Make sure not to miss un-hinged theatrical chaos paired with a sprinkling of William Shakespeare’s dramatic Hamlet at this year’s Adelaide Fringe.

The premise is simple – five classically-trained, professional Shakespearean actors perform a dramatic play from The Bard’s repertoire (which varies each Fringe), but one of these actors will be randomly selected to drink large quantities of alcohol and become steadily more inebriated throughout the show.

This Fringe season the company has chosen to depict Hamlet – a revenge tragedy that sees young Prince Hamlet, encouraged by a ghostly apparition of his dead father the King of Denmark, to seek revenge for his murdered father who was killed by Hamlet’s Uncle, Claudius. Hamlet’s widowed mother Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark, has also quickly remarried, and somewhat incestuously, to her brother-in-law Claudius, leading Hamlet to also lament his mother’s hasty marriage. Classic Shakespearean confusion.

On-stage you’ll find these talented actors dressed up in period-appropriate attire (think flamboyant pantaloons, caps with feathers, tight corsets, billowing sleeves, gold crowns and a hilariously exaggerated cod-piece) interacting with props of large regal chairs, setting the scene for what could be a serious Shakespearean production. But, as the drinks start to flow, truly unhinged pandemonium ensues on-stage. Shakespeare’s storyline becomes increasingly distorted by the contemporary drink-addled chaos that unfolds and in this case, the actor playing Claudius was the sacrificial drunk for the evening.

The show usually begins on a more serious note with the designated drinking actor not yet inebriated, but for the particular evening this reviewer witnessed, the alcoholic buzz hit Claudius early and the Shakespearean storyline was pushed to the side almost immediately.

Almost immediately Claudius strays from the script, making his co-stars’ attempts to stay on track very difficult with his amusingly erratic behaviour. Interactions become outrageous, foul-mouthed and sexually-teasing, and there’s even a showing of a bare-fleshed bottom. This professional actor also embraced the Australian culture by doing a shoey (google the word for a fun Aussie education). The language becomes a riotous jumble of ye olde English and Claudius’s jumble of contemporary language and swear words, even calling his nephew Hamlet “a little gimp boy” and yelling that he’s the lizard king. While some might say that this alcoholic ramble would have Shakespeare spinning in his grave, it can also be a great reminder to not always take ourselves too seriously. 

The show’s fast-paced MC, dressed in a bold glittering red jacket, is not only a guide for the evening’s storytelling and further comical entertainment, but also keeps a watchful eye on the drunk actor to ensure that things run… well, as smoothly as they really can.

There’s not many shows that you can see more than once at the Fringe and still enjoy, but Sh!t-faced Shakespeare really will never give you the same show twice and is a safe bet for a fun night out during Adelaide’s festival season.