The theater falls into an anticipatory silence as three classically trained Shakespearean actors grace the stage. They are poised to perform “Hamlet,” one of Shakespeare’s most enduring and celebrated tragedies. The tale of betrayal, madness and revenge commences as Hamlet (Peter DiMaggio) steps into the spotlight. Claudius (Tyler Rosati) begins the well-known exchange:

“But now, my cousin Hamlet and my son—” Claudius opens.
“A little more than kin and less than kind,” DiMaggio’s Hamlet replies.
“I pray thee,” Claudius retorts. “Stop being a whiny b—”

This is Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare, an international theater company founded in the UK in 2010. It aims to capture the boisterous spirit of Elizabethan theater by introducing a unique twist: one actor, in this case, Rosati, performs while inebriated. Over the past fifteen years, this quirky blend of improvisation and classical theater has entertained more than 200,000 people. The show is uproariously funny and well worth attending, though potential theater-goers should keep a few considerations in mind.

This particular performance, “Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare: Hamlet,” took place at The Lil Chuck at the Charles Playhouse on February 14, 2025. In addition to Rosati and DiMaggio, the cast included Noelle Scarlet as Ophelia, Liv Dumaine as Gertrude and Alex Leondedis as Laertes. Before the show, select audience members were handed a gong and a bell, each to be used once to signal Rosati—who began the performance already tipsy—to consume another mug of beer. The cast was augmented by a host whose role was to keep the play on track and ensure the safety of the actors and audience.

While the show held to the broad strokes of the plot of “Hamlet,” it did deviate from it in some key ways due to its small cast and limited time. Many scenes were combined or omitted, and several characters were removed. For instance, the play-within-a-play was shifted to a different point in the story, and Hamlet’s journey to England and capture by pirates were left out. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were cut but not missed; their role as the play’s traditional comic relief was expendable given the tone of the production.

One of the show’s strongest elements is its effective use of improvisation. The sober actors deftly responded to unscripted deviations, each reacting in distinctive and comedic ways. Some embraced Rosati’s antics, seamlessly weaving them into the plot, while others attempted to adhere to the original script, enhancing the humor through contrast. This mix of spontaneity and structure accentuated the disparity between the seriousness of the Shakespearian content and the ridiculousness of Rosati’s departures, making the production far funnier than a unified response would have allowed.

A particular highlight was Rosati’s performance as the “drinker.” Rosati struck an effective balance between true absurdity and cleverly improvised humor. Despite consuming copious alcohol, they spoke clearly and articulately throughout the show and interrupted at strategic moments rather than rambling aimlessly. While some might consider this approach to be too calculated, I felt that it amplified the show’s humor, delivering consistent laughs rather than sporadic gimmicks throughout its hour-long duration.

Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare will not appeal to everyone. The production is unapologetically rife with profanity and sexual innuendo, making it unsuitable for younger audiences or anyone sensitive to such humor. In addition, improvised interjections occasionally came off as superfluous or excessively crass. Inevitably, not every joke landed, and a few were cringe-inducing. In my view, the play tried just a little too hard to subvert expectations. For example, the iconic “to be or not to be” soliloquy was repeatedly interrupted by the antics of a group of clowns. While the whole play was flamboyant and silly, it occasionally went too far, shifting from comedic to childish.

Despite these flaws, Sh!t-Faced Hamlet offers an entertaining and memorable reinterpretation of a classic play, successfully bridging the gap between high culture and bawdy humor.