Review: DROP DEAD, Drayton Arms Theatre

Drop Dead had its original run in Edinburgh last summer. It’s run at the Drayton Arms is, in contrast, in January. It’s a dark and morose month anyway, and as the audience enter the black box space to be immediately greeted by a large, strikingly lit coffin, it could feel a disconcerting start to the year in theatre, but this piece is anything but depressing and, certainly, anything but dead.

Boldly devised by Blue Pears Productions who make up its talented cast, Drop Dead is an absurd comedy about Will Bebach, a man who has brought together some ghosts from his past to hold a rehearsal… for his own funeral. They are an eccentric and unlikely group, all after inheriting Will’s million-dollar fortune.

There’s his friend Gareth (Alexander Bittar), and his children Sam (Tara Farquhar) and Ralph (Noah Tucker). There’s his significantly younger wife, Penelope Anastasia (Madeleine Clark) who relishes running the rehearsal and reminding everybody that they are too early, and then too late. She dislikes the acid-tongued psychic medium Celeste (Flo Lunnon) and there is also the random presence of the groundskeeper, Alistair (Paddy Court). It’s quickly apparent that nobody can quite be trusted.

The production finds its strength in its pacy, witty writing and its slick ensemble. The six actors have fantastic communal rhythm which helps jokes to land, and the piece soon takes off, becoming laugh-a-minute. It’s also packed with innuendo and wordplay, as well as accomplished physical comedy, particularly in Flo Lunnon’s ostentatious Celeste.

The cast inventively use non-naturalistic conventions including multi-rolling (there is one sequence when they multi-role as each other’s internal thoughts to particularly satisfying effect), but they are consistently convincing as their principal characters. Paddy Court is very funny. He characterises Alistair with a deadpan innocence, which makes him instantly likeable.

Penelope Anastasia (Penas for short) is unapologetic and bawdy in a standout performance from Madeleine Clark. Her’s is a commanding presence with comic detail in her characterisation, including a high-pitched coquettish cackle, timed well throughout, and an unwavering heightened RP. She is not the only tongue in cheek comment that Drop Dead makes on the class system. With half of the characters motivated by money, the piece presents a cynical view on human relationships but Clark is a joy to watch.

Blue Pears offer us characters who are silly and chaotic but they exist within a clever, well-structured story, with unexpected twists and turns along the way. Their sense of fun is infectious.

A riotous story and a breath of fresh air.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Ellie Ward

Drop Dead plays at the Drayton Arms Theatre until 6 January, with further information here.