Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® - Hamlet.

Not to be. Something is rotten in the state of Leicester Square Theatre

⭐️  star (although some of the audience disagreed and wanted ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ stars! ) 

We attended a midweek production of Sh*t-faced Shakespeare® at the Leicester square theatre. The show starts with our compare explaining the premise. For a few hours before the show one of the actors has been getting drunk, she has already drunk a bottle of prosecco and a quarter bottle of spirits so far and audience members have the ability to bang a gong to ask/force her to drink. The rest of the “classically” trained cast will try and navigate the performance on the premise of the show. To really set the tone one member of the audience is given a bucket and instructed to ensure they catch any fluids/vomit that may occur.  

Hamlet begins and it's not long before we discover that Princess Donnough, the actor playing Ophelia and Horatio, is the person who is “drunk” tonight. I've put drunk in “” because clearly this was an act, and a poor one at that. Anytime Ophelia was on stage we got copsing, over the top screaming, puerile and infantile ad -libs, swearing and more sexual innuendos touching and grabbing than a Benny Hill show in the 80s. Ophelia performing felatio on Claudius codpiece then ‘Slurring “girls like to suck dick and fuck too” a particular highlight. The rest of the cast also tried to get in on the “fun” trying to top the ad-libs with even unfunnier remarks with no comedic sensibility or timing. 

I found the whole thing excruciatingly painful, self-indulgent and cringeworthy. It's not snobbery or a lack of a sense of humor but I started to feel uncomfortable at the whole premise and how we were meant to respond to a woman if she was actually that drunk? And what does it say about how we view drunkenness in 2025? 

It's hardly worth mentioning Hamlet the play as this only followed the loosest of Shakespeare structures with no attention, care or nuance at all. Key speeches are rattled off like first rehearsal and this could have easily been Sh*t faced any old play.

What I found most surprising was that nearly half of the audience were clearly loving it! They cheered every time “drunk” Ophelia came on and roared at her inane quips and comments. I wondered if this was family and friends' night as clearly, I am missing something.  

The fact that this is its 15th year and played throughout the world just shows that there is an audience wanting to see this, maybe you are meant to be sh*tfaced when you watch it? Although I'm not sure even that would have helped me here.  

 I wonder if it will last another 15 years?   

“The rest is silence” – thank heavens for that - Hamlet  

BSL Interpreted Performance - Wednesday 3rd September 7pm. There will be a trained British Signed Language (BSL) interpreter, standing to one side of the stage, interpreting the script (and chaos) at the same time as it is being performed. 

TICKET INFORMATION 

From £24.50 

Ticket prices include a £2 venue restoration levy 

Venue 

Leicester Square Theatre  20th August to 21st September, then on tour.

TOUR DATES WITH BOOKING LINKS AVAILABLE HERE

Running Time 

2 hrs including interval 

Age Advisory 

16+