Sh*tfaced Shakespeare: Much Ado about Nothing

I have been quite a regular attendee to this show at the Leicester Square theatre with yesterday’s visit proving my 7th Sh*tfaced Shakespeare show in 2 years. I hadn’t actually intended to go again to Much Ado about Nothing, as I feel three times per play is probably enough, but I recently acquired a new friend who expressed interest when I told them about it. There is something wonderful about introducing something this hilariously insane to someone who has never experienced something like this.

It was well worth returning on Friday night. That evening it was the turn of the irrepressible actor playing Claudio and the show was as utterly ridiculous as always. It included among other things Claudio stripping off because he got too hot and then making out quite passionately with his mother in law after she had stopped him from doing so with her daughter. Part of the joy of this show is that no two performances are alike, the Shakespeare is torn to shreds (or perhaps rather reinterpreted every night) and you left not entirely sure what is going to happen yet. The combination of improv from the actors on stage dealing with the interjections of the drunk and also remembering the Shakespeare is very impressive.

As Claudio pointed out after he randomly came up with a line about fingering woman “I know that is not what Shakespeare wrote…but that is what he meant”. It’s a view of Shakespeare through a very different lense to what we are used to. It shows you that the boundary of what can be done always changes, and I think it is very refreshing to deal with Shakespeare like this, not as high art but as a lot of bawdy humour, which is what the maestro originally would have intended.

Finally as I have always found one of the particular joys of this show is taking someone along. Their wonder at the ludicrous performance is a great pleasure to behold. This was definitely the case tonight as I glanced over every so often at my companion and watched them shaking with laughter throughout. It’s a wonderful feeling to introduce someone to something this strange and funny. So if you’ve not seen it before go, and if you have go again and bring a friend who hasn’t. Everything night you see something different, and it is always guaranteed to be pretty hilarious.