Shitfaced-Shakespeare: Macbeth

This production takes the classic Shakespearean text and drenches it in booze.

Shitfaced-Shakespeare: Macbeth

The premise of Shitfaced Shakespeare is simple. Take a group of classically trained Shakespearean actors, get one of them extremely drunk before the show, and have the cast enact a Shakespearean play.

This production of Shitfaced Shakespeare takes on Macbeth, bringing some levity to the intense and grim play. What made this production really work was the feeling of fun and unpredictability that ran through the whole thing - the drunk actor could do almost anything. For example in my show the drunk actor ended up bringing an audience member on stage as one of the executioners, he also completely changed Macbeth’s death so that it followed his running Harry Potter jokes throughout the show. What makes this even funnier is how the sober actors respond so well to everything that’s thrown at them, managing to keep the show going and adapt perfectly. This unpredictability means is that the show is different every night and would make it super easy to re-watch.

Drunkenness aside, this is also just a surprisingly effective adaptation of Macbeth. Instead of attempting to go through the whole text, it’s cut down to a ‘Greatest Hits’ version of Macbeth, managing to be an hour-long and still reasonably easy to follow. Sometimes this means that the actors end up rushing a little, but realistically most audience members aren’t there for the Shakespearean dialogue. In a sense, this ridiculous revelry is a more faithful adaptation of Shakespeare than many of the more serious productions, because it takes these revered plays and brings them to something closer to their unpretentious origins.

Rowdy and unpretentious, Shitfaced Shakespeare: Macbeth is a good laugh, even if you’re not a fan of Shakespeare.


Updated 14 June 2021: The production is soon moving to the West End's Leicester Square Theatre. If you would like to buy tickets, or want more information, please visit this link: https://seatplan.com/london/shit-faced-shakespeare-macbeth/

Header Image Credit: Rah Petherbridge Photography

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Oluwatayo Adewole

Oluwatayo Adewole Contributor

Hey there! I'm a wordy-type who's into all kinds of stuff, but especially: film, comics, theatre and trying to make the world a better place

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