EDINBURGH 2023: Review: SH!T-FACED SHAKESPEARE®: ROMEO AND JULIET, Pleasance At EICC, Pentland Theatre

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare has an interesting description - “Featuring a cast of the finest classically trained actors, partial nudity, foul language, spontaneous song, outrageous antics and actual Shakespeare.” Well, there were certainly classically trained actors, foul language, and outrageous antics, but I failed to see much “actual Shakespeare” in the show.

For those unfamiliar with Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, one of five actors gets drunk for four hours before a production and is then put on stage with the rest of the cast, turning Shakespeare’s works into absolute chaos. 

I went into Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet wanting to love it, having been such a huge fan of Drunk Shakespeare in New York, but getting the actors drunk before the show and having a strange mix of serious Shakespeare and slapstick comedy did not work for me. Being in such a large venue like Pleasance at EICC takes away from the intimate party vibes of smaller venues that could potentially make the show more entertaining. Getting the actor drunk before the show is also less effective as, regardless of whether they actually are drunk or not, it feels fake.

Indeed, the whole show felt fake, which was unfortunate. The drunk actress playing Juliet was constantly talking about how hot the Irish actor playing Romeo was and would continually make out with him, but would then be able to perfectly execute choreographed dances and do the occasional monologue. I enjoyed seeing her try to interact with the other actors when they were in “Shakespeare mode,” but that was rare as the other actors tended to go straight to improv and slapstick instead of sticking with the classic Romeo and Juliet.

Ultimately, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet is entertaining, but it is just not as funny as it could be. The actors are clearly talented and have the ability to perform straight Shakespeare as well as comedy, but simply splitting the show between Shakespeare and slapstick does not work. 

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet runs at Pleasance at EICC, Pentland Theatre at various times until 27 August (no performance on 21 August).

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