Drop the Dead Donkey first aired in 1990 and ran until 1998 on Channel 4. Gathering momentum and a huge following during the eight years on screen. Set in the offices of “GlobaLink News” and filmed close to screening each episode to keep the news current and relevant at the time of filming.
The touring production of Drop the Dead Donkey The Reawakening! stars original cast members Jeff Rawle as George, Neil Pearson as Dave, Ingrid Lacey as Helen, Robert Duncan as Gus, Victoria Wicks as Sally Smedley, Susannah Doyle as Joy, and of course Stephen Tompkinson as Damien. Completing the cast are two new characters, namely Julia Hills as Mairead and Kerena Jagpal as Rita. Oh and “Dimbles’ and “Red Plimsoll” rejoin the team too. Some of the team are less than pleased to see each other again when they begin arriving to start their “new” roles and tensions set in and old scores need to be settled!
With twenty-four hours to go before the news team goes live, there’s no time to waste getting headlines together and capturing current news (or fictional) well fake news is still news! To deliver their live programme to their audience. Life has moved on since the 1990s and with X formally known as Twitter gossip and break news soon spread globally. The team soon discover that they become the current “hot topic” and their every move and word is also under the scrutiny of the media microscope.
Nothing is off limits during the performance from The Royal Family, Trump, Russia, Television celebrities and Generation X. National treasure Sir Trevor Mcdonald makes a brief shocking appearance. With so much material now available the team is spoilt for choice.
In today’s world, everyone has an opinion and social media gives them the platform to share, argue and discuss these. A very different world from the 1990s. Opinions find themselves pushed into territories that blur free speech with online trolling, and opening up cracks for abuse. Drop the Dead Donkey The Reawakening! places everything under the media microscope for everyone to see.
Written by the same award-winning team Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Outnumbered), Drop The Dead Donkey The Reawakening! exposes the broadcasting industry warts and all. Whether you’re one of the show’s die-hard fans of the TV sitcom or a newcomer to the new world of Drop the Dead Donkey this live staged version has something for everyone, just like the news. So sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s clear to see why this is a comedy classic and deserves a revival.
This is comedy at its best and there’s a joke or jibe packed into the production for everyone. The team might be thirty years older but their strong working rapport onstage is a pleasure and privilege to watch and this hasn’t aged a bit. Who needs to worry about the “Truth” this team surely wouldn’t lie to their news viewers, would they?
For more information and tickets for Drop the Dead Donkey and future productions at Richmond Theatre please use the link below. Please note that this is the final venue for the run and worth catching before they finish on 22nd June 2024.
Five Stars.
https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre/
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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