Everyone has heard of people doing rehearsals for their wedding, so their big day goes all according to plan and it’s the best day of your whole life. But what about a rehearsal for your funeral? Bit of a weird one, isn’t it? Rehearsing for the most important day of your life that you never get to see? Drop Dead takes this idea and runs with it to tell a classic story of a group of oddballs fighting over who gets the inheritance, with an abundance of farcical devised comedy.
The moment the show began I was immediately struck with how much fun the actors seemed to be having playing off each other, you can tell these are a group of people that really enjoy their work. Every actor brought their character to life in an energetic and wonderfully entertaining way that made all the interactions memorable between them, with some excellent line deliveries from Penelope Anastasia (played by Maddie Clark) and some big, fun physical comedy from Gareth (played by Alexander Bittar) to mention a few.
Every character has a place in the show and a reason to be there and are used to create some genuine laughs. However, regardless of how enjoyable the actors where to watch, the plot did seem to get a lost a few times underneath the farce. It was hard to see where things were going around the mid-point, and it never really recovered. I also feel there could’ve been a bit more to the technical side, the characters perform a séance, and some ambient music would’ve brought that moment to life more as without it fell a little flat.
It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before in some form or another, but I don’t mean that to demean the clear enthusiasm and effort put into this piece by its performers and crew. It’s a fun piece to fill an evening, with a cast that is a joy to watch.
Drop Dead is on at theSpace @ Niddry Street from the 4th –12th every day at 21:30. Get your tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/drop-dead-1
Reviewer: Euan Huth
Reviewed: 4th August
North West End UK Rating: