The gals and I attended the Drunk Shakespeare show in downtown Chicago this weekend. While standing in the line for entry, we were all debating who had the most extended arms to take a selfie when our friend Steve (you'll find out later why this is important) came to our rescue and took this awesome photo.
Awesome Photo of Us Courtesy of Steve
Entering the Space
When entering, at first sight, it looked like the famous library in the Beast's house in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. After checking IDs, tickets, and the boring stuff, we were ushered to walk beyond the maroon velvet curtains and offered a delicious pink shot. With this thought, I said, "OK, so we'll be drunk with Shakespeare. I'm ready!"
We were further ushered to our balcony seats by this beauty with the best hair dryer blowout I've ever seen, and later we found out she was one of the actresses. Her hair was healthy and bone straight, and it remained that way with all the sweating she endured during the show. Speaking of hot, I was wearing a sheer shirt, and it got caught into my coat, out of sheer desperation (pun intended) not to melt from the heat, I found a trusty pen in my purse and tore that shirt to shreds. I had to do this to get out of that winter coat and not let it interfere with my night. If I lived in Shakespearean times, I would shout when taking off the coat, 'Be damned sheer shirt; I must be free!".
The Show
The show starts with a bang—the lead guy, who played Macbeth, starts by commemorating Black History Month and an introduction of how drunk he will become. The actor selected a queen and king from the audience, who happened to be the Birthday girl and what appeared to be her spouse. Then a guy with a purple suit appeared, which, in the words of MacBeth, looked like a bottle of Grape Juice, which I will refer to as Grape Juice guy in this blog.
Beauty with the Gorgeous Blowout
Grape Juice Guy
The rest of this blog will get crazy and confusing for two reasons. One, I have never read the play Macbeth, and two, I started drinking, and a lot was going on!
Macbeth Drunk Shakespearean Style
Once again, I have never read the story of Macbeth, and besides some passives in the bible, I am not that fluent in, I guess, Old King James Version talk.
The show starts with a conversation with Macbeth and the talented actress I will refer to as Animated Genius because I never figured out her character's name. They were uttering lines and then a chest bump, which I'm sure was too hard against Macbeth's chest. In walks, the Grape Juice guy makes impressions of familiar celebrities every 10 minutes or so; his impression of Miss Piggy was my favorite. Next, there was a dialogue between Macbeth and the beauty with the great blowout, who I will now refer to as Lady Macbeth. In case you are confused, the characters are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Animated Genuis, and Grape Juice Guy. Got it? Good!
Now, basically, Macbeth killed everyone in the kingdom and was a terror. Amid all this murdering, he took drink challenges, became the world wrestling champ, and when killed, ended up in his underwear eating whipped cream off his championship belt. Yeap, you can guess he was the drunk actor. The rest of the actors alternate drinking between shows, per the disclaimer on Google.
Macbeth the Champion
Macbeth in the afterlife pant-less and creamed
Lady Macbeth, the most serious actress, in preparation to kill Macbeth, appeared with a guitar and reminded us how awesome 90s music was.
Lady Macbeth singing, me talking and us singing with her
At one time, the Animated Genius came out in pajamas to answer the door and did the best chipmunk impersonations I have ever heard. Like, seriously, you had to be there. She later came out with a puppet, I LOVE PUPPETS. And I cannot tell you what the puppet said because I was enamored by the fact it was a puppet on stage. It took me back to the play Avenue Q, an extreme Adult version of Sesame Street.
Animated Genuis in Chipmunk Impersonated
A PUPPET! Nothing more needs to be said.
As I mentioned, the Grape Juice guy popped in with his impressions while sometimes announcing things on a microphone. He facilitated the story, and he was making sure the actors stayed on task. His randomness was the definite palate cleanser for those who do not know or understand Shakespeare, and he did it in such a comedic way.
After the show, my hammered friends and I attempted to grab the crown off the throne to get a picture, but one of the staff members said, "You don't have to go home, but you need to get the hell out of here." Or maybe she said, "We have to prepare for the next show." In the spirit of Drunk Shakespeare, you get to decide. 😉
Aha! One More Detail
Remember that guy, Steve, who took our picture while waiting outside? Well, he was a significant audience participant. He was involved in a beer-drinking contest that he ultimately demolished, and his spirits through the play gave us a life. In the words of my Bestie, we were #stevesgroupies all night. Who knew the stranger who offered to take our picture was a pretty dope individual?
Spectacular Steve in Action #stevesgroupie
My Overall Two Cents
All in all, the play was a beautiful catastrophe! If you don't have an open mind and sense of humor, this play is not for you. If you are serious about the work of Shakespeare and will be easily offended by the comedic renditions, lighten up and go. If you are like me and only know the commercial Shakespeare quotes and want to officially say you attended one of his plays, it's definitely for you!
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the actors and actresses. They were all amazing, engaging, and extraordinarily entertaining. I know their talent would take them far, and if I see their faces anywhere, I will be there unless it is a traditional Shakespeare play. Just Kidding, maybe. 😉
Don't Be Shy? Have you experienced Drunk Shakepeare? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.