According to the Porter in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth “Drink sir, is a great provoker of three things….nose painting, sleep and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire but takes away the performance.” It's a pretty damning judgement but the ladies and gents of Magnificent Bastards Productions would disagree.

The young company perform Shakespeare drunk, very drunk. Since 2010 their Shit-faced Shakespeare format has taken them across the globe, often sozzled and very merry and their performances have been fine. Better than fine, often brilliant. “Often brilliant? You cheeky bastard. It’s always gone brilliantly except maybe that one time at Butlins that we do not talk about or that one time 6-years ago when we may or may not have very briefly hospitalised somebody. We are somewhat safer these days,” company leader Stacey Norris says robustly. “Anyway, I’m sure a Shit-faced Macbeth would be a bundle of laughs.”
 
Shit-faced Shakespeare entails one member of the cast - they change who each night - getting rip-roaringly drunk and performing the bard while the rest try to pick up the increasingly unravelling pentameter. Inner monologues become outer ones as Shakespeare’s famous ‘asides’ are delivered with delicious lack of ceremony and in a bewildered slur. It could be an enormous self-indulgent flop, but each night the unpredictability of this human tequila bomb creates an improvisational energy that’s electric.
 
Still it must be exhausting. What’s it like to perform opposite someone in that state? “It’s incredibly scary but incredibly exciting. There is a compere in each show to keep the drunk actor safe which leaves the rest of the cast to try and incorporate the drunk’s ramblings into the world of the play,” Norris says. “It can become repetitive to perform the same material night after night. The actors in our show don’t have that luxury. Each sober actor has to react in the moment, improvising and cleaning up the trail of chaos left behind by the drunk,” she continues.
 
Born out of the booze infused atmosphere of the Edinburgh Fringe this week the company arrive at the hallowed halls of the West End with A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Leicester Square Theatre (26th April to 11th June). It's been quite a journey for these wandering, sometimes of their own volition stumbling, players. So grab a drink sit back and enjoy the ride. But of course - in the words of those Magnificent Bastards themselves - please remember to enjoy Shakespeare responsibly.



Honour Bayes: How did the idea of Shit-faced Shakespeare come about?
 
Stacey Norris: The director of the show, Lewis Ironside, and his business partner at the time, Chris Snelson, drunkenly came up with the concept and soberly rejected it the next morning. A couple of years later they found themselves unemployed and void of any better ideas. Someone foolishly gave them space in a theatre tent at Secret Garden Party and along with a couple of ‘actor’ friends with questionable ethics, pre-festival booze and two and half dog-eared copies of Shakespeare for Schools: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, they drunkenly romped about the stage to a chorus of laughter and applause.
 
Honour: What’s it like to perform Shakespeare shit-faced?
 
Stacey: A LOT of fun! It is very liberating and allows you to explore the subtext of the play openly. Telling the audience what the character is thinking in the moment, in your own slurring words. It’s also a lot of fun to challenge the sober actors to deal with some obscure plot device you have just invented. Also, it’s better than getting a real job!
 
Honour: I’ve heard that the entire cast are not allowed to drink for two hours after the show to give the drunk member of the cast a safe space to sober up in – is this true? And how important is aftercare in this set up?
 
Stacey: No it’s a complete lie, all of the actors finish the show with a drink in hand, in fact we each get a can of beer onstage at the end of the show and usually have smuggled a bottle of Prosecco backstage. But seriously, taking care of our drinking actor is very important to us and the success of the show. Other companies have attempted to copy the format and it has led to disaster. The drinking is closely monitored before the show and the drinking actor is on an enforced water hour after the show. Water hour is a fluid concept of time, the fluid is water and the time is entirely dictated by us, it can last an hour or all night!
 
Honour: Which is your favourite Shakespeare play done shit-faced?
 
Stacey: My personal favourite is Much Ado About Nothing. Benedick and Beatrice are such a great couple and the audience are completely invested in their relationship, meaning any drunken antics add to what is generally accepted as some of Shakespeare’s most finely crafted dialogue. Shakespeare talks a lot about drinking in his play and that lends itself to what we do. For example, Claudio’s pleading with Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing ‘no I pray you speak in SOBER judgement’ takes on a whole new meaning in a Shit-faced show.
 


Honour: Do you think the Bard would approve of such mischievous treatment?
 
Stacey: Probably not! He was so prolific I can’t imagine he spent much time rolling around on the floor. However we do think we create an atmosphere in our audience similar to the groundlings in the Globe. Bawdy, rowdy, interactive and filled with pratfalls and penis jokes. Entertainment at its best!
 
Honour: It seems like a great way to bring a whole new audience to Shakespeare – have you found this to be the case?
 
Stacey: Only die hard doctorate level thespians can enjoy this product. We have a very strict door policy, if you aren't dressed in tweed and you can’t quote Cymbeline you can’t come in! Honestly, we have a very broad audience, people come to watch a drunk actor making a fool of them self but stay for the craft of the sober actors and the story itself.
 
Honour: The company recently performed in America, is there a difference in the reaction to Shakespeare here and across the pond?
 
Stacey: Yes, when performing comedy to a British audience they are much more discerning and deliberate with their reactions. To perform a Shakespeare comedy to a US audience is surprisingly easy as they feel almost obliged to laugh at a Brit (with accompanying accent) performing a supposedly funny line. A UK audience are much more likely to make you work hard for each and every laugh. When you do get those well-earned reactions however, it’s a sweet victory every time.
 
Honour: What have you learnt through the many years of performing this formula and where can it go from here?
 
Stacey: A number of things. Number one being the importance of detoxing between runs. We have learnt not to take the wonderful combination of audience, adrenaline and alcohol too lightly. We have learnt from our mistakes and are now furiously proud that our show is not only incredibly enjoyable for the drunk but also very safe. We’ve also learnt that there is a much wider audience out there for Shakespeare than you would imagine, once people get a taste, alcohol tinged or otherwise, they are keen to find out more. Where can it go from here? We are planning a nationwide tour of primary schools, may as well start them young!

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Sh*t-faced Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
at Leicester Square Theatre, London
26th April to 11th June
Tickets and info: leicestersquaretheatre.com

staceynorris.com
@stacey_norris