“It’s the only job I’ve ever had that pays you to get drunk. I’m a big fan of that.” That’s Alex Leondedis on the winter months he and his castmates spent performing one of William Shakespeare in the bag. “I think it’s one of the best shows you can see in the area. I just love it,” Leondedis adds.
On Valentine’s Day weekend in Greater Boston, theatergoers of all ages — 21 and up, of course — hopped off the Red Line at Davis Square in Somerville and packed the Rockwell Theater for closing night of “Shit-faced Shakespeare: Hamlet.” As the curtain opened a videoboard fronting the minimalist, stone-wall set, the theater newcomers and repeat patrons buzzed. Among the latter were Chris George and Mackenzie Royle, a married couple that has seen several “shit-faced” installments together since they began dating almost three years ago. “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth” rank with their favorites. What they appreciate most is how “funny and different” one show is from the next. The title of the series foreshadows the element of surprise: one cast member, randomly selected, is drunk during any given performance. The shit-faced actor ratches up the degree of difficulty-and fun—for the ensemble.
Chloe Boyan, who has played Ophelia and Horatia, said that in order to play drunk, you need to be bold. “The best drunk actors are the ones who can take [the show] wherever they want to go, and just see what the hell happens,” she said.
On closing night of “Hamlet,” Omar Laguerre-Lewis downed a couple of White Claws, chased them with liquor, and topped it off with a whole lot of alcoholic cider. His Laertes caused some audience members to spit out their own drinks as he stumbled and sometimes crawled across the stage. The audience laughed heartily when Laguerre-Lewis’ tried to deliver a Shakespearean monologue and came out with what you hear when the Red Sox lose to the Yankees. The addled actor spilled one of his drinks onto the stage floor to boot.
“Hamlet” is supposed to be a tragedy, but you’d never know it if you watched the audience at the Rockwell. Whether it was due to the alcohol offered at the concessions, or to the production itself, it was a bad night to be a straight face. Between Laguerre-Lewis’ antics and audience participation by Joey “Polonius” and the “Sign-Holder Girls,” the audience was a riot.
The idea of pairing works of history’s most renowned playwright with intoxicated actors and a whole lot of improv began in the UK in 2010. The production’s popularity in Britain led to it being imported to the United States, where it’s been a staple of Somerville theatre since 2015.
We may have to wait awhile for the next production of “Shit-faced Shakespeare.” The “Hamlet” crew is taking its show on the road this spring. They will have the opportunity to spew old English dialogue and to mop up drinks in Worcester, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and more.
Everybody involved certainly has a lot of fun — none more so than the drunk actor — but the production is not unsafe. As the drinker begins their “preparation” four hours before curtain, they are monitored by a “wrangler” who keeps track of how much they’ve drunk in relation to how much they’ve eaten.
“Because there’s a drinking aspect to it, we disperse the wealth, so to speak,” Leondedis explained. “You really only drink, like, once a month each.”
The play closed with a few memorable scenes. A delightful Will Davis delivered Hamlet’s iconic “To be or not to be” speech. A campy sword fight was set to an instrumental version of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.”
The beer-scented Rockwell erupted with a standing ovation. While Laguerre-Lewis likely ran backstage to drink a gallon of water, and the rest of the performers left their own sobriety behind as they enjoyed an afterparty with their castmates and friends, the crowd shuffled out.
“So, so funny,” one audience member said with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t really know what happened,” another said, “but I had a great time.”
A stronger
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