Fringe 2018: Shitfaced Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet – 5K, Gluttony

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One iconic play. Five actors. A shit-ton of booze.

Shitfaced Shakespeare might be exactly as it says on the tin, but that doesn’t mean its unimaginative. A fantastic mix of improvisation, constructed comedy, and theatre, this production of Romeo and Juliet is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

On this particular night, Romeo was the intoxicated actor in question. And yes, he really was drunk. He stumbled about and ad-libbed so much that he even altered the iconic ending of the play. He tried to kiss A LOT of people. He used a dildo as a dagger. All of it was absolutely, completely hilarious.

What was most impressive, though, was how the other (sober) actors in the play handled his antics. With a professionalism and improvisational ability that needs to be commended, the rest of the cast rolled with what Romeo was doing and never skipped a beat. Letting out secret giggles when they thought that the audience wasn’t looking, the cast seemed to be enjoying Romeo (or, as he called himself, “Steve, who works in agriculture”) just as much as we were.

The program stresses that every precaution is taken to ensure the health and safety of their actors is of the utmost importance, and you can see that this is a cast that have each other’s backs. That kind of camaraderie, friendship, and joy is infectious.

Grab yourself a ticket to Shitfaced Shakespeare this final Fringe weekend – and, with a different actor drunk every night – you’re likely to see a very different show than I did, although no less hilarious.

Kryztoff Rating: 5K

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