REVIEW: Sh!t-faced Shakespeare presents: Romeo and Juliet at The Leicester Sq. Theatre

Shitfaced Shakespeare is a Shakespeare firm with a twist and a stumble that has been luring audiences since 2010 with a easy but efficient idea. Every night time, one chosen solid member from no matter present they’re placing on, is made to drink for 4 hours earlier than stepping on the stage and the curtain rises. The rule is that they should be nicely and really ‘shit-faced’ by this level. The remaining ‘sober’ solid members are then required to accommodate their inebriated peer by justifying and improvising round them and in addition to proceed to drive the motion of the ‘precise’ play. It might be a comedy or tragedy being carried out, however the ingesting recreation, because it had been, stays the identical. 

So, after establishing all this it’s protected to say that it doesn’t matter what, a present like that is most likely going to be one sizzling mess and hopefully a complete lot of enjoyable… which it’s, to some extent. Sadly, the project will get forgotten and as an alternative, it turns into 6 performers who don’t know whether or not their present is a pantomime, a satirical model of Romeo or Juliet or an entire farce.

Probably the most disappointing side concerning the present is that there isn’t any clear understanding of the comedy they’re utilizing. From the compares desperation for the viewers to know ‘there’s alcohol within the present’, to no finesse within the bodily comedy and force-fed d*!%ok jokes each step of the way in which, little or no by way of the scripted comedy lands. The actors enjoying the Benvolio/Nurse and Mercutio/ Fryar Lawrance simply need to present you ways ‘humorous’, soiled and loud they are often. This performs as in the event that they suppose the viewers is silly and received’t get what’s taking place except they’re hit over the top with it.

Satirically, the performer with the very best comedian timing was Juliet, who, whether or not or not was coping with scripted or unscripted materials discovered ease together with her drunken job at hand and was the actor I had probably the most belief in to comply with the transient. The actors enjoying Romeo and Tybalt/ Lord Capulet, additionally on a optimistic be aware, have a dynamic of their key scenes that has extra consistency and distinction to Juliet’s shenanigans. They’re nonetheless heightened and ridiculous however extra efficiently work with their materials.

It’s a enjoyable night time out however lower than an inexpensive snigger far too typically of it. There’s simply an excessive amount of occurring and the easy and really intelligent model the corporate have created will get diluted. 

When you learn some Shakespeare, there are many intelligent and humorous soiled jokes via the lot of it. As he writes in Hamlet, “Let people who play your clowns communicate not more than is about down for them—for there be of them that may themselves snigger, to set on some amount of barren spectators to snigger too…”.

Evaluate by Stephanie Osztreicher

Ranking: ★★