With an election on the horizon and the scent of Tory prey in the air, there’s no better time for classic 90s sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey to make its comeback – except this time it’s on the stage, touring the country as Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! and making one final return to Richmond Theatre for the week. When the tour was announced last year, Andy Hamilton & Guy Jenkin couldn’t have known that its run would time almost perfectly with a General Election campaign (indeed, it’s a shame it can’t go on a couple of weeks longer, just to soak up any remaining nonsense), though to be honest it probably didn’t matter too much – the madness of this Tory government has reached a point where satire basically writes itself.
Various members of the now-defunct GlobeLink News team find themselves in the middle of an unexpected reunion, when mysterious head-hunters hire them to work for a brand new channel: Truth News. They soon realise that they’ve been wrangled by their former Chief Executive, Gus Hedges, although he doesn’t actually appear to know who they’re all working for… In a bid to appear more diverse, he has also hired Rita (a youthful woman of colour) to be their weather presenter – and his disability box just happens to be ticked by one of the old gang, by virtue of an horrific accident leaving them with life-changing injuries.
Naturally it’s a little exposition-heavy in some of the early scenes; the characters would obviously want to reminisce and catch up were this real life, however it does stray a little into ‘let’s make sure everyone is up to speed with its eight-year history’ territory. It is a difficult balancing act, as you don’t want to alienate any newcomers in the audience, and it does find its rhythm fairly swiftly after this. The whole show is introduced by playing a short clip from the first series, which warms up the audience and tees up the unsuspecting for what’s to come. The same screen is used to display the channel’s social media activity during several scene transitions, which is a fun and effective way of filling the time whilst the stage is re-set. Peter McKintosh’s set design feels realistic as a modern media office, and works brilliantly for the broadcast scenes.
The best thing about it is that, unlike the majority of screen to stage moves of late, it’s a completely new scenario – so, rather than try to cram in the most iconic moments from six series, Hamilton & Jenkin just have their characters to work with. It definitely makes the whole thing feel a lot more fresh, and the presence of the original actors means that the central performances are natural and nuanced. (I’m not really a fan of actors getting applause before they’ve actually done anything, but as that wasn’t written into the show I’m not going to make a big thing of it.)
The premise could have felt contrived, but it actually works very well in our age of unregulated news channels (yes, GB News is hilariously aped at various junctures) and out-of-control fake news – although, in many ways, Damien Day was ahead of his time… This environment was also made for Gus Hedges, with the endless opportunity for new buzzwords and a directive from above to create controversy – and the beauty of performing the show onstage means that any fresh bit of real news can be integrated each night to keep things properly current (Ian McKellen’s fall was in the crosshairs last night).
Returning cast members Jeff Rawle, Neil Pearson, Ingrid Lacey, Robert Duncan, Victoria Wicks, Stephen Tompkinson & Susannah Doyle seamlessly revive these well-loved characters; the characters’ personalities are instantly recognisable, even if some of them have tried to adapt with the times or change their ways. Julia Hills is a fun addition as investigative journalist Mairead (even if her accent goes on little journeys between Ireland, England & America at times), slotting in well with the original team – unfortunately Kerena Jagpal feels a little out of her depth as Rita, as her comic delivery isn’t quite up to the standards of her colleagues.
This is the kind of comedy that’s absolutely needed at times of global strife and general awfulness; one of the best ways of dealing with it is to really take the piss out of it, and make fun of any of the figures who are too full of their own self-importance. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the show before or not – it works well as a standalone piece, and there’s also plenty on offer for the most dedicated of fans. A real thrill, and a great example of an original way of transferring something from the screen to the stage.
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
My verdict? A hugely fun stage outing for the popular 90s sitcom, bringing a much-needed laugh in times of general awfulness.
Rating: 4*
Drop the Dead Donkey runs at Richmond Theatre until 22 June 2024. Tickets are available online or from the box office.
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