CineTrek #1: Sh*tfaced Shakespeare

The date is May 18 and it is our first official day here in London, many of us are still affected by the inevitable exhaustion from the time difference and the jet-lag we are succumbed to. Especially since most of us most likely did not receive the full sleep we needed, there was a mandatory CineTrek that all of my colleagues had to attend to.

A play called Sh*tfaced Shakespeare, is an unusual play that is a parody of the satire "The Merchant of Venice" that adds an interesting twist where they select one of the cast members at random and prepares that selected cast member by getting him/her stupidly drunk while they perform the play. You would think a play of a play would not work, but surprisingly it worked so well! It appealed to such a younger audience compared to its original counterpart.

Personally, I have no interests in theatre but it was such a refreshing way to ease into our first CineTrek! Before I came into the play I just read the quick background and its synopsis just so I had an idea what would be going on but more. Once we all got there I approached the theatre with an open mind acquired a simple bottle of beer and sat down.

As the play started I caught myself trying to point out which of the actor was drunk rather than actually paying attention on what was going on in the play. Once the actress Jessica came out on stage I automatically knew she was the unlucky cast member who drew the short end of the straw! Although she was drunk throughout the entire play her performance and her improv skills were extraordinary and performed so well! Her liveliness brought joy and laughter towards the crowd throughout the whole play! There were times where she would forget the lines she had to say but still executed her part by adding that comedic atmosphere due to the alcohol in her system. There was even a time where she brought out a couple audience members and still was able to add such a fluid flow through the play!

As I was watching the play it almost seemed as if that there was no way that she can actually be that drunk and perform so well and possibly it can be all an act where she acts as a drunk actress in order to add that bizarre yet hilarious twist! If that were the case that would just demonstrate proof that the actress Jessica is an outstanding performer that was able to fool the entire audience thinking she was drunk.

This play was such highlight of my trip for London and it only just begun! This play not only gave me such a good memory but it also allowed me to be more openminded when it comes to plays and would be more interested to branch out and watch more plays! I look forward for more of the CineTreks to come and thank you Bill for making it such an amazing first night!