Sh*tfaced Sh*tshow cineTREK #1

The production of Sh*tfaced Shakespeare narrated an uproarious, theatrical adaptation of the Shakespearian classic: The Merchant of Venice. This version of the play epitomizes a unique, wild parody of Shakespeare’s dramaturgy.  The premise of the show has the objective of intoxicating one of the six actors at random, while the other five must abide to the improvisations of whatever the inebriate chooses to do or say. This pantomime was an absolute mess and did not follow the authenticity or structure of the original script… which made it all the better! The actress attempting to portray Jessica performed hilariously, banteringly, and utterly outrageous. Although I am still unsure of what exactly I watched, the cast did a superb job in interacting with the audience, which was the best part of this experience.

Prior to the show, I was under the stereotypical impression that all English people were highly cultured beings who speak rather posh and consider pastime activities such as going to the opera or classical theatre. However, after viewing this performance, I now know that’s a misconception. This play was far from being a typical, classical theatre production. The actors exuded extreme hilarity and openness. Not only was their hilarity prevalent and slightly presumptuous, but the way they spoke was broken, almost similar to pidgin. Americans are often commonly misled with the falsehood that all British people speak in the exact same accent due to the portrayal of English actors in American cinema. I really appreciated the interesting mixture of accents within the play.

The comedy hit its high point the moment Jessica was slurring and swaying away. Despite her intoxication, the humor also derived from the way all the actors were trying to stick back to script, as well as having to look after their drunk cast mate. They were very sly in handling the safety protocols of making sure Jessica was not a danger to herself or the audience… except for when she almost kicked an audience member with an empty beer glass.

           

Overall, the performance did need more direction. I had no idea what the story was actually about. Nevertheless, I found the overall performance hysterically funny and vivacious. The audience was in love with watching Jessica’s drunk staging, which made it a memorable and enchanting play to watch.