Welcome to The Comedy Side of Shakespear

Happy belated Earth Day! It was cold and rainy here yesterday, but today is perfect weather to go outside and enjoy Mother Nature. I spent the weekend in New York City being "touristy" and enjoying spending some time with my mom.

We ended up getting tickets to see Drunk Shakespeare, an off Broadway production that runs six nights a week and starts with a shot of pineapple vodka. Last night we saw the drunk version of Macbeth. It was hysterical. I'm not sure how much of the production was improve and how much was rehearsed.

This night's play started with an action to see who will be the "King" and "Queen" for the night. The two people who win an auction then get to sit on the throne, drink a $30 bottle of champagne out of "phallic looking cups", and can interrupt the production twice to make a critique of the designated drunk actor. The designated drunk actor must take four shots before the play starts and will continue to take more shots (up to six total) if the "King" or (in our case) "Queen" don't think they've had enough to drink.

I can honestly say that it was one of the funniest Macbeth productions I have ever seen. Granted, I haven't seen many versions of the play, but Macbeth is not the Shakespeare play that comes to mind when I think comedy.

I have a complicated relationship with Shakespeare. On the one hand, I hated reading the plays in Middle and High School because they were difficult to understand. As soon as one of our teachers found an audio version for us to listen to, my classmates and I had a much easier time following along and figuring out why the heck was going on with Hamlet. I also remember thinking Romeo and Juliet was the worst example of teen angst rebellion gone wrong and not some horrible tragedy.

Now, when it comes to seeing Shakespeare on stage, I am all for it. I love seeing the plays come to life. I prefer the comedies. I remember seeing "As You Like It" when I was 15 in Canada and laughing my butt off.

Maybe I just prefer comedies to tragedies.

In the 90s and 2000s, adaptations of Shakespeare plays were all over the play. You had "10 Things I Hate About You" (The Taming of the Shrew), Disney's "The Lion King" (baby's first Hamlet), and "Romeo and Juliet" (just Romeo and Juliet). I remember watching these movies as a kid and then realizing that they were Shakespearean after reading the plays.

I know Shakespeare's stories have influenced my writing. He had an a amazing way of captivating his audience and appealing to the common people as well as his wealthy patrons. I especially love the poetic insults, though to be honest I usually have to think about it for a moment before I get it.

I would always recommend seeing a Shakespeare play live (since they can be so difficult to read). Drunk Shakespeare or one of the other many parodies that exist are also well worth checking out. Well, I know for a fact Drunk Shakespeare is worth checking out.

Especially since its a different show ever time.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.