Review by Sam Waite
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As with many of the greats, William Shakespeare left little documentation of how he would prefer his work to be performed, and he certainly won’t be stopping by rehearsals to offer his opinions… I hope. Were some defender of The Bard’s legacy to object to S***-Faced Shakespeare, currently making a joyous mockery of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Leicester Square Theatre, their defence would likely be, “Well, you can’t be sure he didn’t want the actors to go on stage drunk!” (he probably didn't, but that's neither here for there)
The S***-Faced productions follow a simple formula – an abridged version of a classic, usually Shakespeare but Dickens gets an annual turn for the holidays, is performed by a group of genuine Shakespearean actors. Oh, except that one of them has been selected to have a good amount of alcohol before the show begins, and the rest have to keep the story relatively on track while playing along with whatever new adaptations the inebriated mind may dictate. As for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, either you know it or you don’t – you certainly won’t be any the wiser at the end of the evening!
A rotating cast of actors cover the myriad of roles in this shortened take on Midsummer, as well as taking it in turns to be the titular attraction. For the night I attended, Julia Bird played the much-adored Hermia, and more importantly had drunk several cans of beer and half a bottle of vodka. In the role of the compere, tasked with both maintaining safety and avoiding sobriety, Beth-Louise Priestley was a winning presence, keeping up a strong rapport with the audience and handling just how far gone her co-star turned out to be. Tiny compared to the rest of the ensemble, poor Julia was perhaps the most visibly drunk performer I’ve had the joy to witness at one of these performances.
I won’t do Julia the disservice of commenting on her acting – she’s comedy gold, that much I can confirm – but I can absolutely commend some of her colleagues. Charlie Keable proved particularly good at rolling with the myriad punches (metaphorical) thrown his way and adapting to Bird’s nonsensical ramblings. Elsewhere, Stacey Norris stayed so skilfully on track as scorned Helena that the punches (literal, nearly!) thrown her way were met with a smouldering rage that kept an impressive focus while her verbal (and, again, nearly physical) combatant grew increasingly distracted.
In fact, the entire ensemble were incredibly charming and more than able to switch things up on the fly, as well as navigating the fourth wall breaks both minor and major. A hallmark of the S***-Faced shows, an unlucky audience member was selected to fill an important but uncast role, in this case the fairy queen Titania, with assigned props and a real test of the selectee’s willingness – thankfully, he was up for a laugh, but the cast seemed prepared to handle a less eager “volunteer” should this become the case. On the occasions where the drunken actor isn’t present, the cast also do well with remembering to ad lib her suggested plot points, and maintain a “well, you can’t be that immersed at this point” level of knowing rapport with the crowd.
Stacey Norris also acts as director for Midsummer, and does a fine job of balancing the inherent humour of Shakespeare’s test with the less subtle comedy of a group of actors performing well aware that the audience have come to see how off-track things will end up. Her blocking is often forgotten entirely, but is clear and precise enough that we immediately know just how wrong things have gone, and she has moulded performances that are strong in their own right, but loose enough that the frequent improvisations keep some sense of natural behaviour… until something so outlandish happens that they simply can’t, at which point her lack of preciousness about her choices proves to be the unspoken hero of the whole affair!
Alex Stevenson and Nicola James’ set design is simple and unobtrusive, providing enough in the way of visuals to imply the setting without, to put it bluntly, offering too many tripping hazards or risks of something being ravaged by a wayward actor. Hilariously, Bird took a chance to mock the design, only adding to its simple charms, and drawing one of the biggest laughs of the evening in the complete evisceration of any theatrical illusion. Filling the space, cast member Priestley provides dance choreography that is mercifully easy to stumble through, but also attractive and enjoyable to watch even before it inevitably is done entirely wrongly. These components are, yes, a bit naff… but if you arrive expecting a West End-level work of art, you have only yourself to blame.
Reviewing a S***-Faced production is a difficult task – between how different any performance has the chance of being, how unlikely you could be to glean any sense of the production at its heart’s quality, and the fact that some people are simply more fun to watch get smashed than others, it’s a real challenge. However, I can confidently say that anyone looking for a fun, unchallenging night of comedy should absolutely look into this run of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Perhaps your drunk won’t be as sensationally s***-faced as mine was, but in a world of movie star’s climbing to the roofs of West End theatres, and old-school musicals given a stark, bleak treatment, it’s nice to remember that even a Shakespearean classic is supposed to be fun!
To reiterate my opening point, Shakespeare isn’t around to offer his opinions of this or any new production of his work, but the facts are clear that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy, and that the man himself was writing for the common man, and not only those who could afford the staggering prices we’ve come to grudgingly expect today. For a quick and cheerful night out, and a reminder that theatre should be entertainment for all who’s interest it peaks, it’s hard not to recommend a good round of S***-Faced Shakespeare, and the chance to take life that bit less seriously.
Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays at Leicester Square Theatre until September 7th
For tickets and information visit https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/sht-faced-shakespeare-a-midsummer-nights-dream/
Photos by Andrew AB Photography