If you’re looking to answer the age-old question of to drink or not to drink, there’s one show this Adelaide Fringe that’s right there with you. The internationally famed Sh!t Faced Shakespeare is returning to the festival circuit with its gloriously chaotic take on one of the Bard’s most iconic tragedies, Hamlet. Expect the ghosts, revenge, existential dread and now, in one unique twist, a genuinely sh!t-faced actor.
After sell-out seasons across the globe, the company will tour Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Canberra Comedy Festival, Brisbane Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival in 2026, unleashing its signature mix of serious Shakespeare and spectacular misbehaviour.
The premise is simple. Each night, one cast member is deliberately intoxicated for up to four hours before curtain. The rest of the troupe, fully sober and classically trained, must attempt to stage a reasonably faithful production of Hamlet while navigating whatever curveballs their inebriated co-star throws at them.
If you’ve ever studied Hamlet at school, you’ll know it’s already a fever dream of backstabbing, moral spirals and theatrical melodrama. Add alcohol to the mix, and it becomes a high-wire act of improvisation, quick thinking and barely suppressed laughter. No two performances are ever the same, and that’s precisely the point.
As for why Hamlet was chosen, the crew say out of all of Shakespeare’s works, it’s perhaps the most deliciously suited to this brand of beautiful chaos. A brooding prince paralysed by indecision feels like the perfect playground for a company that thrives on unpredictability. Existential monologues take on new dimensions when delivered (or interrupted) by someone three sheets to the wind.
Sh!t Faced Shakespeare has built an international reputation for reinventing the classics with uproarious results. From West End seasons to festival circuits around the world, the format has proven wildly popular, earning five-star reviews and a devoted following. In Australia, it’s become one of the highest-selling acts in Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane.
From February 20th to March 22nd at Adelaide Fringe, audiences can witness tragedy unravel in the most spectacularly unhinged fashion.
Find them at The Vagabond at The Garden of Unearthly Delights.
Shit-Faced Shakespeare
When: February 20th to March 22nd
Where: The Vagabond at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
Price: $42.90 to $49.90
Rating: MA15+ (2 Warnings)
Length: 60 min
For more information, click here.
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