The premise sounds like a gimmick and then the show turns out to be performed by actors who actually know the text, which is what makes the derailments funny rather than tedious. The room seats about fifty inside a wall of books, so you are close enough to see everything go wrong in real time, and the King's Chair upgrade lets one audience member interrupt the play. Small, loud, and reliably the show people talk about the next morning.
What to expect
Bar service throughout in a small speakeasy-styled room with the audience seated around the playing area. Roughly ninety minutes of a compressed Shakespeare play plus improvised collapse. Audience interaction is frequent and unavoidable in the front.
Good to know
- The Ruby Theatre is on West 44th in Hell's Kitchen — the A/C/E to 42nd St-Port Authority is the nearest train
- Twenty-one and over with ID; alcohol is central to the format
- The room seats around fifty, so every seat is close and interaction is likely
- There is a premium seat upgrade that comes with the ability to interrupt the show
- Runs about ninety minutes with bar service throughout
- Not the pick for anyone who wants a straight reading of the text
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Common questions
Is someone really drunk?
Yes — one cast member takes five shots before the performance, and the rest of the company plays the text around whatever happens.
Do I need to know the play?
No. The company narrates and compresses as it goes, and the comedy does not depend on knowing the source.
How big is the room?
Around fifty seats, arranged close around the playing space in a library-styled bar room.
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