‘Shit-Faced Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing’ Review: A Raunchy, Rum-Fueled Night of Revelry

A diverting, booze-infused interpretation of the Bard’s beloved comedy, Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing” delivered on its promise of light-hearted, tipsy entertainment.

Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” is a classic enemies-to-lovers tale, in which two headstrong, cynical rivals — Beatrice (Chelsea Tichenell) and Benedick (Brett Milanowski) — are tricked by their friends and family into falling for each other despite having sworn off love. Meanwhile, romance blossoms between Beatrice’s cousin, the sweet and obedient Hero (Sarah Morin), and Benedick’s naively trusting friend Claudio (Owen Bird), until the evil Don John (Tyler Rosatti) schemes to come between the lovebirds by staining Hero’s reputation. In the end, love wins out, and each couple receives their happily ever after.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s rendition of the show remained largely faithful to the original production but with one essential twist: Each night, one member of the cast took to the stage absolutely wasted, forcing the rest of the cast to get creative and improvise in a chaotic, comedic rendition of Shakespeare’s play. Throughout the performance, if the intoxicated actor began to sober up, they were promptly presented with another drink — specific audience members were even appointed to stay on the lookout for signs of sobriety and bang a gong when it was time for a new drink.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare doesn’t take itself too seriously, leaning into the farcical elements of the original and emphasizing them with the help of an endless stream of alcohol. The jokes targeted a very specific sense of humor — most of the comedy was raunchy, even crude at times, and likely would not have resonated with all audiences. Overall, though, the production did make for an entertaining, if sometimes bawdy, performance that unfolded in a fresh and new way.

“Much Ado About Nothing” cleverly incorporated audience participation: Many of its most amusing moments spring from witty, unabashed audience input. Those in the first row found themselves the target of jokes and shoutouts, or even called to the stage to contribute to the scene. For example, when Don John tricks Claudio into believing that Hero is unfaithful, an audience member was recruited to aid in the deception, to hilarious effect.

Overall, Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” gave audiences what long-term fans have come to expect from the company: a lively, laid-back interpretation of Shakespeare complete with alcohol-fueled revelry. According to Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s website, the company aims to “revive the raucous, interactive and vibrant nature of Elizabethan theatre,” and in that sense, it certainly succeeded. Although the off-color jokes and boozy humor of “Much Ado About Nothing” might not have appealed to everyone, its actors presented a creative, high-spirited reimagining of the well-known play that left audiences “as merry as the day is long.”

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing” ran from May 3 to June 22 at The Rockwell.
—Staff writer Makenna J. Walko can be reached at makenna.walko@thecrimson.com.