Review: SH!T-FACED SHAKESPEARE: MACBETH, Leicester Square Theatre

By the pricking of my thumbs, something tipsy this way comes. Iambic pentameter? No, Sh!tfaced Shakespeare is all about inebriated pentameter. After all the various British lockdowns and subsequent theatre closures, the company are back at Leicester Square Theatre to bring the Bard to masses in gallant boozy fashion. After all, there's nothing like a hilarious tragedy.

The concept is easy enough: gather some classically trained actors, get one of them to start drinking earlier in the day, have them perform - or at least attempt to perform - a Shakespearean play while they're professionally drunk. This time around, the victim is Macbeth and the sacrificial lamb on press night was the King of Scotland's elder son, played by the drunkenly fabulous James Murfitt.

He delivers a very horny and camp Malcolm and flirts with everyone on stage, especially Macbeth (John Mitton, who actually is a very solid Thane), introducing the romance we didn't know we needed (Malcbeth? Macbolm?) "Even if you killed my father, I still want to f**k you" followed by a scene where he describes the titular character as a "wa*ker" sums up the evening.

The running jokes are, as always, gold - almost as much so as the compère's leggings. As the emcee, it's Matthew Seager's responsibility to take care of the drunk and make sure nobody gets hurt. Or licked too much. Or accidentally falls pregnant.

The audience get involved too even during Covid times, with two people being able to stop the action and get Seager to shove one more drink drink into the chosen cast member's hand. Unfortunately, our performance only saw one of the two doing so, so our host had to jump in and crack one open himself. The other person either forgot or decided that Malcolm didn't need another beer - such a missed opportunity for some healthy, controlled sadism!

The company are in tip top form and the show is, too. Unpretentious, boisterous, and deliciously blasphemous, Magnificent Bastard Production's latest is the perfect comedy to see us out of Covid-related restrictions.

Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: Macbeth runs at Leicester Square Theatre until 11 September.

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