Sh!t-faced Shakespeare – Hamlet
 
Fri, 20 Feb – Sun, 22 Mar 
60 min 
The Vagabond at The Garden of Unearthly Delights 
MA15+
$42.90 to $49.90
Tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/sh-t-faced-shakespeare-hamlet-af2026

If there’s one ritual I have when attending a Fringe or Comedy Festival, it’s to see the latest iteration of Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare. I’ve seen that many now that I’m constantly seeking the next high for perfection in their well-crafted drunken Shakespearean ploy. So when they chose to stage my favourite of the Shakespeares, Hamlet, I knew that this was going to set the bar high for me.

Thankfully, as always, Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare meets the bar with hilarious drunken stupor.

It may read as though I have a bias here – and yeah, okay I may – but the show on the first Saturday of Adelaide Fringe proved that it’s not just me who loves this returning favourite. The Vagabond theatre in the Garden of Earthly Delights was absolutely packed with an audience eager to see the cast drunkenly stumble through the Bard’s famed work.

Okay, so, if you’re new then here’s the gist. This is entirely serious Shakespeare featuring an entirely shit-faced actor*. With the rest of the cast – all trained Shakespearen actors mind you – attempting to keep the show on track. They have to get to the end of the play without it all going completely tits up, or needing the use of the bucket held by one unlucky audience member.

For Hamlet, the inebriated actor has to be the Dane, right? For this evening it was. This kind of took out the guessing of which actor it would be in the drunken state for the evening, but it offers return value to see if it is indeed the same each evening or if they switch actors each night, lest their livers fail most Shakespearean-like.

Led by the show’s host that attempts to keep the show (and drunken actor in question) running smoothly, anything could happen throughout. And…well, let’s just say things most definitely don’t go according to plan. Have you ever seen a Hamlet where Ophelia’s coffin is passed around the room in a crowd surf? Ever wanted to see Hamlet do a shoey? Then this is the show for your Fringe list.

After having seen a bunch of the Sh!t-Faced‘s canon across Fringe seasons, this was undoubtedly my favourite. Bias be damned.

*Please drink responsibly.