The conceit for this gig is that the 6-actor company picks one of the bard's better known plays and reduces it to its bare bones modifying where necessary to make it fit the physical constraints of the space and cast and the intellectual constraints of a Festival audience, then selects one actor who must drink enough prior to the performance to become shitfaced as their moniker suggests and see what happens. They also 'randomly' nominate a couple of audients to blow a kazoo and bang a gong when they think the piss-head needs an alcoholic top-up.
Tonight's production is A Midsummer Night's Dream and the selected actor is the young woman who portrays Helena. For purposes of authenticity, and I am pretty convinced, early arriving observers see her being helped into the theatre being propped and dragged by a couple of her colleagues.
Given that the idea has certain obvious limitations, I believe the producer did a passable job - the absence of Rude Mechanicals was a daring plot move with all the action being confined to the Lovers and one 'Fairy' - Puck, of course.
Without the application of more than a minute amount of brain-power, I know that you can work out the kind of mischief and mayhem the deadly combination of Testosterone, Oestrogen and Alcohol induces in players and audience alike. Suffice to say that Shakespear's intentions are probably adequately portrayed if somewhat abridged.
I have to say that, taking the above considerations into account, I found the event very entertaining... perhaps, even hilarious.
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