Pardon my ignorance, but I didn’t know of the existence of a thing called Shit-faced Shakespeare, but having said that, it’s apparently a worldwide phenomenon.
The idea is to get 5 classically trained Shakespearean actors performing Shakespeare (of course), with one of the actors being, well, shit-faced. Prior to the show, one the actors at random is chosen to have a 4 hour drinking session before the performance.
So how does this work out in practice? Well the words raucous, chaotic and hilarious spring to mind right away.
There is a compere who sets the ground rules for the performance and from that point forward acts as a sort of umpire and a babysitter for the drunk actor. The compere also hands out the sick bucket (just in case).
Once the formalities are out of the way, we commence. It is clear from the outset that though they are hamming it up, these are true Shakespearean actors. This much is clear from the way they are able to project a presence to the audience.
If you are going to this show for a by the book, word for word performance of Shakespeare you will be sorely disappointed. They are playing fast and loose with the play. Yes there are some lines of Shakespeare, but once the drunk actor comes on the scene, it all goes off the rails fairly quickly.
The whole performance has the feel of a pantomime. The drunk member of the performance is constantly trying to leave the stage and the compere is running up to stop her and drag her back.
An audience member was dragged onto stage to perform a brief cameo and he acquitted himself well. His performance added even more to the sense of fun that was the show.
What my partner and I both felt is that the show felt very authentic to the spirit of Shakespeare. We felt that the show reflected how raucous and bawdy Shakespeare would have been performed in the original Globe theatre in the 16th century.
If you get a chance, there is no doubt that this show will entertain and is worthy of consideration for inclusion any list of shows worth seeing at the Adelaide Fringe.
Reviewed by Shaun Turton from Sam About Town for All Over Adelaide
4.5 stars
Tickets and more information available here:
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/shit-faced-shakespeare-romeo-and-juliet-af2018
