Pulp Shakespeare at Fringe NYC

We've seen some truly horrid stuff at the New York International Fringe Festival, most of it involving unitards and monologues about yearning. Pulp Shakespeare is a mash-up of Pulp Fiction and the words of William, and it is awesome. In fact, we're pretty sure it's the only play we've ever been to at which the audience clapped after every single scene.

Yes, the play really does retell most of Pulp Fiction using Shakespeare's language and times, swapping opium for heroin, ambrosia for Mia's milkshake, a stallion for Butch's motorcycle. The dance scene and monologue about a pocketwatch remain unchanged, amazingly. It all works, partly because Pulp Fiction is a really good movie, and partly because Her Majesty's Secret Players, the theater group that originated the production in LA, doesn't take itself too seriously. With the exception of a flaccid interpretation of Marsellus' "medieval" line, the dialogue moves as briskly and as floridly as Shakespeare's real verse. It's engaging, clever, and very, very funny.

There are still several shows to be had. Go see it!

Photo: thanks