Absolutely side-splittingly hilarious: that’s the best way to describe this show. Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare is drunken chaos in the guise of a Shakespeare play — seemingly the very epitome of the Edinburgh Fringe.
The show opens with an introduction from the MC, who brought an infectious energy and got the whole of McEwan Hall pumped and ready for the show. He explained the premise (one drunk actor, four sober, one Shakespeare play to get through) and handed out various objects to the audience to be used throughout the show, including a bucket for those in the ‘vom-zone’ of the first three rows.
With a cast of five actors, it was quickly apparent which the intoxicated one was. Throughout the show, the MC would try to control this drunken actor and ensure the plot of Hamlet unfolded somewhat like Shakespeare intended, but this would soon prove to be a hilariously futile task.
At its core, this show is essentially a Shakespeare improv show, fuelled by the merriment and intoxicated ideas of the drunken actor. They do and say as their inebriated heart desires, and the rest of the cast must adapt, which is hysterical to watch. While they may ham-up their drunkeness for the show, this is hardly a critique as it only serves to make the show funnier.
And yet, despite all of the drunken frivolity, the plot managed to unfold somewhat like the original, and some of the most iconic lines were not omitted. In moments between the drunk actor’s ramblings, the performances delivered by the sober actors were of a truly high calibre, and for a moment you could forget you were at a comedy theatre performance. That is, until a rogue spear flies across the stage, or someone falls off their chair.
If you are looking for an evening of drunken fun, then this is the show for you. No need for a knowledge of Shakespeare — although somewhat knowing the plot does make it all the more hilarious when you realise how rogue it has gone. Altogether a fabulously funny concept that has been very well executed and makes for a fantastic show.
Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare is running until 30 August at McEwan Hall at Underbelly, Bristo Square. Buy tickets here.
Photo by Andrew AB Photography, provided for press use.
