You remember studying Romeo & Juliet in high school, right? Or at the very least watching the Leo and Claire Danes movie? It can almost be guaranteed that Sh!t-faced Shakespeare will make all of those look like child play by comparison! In this smash hit UK production, a group of classically trained actors performs a classic Shakespearean play while intoxicated. The show is about as chaotic and hysterical as you’d expect!

As the presenter makes clear to the audience from the beginning, each actor is operating at different stages of blood alcohol levels whilst performing the classic romantic tragedy. If you think that Shakespearean dialogue is hard to understand or perform, oh boy, imagine the difficulty of drunken actors trying to roll through a sonnet. Fortunately, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare‘s rendition of Romeo & Juliet was mostly coherent and stayed on queue. Although there were several points where the show devolved into rambles, improvisations, and fourth wall breaks, leaving the audience howling with laughter. It’s clear the cast love working together and performing Shakespearean dialogue. The hilarity mostly came from the actors who seemed to genuinely want to perform the show almost breaking and biting their tongues (and thumbs!) as the other actors hammed their way through a raunchier version of Bill Shakespeare’s work. At least it doesn’t go to the levels of Tromeo and Juliet (Look it up! Actually, maybe don’t!)

Among all the chaos, there’s also some audience participation to get everyone involved. The presenter/ actor handler chooses volunteers to use either a horn or a gong when they think the cast is sobering up. But as she says; there’s only one chance to use the instruments, so don’t blow your load too early! There’s also an assigned bucket handler for vom alerts, but fortunately, our show didn’t quite reach that point. As there’s a guaranteed unique experience for each performance, maybe you’ll get to see the sonnet vomit. If you’re also sitting in the very front row, you may be selected by Capulet to be Paris, Juliet’s suitor. Going back to the talent of the cast, there are many gut-busting improvised moments from the resistance of the chosen audience member. But then again, if you’re directed to ask for a 14 year old character’s hand in marriage, the resistance is incredibly valid!

Overall, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare‘s take on Romeo & Juliet was about as hilariously messy as you’d expect, setting a prime example of committing to the bit. If you’re after a show for the last weekend of the Adelaide Fringe, I can definitely recommend the show! Hopefully, by the time the 19th of March is finished, the cast’s next gig won’t be an AA meeting. But then again, saying you got purposefully liquored up for a comedy show would make for some interesting stories! Drink and Shakespeare responsibly, people.