A skilful cast keeps this chaotic, booze-fuelled Hamlet from collapsing, though the central gimmick feels tired.
Summary
Rating
Ok
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare promises a Hamlet like no other: one professional actor arrives genuinely inebriated, having spent four hours drinking, while the rest of the cast scramble to keep the production on track. The premise is designed to create onstage chaos, forcing the sober players to improvise around unpredictable interruptions. Tonight, Princess Donnough plays Ophelia (the designated drunk), clearly with the explicit brief to derail the play at every turn.
The result is a mix of genuine laughs and forced antics. While the programme insists the drunkenness is real, the performance often feels less like organic chaos and more like an actor consciously ticking off a checklist of disruptions: swearing, wandering, paraphrasing and limelight-hogging. For some audience members, that’s precisely the fun; for others, it risks feeling like a one-joke premise stretched painfully thin over a near two-hour show.
Where the show works best is not in the drunken disruptions but in the sober cast’s ability to deliver a truncated Hamlet with real conviction, slipping seamlessly into modern asides and improvised exchanges when required. John Mitton’s Claudius, Shady Murphy’s Gertrude, and Aaron Phinehas Peters’ Laertes all combine solid Shakespearean delivery with nimble comic instincts. They keep the momentum alive, maintaining a genuine sense of comedy while still grounding the production in something recognisably Shakespearean. These actors are clearly skilled, navigating the constant derailments with impressive ease.
Audience participation makes a brief appearance, with a single spectator invited onstage to join the proceedings. Here, the improvisational potential shines more brightly: the cast adjust to unpredictable responses in real time, finding fresh comedy in the tension between text and reality. This is when the concept feels most alive, recalling other companies such as The HandleBards, who integrate audience members into the action with fearless creativity.
Yet, much of the improvisation beyond this seems pre-planned. The show’s anarchic promise would be stronger if more moments were left genuinely open to chance. The reliance on one drunk performer to generate chaos can feel like a crutch rather than a springboard for invention.
It’s also worth noting that the appeal of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare may depend on the audience’s own relationship with alcohol. Those who arrive ready to join in the party atmosphere are more likely to enjoy the evening. Sober viewers, however, may find the humour surrounding drunkenness somewhat crass: the theatrical equivalent of constant unwanted attention from a drunk in a pub. Evidence of this was found in the audience response. My companion noted that those finding the show hilarious were in distinct pockets dotted around the room, whereas next to me some audience members didn’t re-appear after the interval.
There is no denying the professionalism of the core cast, nor the moments where their wit and agility turn potential dead air into genuine comedy. Strip away the central gimmick and you are left with actors who could hold a stage on skill alone. Shakespeare mixed with a form of improv could have a huge appeal, I just feel that the nature of the jeopardy in this production no longer feels fresh enough to be funny.
Directed by Stacey Norris
Produced by James Murfitt and Johanna Rigg for Leicester Square Theatre
Dance choreography by Beth-Louise Priestley
Fight choreography by Robbie Capaldi
Lighting design by Tom Williams
Assistant lighting designer Jason Bozzard
Set design by Nicola Jones
Costume design by Lorna Jean Costumes
Musical arrangement by Emily Stratford
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare’s Hamlet plays at the Leicester Square Theatre until 21 September 2025 when it will embark on a UK tour.
