Drunk Shakespeare

Tucked away in an Elizabethan drawing room and lounge by a bar, hidden on the 4th Floor of a New York hotel, “Drunk Shakespeare,” produced by Scott Griffin and David Hudson, with direction by Hudson, sets about telling the story of Macbeth’s rise to and fall from power through improvisation, risqué and uninhibited humor, and quite a boatload of alcohol.

​

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble,” echoes in the tiny room as three actors playing witches open the first scene of Macbeth, with an eerie atmosphere engulfing the whole space. You've definitely seen a rationalized, truncated, and amplified version of Shakespeare before, but the shtick here is that one actor commences each performance by downing enough shots to intoxicate even the most well-trained tongue. Caitlin Morris, who played Lady Macbeth and one of the witches, and Jordon Goulding playing Macduff, were some of them on the Friday night. The audience members are offered a shot as they enter and indulge in drinking throughout the duration of the show.

​

The fact that alcohol isn't the major character distinguishes Drunk Shakespeare from other drunk dramas.  It's more of an accomplice and facilitator, allowing the performers (both sober and inebriated) to take creative freedom with Shakespeare. As the cast rallied through an abridged version of "Macbeth," generously smushed with pop-culture and current-events references, Ms. Morris managed to remain more or less in control. 

​

With the audience seated along the four walls of the lounge, what remains becomes the stage created in the center, a compact space left for the actors to develop a skittish relationship with the audience. Two thrones, one for the night's king or queen and the other for their squire, sit at the head of this space. The honor of being crowned king or queen for the night is chosen as the show begins with the opportunity being offered to the highest bidder.

​

Golding might call a pause to the game at any time by calling "point of order!" With each break, Golding would present challenges to his colleagues in order to change their performances. In one instance, when Ahmed T. Brooks' Macbeth is in the middle of a monologue and Golding ultimately decides the audience isn't attentive enough to him (likely due to Golding's ribbon bopping across the stage at the time), Golding demands Brooks to restart the speech, this time while imitating someone the viewers will pay closer attention to. And that's how "Drunk Shakespeare" introduced Barack Obama as Macbeth to his audience.

​

But then Golding takes up a guitar, strumming and singing "Wild Horses," Macduff lamenting the loss of his family. The ensemble manages to delve into the complexity and splendor of Shakespeare's plays in that scene, as well as a few others scattered throughout the play. Clearly, this isn't the finest approach to present Macbeth's plot, and it will disappoint people hoping to enjoy Shakespeare's text, but it could end up being one of the most delightful ways to watch a tragedy.