Review: Booze and the Bard

Booze and the Bard: The Shakespearean Drinking Game offers Shakespeare lovers a theatrical experience that is overflowing with humour, ardour and a whole lot of liquor. (Image: Anna Ngov)

By Alana Pahor | @Alana_Pahor and Anna Ngov | @annangov 

In a satisfying end to their 2023 Fringe season, Booze and the Bard: The Shakespearean Drinking Game presents Shakespeare’s Hamlet as it should be: dramatic, interactive, and full of drunken chaos.

As the audience take their seats in the intimate upstairs function room of The Lost Dice Cafe, a five-person theatre troupe strides up the centre aisle to a low-set stage.

Adorned in ruffled collars, fishnets, and leather jackets, the actors launch into a modern, improvised retelling of Shakespeare’s most beloved tragedy … except one actor is drunk, the others are tipsy, and Hamlet has a New York accent.

Despite being aimed at Shakespeare lovers, the show caters to fanatics and newcomers alike with its blend of modern humour, satire, and homage to the Bard.

While much of Shakespeare’s original prose is present in Booze and the Bard, the actors sprinkle in a good measure of pop culture references to transport the show to the 21st century.

As Ophelia is instructed to block her lover on “Facebard” and Hamlet laments over delayed Adelaide Metro buses, the tragedy transforms before the audience’s eyes into a funnier and far more digestible modern tale.

To the delight of the English nerds in the audience, the show also features a good deal of well-placed intertextuality, which adds further humour and simultaneously showcases Shakespeare’s timeless influence on the arts.

While Hamlet and Horatio’s Les Misérables parody deserves an honourable mention, the best instance of intertextuality (as verified by audience laughter) is the exchange of “Scared Potter?” and “You wish” between Hamlet and Laertes before their rapier battle.

Another highlight is the rapier battle itself; the actors make use of every square inch of performance space, exchanging parries and blows in the aisle a mere metre from the audience’s faces.

This, along with the clink of metal, triumphant shouts, and fake blood, put the audience right in the thick of the action.

Gertrude (Steph) takes this immersive experience a step further by prowling through the crowd and handing out chocolate Easter eggs to gain the audience’s favour.

It is this “manipulative mother” energy that encourages audience members to freely accept the chocolate payoffs and get involved in the animated frenzy of the hour-long retelling.

Adding to the sweet and delightful bribery are bold hand-held signs that draw out an array of audience sound effects, which are as highly theatrical and enthusiastic as the actors themselves.

The game-show-like “spin-the-wheel” feature also serves to elevate crowd interaction by giving those in the audience some power in determining which exciting direction the actors’ improvisation will take next.

With an endlessly thrilling, and frightening, list of genres, accents, and styles that can be thrown in the mix, the actors impress with their calm and collected ability to dive into improv when it counts the most.

In the time that it takes to spin the wheel, the actors are quick to adjust their traits accordingly and transform their characters; in doing so, they tread the fine line between mundane seriousness and absolute ridiculousness.

One memorable transformation that comes to mind is Steph giving Gertrude’s character an amusing French accent, but still maintaining a domineering countenance most fitting for the historical Queen of Denmark.

Another notable improvisation effort is whenever actors Liz and Sarah have to scramble to continue their performances as the Broadway-singing Hamlet and Horatio duo.

As the actors are unwavering in their endeavour to keep the show going, while also valiantly trying their best to remember the tune to that one Les Misérables number, musical lovers and audience members alike are sure to both laugh at, and appreciate, their efforts.

The subtle presence of Oscar as the “sound guy” also proves to play a central hand in driving the show’s theatrical quality.

While the sounds more often than not come at just the right moments, and aid in bringing forth audience reaction and involvement, it also contributes to a story pacing that seems too rushed and chaotic at times.

That being said, the group of actors do the most that they can (in the limited time that they have) to perform a riveting Shakespeare retelling with enough contemporary references and modern language to keep the audience immersed, amused, and entertained throughout.

Booze and the Bard: The Shakespearean Drinking Game’s Fringe season has ended for 2023, but you can look out for future shows and connect with them on FaceBook and Instagram.