Sh*t-faced Shakespeare Presents THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

The multi sell-out fringe phenomenon is back in London for 2018 with two new shows kicking off with The Merchant of Venice (18th April - 2nd June). Critically lauded (and occasionally lambasted), Magnificent Bastard Productions return to the Leicester Square Theatre with a duo of Shakespeare classics served up with their signature shit-faced twist. With familiar faces alongside new performers, cast members include storytelling comedian and actor Will Seaward, the booming voice behind cult comedy hit Spooky Midnight Ghost Stories, as well as Rob Smythson, one of the founding members of Bullshit London's nonsensical city tours.

So how does it work? Each performance has a cast of six actors, who all arrive four hours before the start of the show for a 'party' - however this party is dry for all but one performer, who gets Shit-faced. The rest is a balancing act between the (trimmed down to an hour) Shakespeare script and improv rules, which state you must go with whatever the drunk actor decides to do. "Yes, and..." rather than "No, but...". Every single show is a one-off. Every single performance has a different drunk actor. Every single time they are genuinely inebriated.

Formed in 2010 by a group of East15 graduates (largely), Magnificent Bastard Productions were just friends who loved creating unexpected and unpredictable theatre at music festivals such as Secret Garden Party. Shit-faced now performs across the UK, Australia and USA in Boston, Atlanta and Austin. They sell-out at the Edinburgh and Brighton Fringes annually, and in 2015 expanded into Shit-faced Showtime, a pissed-up hour of harmonious Broadway showtunes. The Merchant of Venice will be followed by Romeo and Juliet (20th June - 1st September).

Founding member of Shit-faced Shakespeare and co-director of The Merchant of Venice Rev. Lewis Ironside said, "Magnificent Bastard Productions is delighted that we're being allowed to once again degrade the London theatre scene with our profound nonsense. With Shit-faced Shakespeare now in its 9th glorious year, and showing no sign whatsoever of growing up, we're proud to be returning to the West End with London's most decisive Shakespeare based drinking game. Ouch, my liver."

Cast: Ellen Chivers, Chris Lane, Louise Lee, Saul Marron, Stacey Norris, Matt Seager, Will Seaward, Rob Smythson, Leanna Wigginton

£21.50 - £19.50 | www.leicestersquaretheatre.com | 020 7734 2222