Drop The Dead Donkey – Liverpool Playhouse

For an up-to-date satirical comedy on stage, look no further than Drop The Dead Donkey – The Reawakening!

34 years after first airing on Channel 4, the cast of Drop The Dead Donkey reunite for the first time, and for their first time on stage. From the GlobeLink newsroom, the team have been hired to be part of the brand-new Truth News channel. The original cast members Susannah Doyle, Robert Duncan, Ingrid Lacey, Neil Pearson, Jeff Rawle, Stephen Tompkinson and Victoria Wicks reprised their roles from the TV show, with a touching tribute to the two late members of the cast, David Swift and Haydn Gwynne and the iconic and award-winning TV show is reimagined in this topical commentary on the world of 24 hours news. With original writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (who also wrote Outnumbered), you know you are in for a treat with what they have to say!

As someone who was too young to watch the programme when it first aired, I didn’t know much about the show, apart from the fact it was satirical, and didn’t want to ruin the experience by streaming it before the stage show. I have now been converted and cannot remember the last time I laughed that much – especially at the theatre!

It was as if the cast had not spent that long apart from each other and they all easily stepped back into their roles with ease. Each member got a round of applause as they entered the stage and had such an easy command of the audience. The main cast were also joined by Julia Hills as Mairead and understudy Riya Rajeev as Rita, to add new takes and blood to the comedy stylings and timings. They definitely contributed to the story, with Rajeev’s character being the ‘token young person’ on the news team and Hills becoming the antagonist of the plot, although there were times when her accent kept changing between American and Irish, which I’m not sure was meant to be a character-trait or not, but it was not mentioned at any point. There was even a cameo from Dimbles and the plimsole – for fans of the show.

Hamilton and Jenkin have written an extremely on-topic comedy, with jokes for everyone throughout the show. Some had huge laughs from the whole audience, and some were more niche, but the buzz leaving the theatre showed that it was exactly what was needed at this time in our lives, poking fun at politicians and the like, plus physical comedy jokes too! It is an evening not to be missed!

Drop The Dead Donkey – The Reawakening is at the Liverpool Playhouse until 18^th May and you can get your tickets from https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on/drop-the-dead-donkey

Reviewer: Jenn McKean

Reviewed: 14th May 2024

North West End UK Rating: