.

    Houston heats slows everything down, but with only 48 hours to get myself into a New York state of mind, I had to make the most of it. Happily, the Big Apple rarely disappoints. In two blissful days of urban strolls, subway rides, taxicab adventures and sold-out shows, I communed with the ghosts of Shakespeare and Alexander McQueen and spent an evening in a haunted hotel.

    I went to New York via Boston to visit a few friends, which gave me the chance to see the brand new Art of the Americas wing at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. With everything from pre-Columbian splendor to classic American painting, the gallery is worth a trip. At moments, the mixture of paintings and furnishings seemed clunky and tiresome, but I can't complain about a room full of John Singer Sargent's magnificent canvases. And the MFA isn't done with construction, either; its Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art will open in September.

    It took me about an hour to get into the museum, which is unusual for the MFA. The city went mad for the Technicolor splendors of Through the Looking Glass, featuring Dale Chihuly's improbable glass sculptures. The works seem to wonderfully resist the fragility of their medium, and some are quite startling. I'm not sure these sculptures actually bear the weight of such intense scrutiny.

    But if ordinarily dour Bostonians can go wild over Green Icicle, maybe there's something more to Chihuly than meets my eye. The MFA has launched a special campaign to raise funds to keep this work in the gorgeous new courtyard outside the Art of the Americas wing.

    Waiting in line was a theme for this trip, and the MFA got me in shape. Even more impressive than the lines for Chihuly were the hordes pouring into the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the record-breaking show Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. Demand was so intense that the museum opened special evening hours, and people stood patiently in line for hours. It only took me two and a half, and I can honestly say that although I don't really follow fashion (beyond a littleProject Runway) it was a spectacle I'll never forget. You can take your own video tour here courtesy of the Met.

    There's something very special about seeing McQueen's signature work in halls that were themselves gorgeously attired for the show. Carousels spun dresses that were somehow simultaneously sadomasochistic, romantic, gothic and bizarrely naturalistic. One jacket, It's a Jungle Out There, was composed of a print featuring images of crucifixion while Eclect Dissectdeployed vulture heads for shoulders. And these were by no means the most extreme fashions in the room. What seemed special, too, was the introduction of video footage of McQueen's characteristically inventive runway shows, with everything from chess matches to burning rings of fire. No wonder McQueen called himself a "romantic schizophrenic."

    There is also a kind of schizophrenia built into the Royal Shakespeare Company's residency at the Park Avenue Armory, which at one point housed the Seventh Regiment of the National Guard. This atmospheric building, chock full of historical paintings and murals, now happily houses an incredibly innovative season of performance. Inside the massive halls of the Armory, the RSC built a stage that resembles a spaceship from the outside. The audience enters this ultra-modern container to find a replica of Shakespeare's Globe.

    Alas, I couldn't see all of the performances, but the RSC's The Winter's Tale was a marvel of excellent acting and extraordinary art direction. This lesser-known late play is one of the best examples of the bipolar nature of tragicomedy. In the first half of the play, King Leontes develops a sudden and inexplicable jealousy and drives his best friend away and his young son, his infant daughter and his wife to apparent death. The second half of the play leads to improbable reconciliation and family reunion as his daughter is found and his wife has been turned into a statue that comes back to life 16 years later.

    In spite of Leontes' violent misogyny, The Winter's Tale is a gold mine for parts for women. Queen Hermione, played admirably by Kelly Hunter, and her lady Paulina, masterfully performed by Noma Dumezweni, entirely stole the show. And the play features the most hilarious and enigmatic stage direction in the history of theater: "Exit, pursued by a bear." The company handled this beautifully, as a massive bear puppet, made of the pages of old books, swallows an unfortunate soul alive midway through the play.

    All the magic, reconciliation and hungry bears made for quite an appetite. My theater companion prevented me from devouring another playgoer by taking me to Casa, a marvelous West Village eatery with perfectly prepared Brazilian classics and deadly but delicious Caipirinhas.

    Still, there's no rest for the weary on a quick trip to New York. I pounded the pavement one last time for an experience unlike any I had ever had. Through September 17th, you, too, can have what I like to call an interactive Macbeth experience in the McKittrick Hotel on West 27th Street. Intended to be one of New York's finest, the hotel was shuttered days after the outbreak of World War II and has been left undisturbed until the recent arrival of Sleep No More.

    The London theater group Punchdrunk has, since 2000, pioneered "immersive theater with roving audiences" in atmospheric spaces. Imagine, in this case, if Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lived in a grand, if fading, hotel at the time of The Great Gatsby and you could follow them around and watch them act out their tragic tendencies. Of course, you're wandering around in a dark hotel with a mask on, so strange things will happen as you rifle through drawers, read Lady Macbeth's letters, get pushed out of the way by the actors and find yourself chasing after what seem like ghosts.

    At one point, I was alone in a taxidermy studio connected to what must have been a witches' den. At another, the sounds of a rave sent us running after actors writhing in a dance of the damned, complete with strobe lights and a bloody, naked man wearing a Satanic goat's head mask in an abandoned bar. The performers rarely spoke, but were utterly compelling, as was the setting itself. It's hard to imagine the precision required to make so much space alive with the specificity of history and the magic of theater.

    As I walked back to my hotel after three hours in the maze-like McKittrick, I thought two things: If this is the future of Shakespeare adaptation, I'm all for it, and let's hope Punchdrunk heads our way.

    I also thought, in a place like New York, who needs sleep?

    unspecified
    news/travel

    Riverside Reno

    Fresh makeover turns Hill Country hotel into modern riverside refuge

    Brianna Caleri
    Jun 12, 2025 | 2:36 pm
    Hacienda Del Rio Hotel and Bar
    Photo courtesy of Hacienda Del Rio\u200b
    No matter how cosmopolitan the hotel gets, nothing can beat the trees around this pool.

    After a two-year renovation and rebranding, Hacienda Del Rio Hotel and Bar has opened in Gruene, a historic district within New Braunfels. Formerly the Gruene Outpost River Lodge, the property along the Guadalupe River now has 48 renovated rooms, new outdoor sports like pickleball, and updated amenities at the pool.

    The River Lodge's previous aesthetic was DIY and rustic, but the new Hacienda Del Rio has a much more cosmopolitan, contemporary design. The new look is full of midcentury styles, but with other eclectic elements mixed in. A press release declares the space was "designed in the spirit of Spanish colonial architecture," but don't expect anything old-fashioned.

    Hacienda Del Rio\u200b Hotel and Bar interiorThese earthy tones mellow out an otherwise energetic space.Photo courtesy of Hacienda Del Rio

    Texas-based hotel group French Cowboys was behind this major makeover, which started in April 2023. That puts Hacienda Del Rio in a family with Camp Comfort and The Meyer Hotel in the Hill Country town of Comfort; the Claire Hotel near Canyon Lake; the Gruene River Inn and Heidelberg Lodges in New Braunfels, and Webber East in Austin.

    The Hacienda can accommodate up to 178 guests in a variety of room layouts including kings, double queens, and suites. Bathrooms and showers are new, and rooms are outfitted with smart TVs, plus custom steel doors and windows. Photos of guestrooms, although they are colorful, show off a streamlined sensibility.

    A new clubhouse and cocktail bar draws guests who may not be staying overnight. Coffee and breakfast will be available in the morning, followed by daytime snacks, and finally a full bar in the evening. Anyone who stops by can enjoy beer, wine, and signature cocktails, plus shuffleboard, a pool table, and even some workspace. There will also be a new conference room for presentations, retreats, and more.

    Hacienda Del Rio\u200b Hotel and Bar interiorThis lounge is open to hotel guests and the public.Photo courtesy of Hacienda Del Rio

    Departing from the artsy interior to New Braunfels' beautiful surroundings, guests can play pickleball, beach volleyball, and basketball on a half-court, plus fire pits near the river and kayaks, paddleboards, and floats. River adventures will be facilitated by Paddle Texas, which will offer rentals and experiences. Finally, a renovated pool and deck provide more leisure space.

    “‘Del Rio’ reflects the area’s deep connection to the Guadalupe River, where guests can jump in, float, or just hang out by the water, whether it’s at the river or our pool," said French Cowboys co-founder Dylan Petrich in a press release. "And Hacienda captures our vision of creating a vibrant, social place where people can kick back, enjoy the outdoors, and grab a drink, all in one of the Hill Country’s most iconic destinations, without breaking the bank."

    Rates start at $125 per night, and the food and beverage space is open every day. Introductory rates are available for those who book through December 31, 2025.

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