Theatre Royal Concert Hall Nottingham – until Saturday 27th April 2024
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
4****
Drop the Dead Donkey, the smash hit satirical comedy from the 90s has been reawakened for the stage in a new production. Retaining seven of the original cast members, Gus (Robert Duncan), George (Jeff Rawle), Helen (Ingrid Lacey), Sally (Victoria Wicks), Damian (Stephen Tompkinson), Dave (Neil Pearson) and Joy (Susannah Doyle), it was sadly without Henry (David Swift) and Alex (Haydn Gwynne) who are no longer with us. A few new faces padded out the cast and we had a full newsroom.
Thirty years after first airing, original writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin’s production verbally fills in the gaps from where The TV series ended and the current day begins. From the combustion of Globe Link News, to the now, when the team are reassembled to start a new news company called ‘Truth News’, which is apparently run by algorithms, for the people by the people. However, we soon see that things are not quite what they seem and like the BAFTA award winning show, the production is full of twists and turns and calamitous capers.
This is a trip down memory lane for those who have fond recollections of the original show. As each cast member appeared on stage, they received a raucous round of applause. The characters have been through quite a few changes to bring them up to date with the modern world, some were more plausible and fleshed out then others. But some were caricatures of their TV personas, very one dimensional which didn’t lend itself too well to the stage.
The scenes where the team were broadcasting were superbly performed and directed, at other times it felt very dialogue heavy with cast members just loitering on stage waiting to be activated. Fake swiping on phones and a distinct lack of action made it feel like an extended episode and not a fully realised play. It’s an entertaining piece of theatre that is well performed. But I feel you need prior knowledge of the show to truly enjoy it. This is not one for newbies.