Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
Sh!tfaced-Showtime’s James Murfitt on their new production of A Pissedmas Carol
Shitfaced Showtime, and sister company, Shitfaced Shakespeare, are masters of their art. They have taken what is quite a simple, and very silly, idea, and developed it into shows that are now a must-see for so many people. And that idea? Just get one of your cast drunk before the show starts and let them loose!
We’ve reviewed their shows a number of times, and in the most, enjoyed what we’ve seen. So when the chance came to chat to producer and performer James Murfitt, it seemed the perfect time to find out more. Listen to James tell us about the original spark that created the company, why they can understand that some people just don’t enjoy the show, what the craziest thing a drunk tried to do on stage, and we also find out if the sick bucket they have ready has ever really been used!
Some of our previous reviews for Sh!tfaced productions can be found below:
- A Pissed Carol, 2019 version
- Hamlet (the 2 star review)
- Oliver With A Twist
- The Merchant of Venice
- Much Ado About Nothing
You can see all of our podcast interviews on our Anchor page here. You can also subscribe via Spotify here, or via many other podcast services. Search for Everything Theatre wherever you subscribe to podcasts to see if we are there.
A Pissedmas Carol, Leicester Square Theatre
2019’s Christmas hit returns bigger and better to lift our spirits in 2021
Combining cast members from Sh!t-faced Showtime and Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, A Pissedmas Carol is the all singing, all boozing alternative Christmas knees-up we all so desperately needed after the last year and a half of Zoom calls, Tiger King and bloody banana bread. Miserly Scrooge and his classic coterie of employees, relatives and ghosts travel through time having the night of his life – but will Scrooge be merry before the end? Or will it be the spirits that have had too many spirits? With one genuinely drunk cast member in every performance, A Pissedmas Carol is the ultimate “You’ll never guess what happened to me last night” story – despite having heard it all these last 2 years!
So how does it work? Each performance has a cast of actors who all arrive 4 hours before the start of the show for a ‘party’ – however this particular Christmas work social is dry for all but one performer, who gets, yes, you’re starting to catch on – Sh!t-faced. The rest is a delicate tight rope between performing songs and reciting Dickens all within the parameters of our strict improvisation rules, which are stated as thus: Go with WHATEVER the drunk actor decides to do. Unless it’s illegal. But even that’s a grey area we prefer to let our lawyers wade through. Every single show is a one-off. Every single performance has a different drunk actor. Every single time they are genuinely inebriated.
Running Time: 90 minutes | Suitable for ages 16+ (may contain nudity and strong language.
Check the company website here for details of all currently confirmed dates.
