As a big fan of Rupaul's Drag Race (and drag more generally) Death Drop was for me, an easy sell. As I took my seat at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre I waited with bated breath to see some of the world's most celebrated drag performers.
Death Drop: Back in The Habit, is the second in a series of plays produced by Chris Clegg (TuckShop) and directed by Jesse Jones. The cast includes a roster of queens from Drag Race; Cheryl Hole (Sister Mary Berry), Victoria Scone (Mother Superior), Kitty Scott-Claus (Sis Titis) and the legendary Jujubee (Sister Maria JulieAndrews). Also there is Drag King representation, with LoUis CYfer starring as Father Alfie Romeo and Corrina Buchanan as The Cardinal and Inner Voice.
Although Chris Clegg says that ‘Death Drop lives in the Murder Mystery world’ I would say that it is more horror than ‘Dragatha Christie’. A show of 1000 references ranging from Scream, The Lord of the Rings, Sister Act, The Sound of Music, Scooby Doo, Drag Race and even Birmingham’s unfortunate ‘No Outsiders’ movement, it does help to be in on the joke.
The style of performance is very theatrical and camp. An adult pantomime; the content is rude, with sex and drug references. In essence: the rip roaring audience has a great night out!
Without a doubt, the cast are the best thing about the show. They have great physical comedy, are quick witted and react well to audience interaction. A special mention goes to Victoria Scone who manages to give an honest yet heightened performance. I would give her a sainthood too! Some other performance highlights include Jujubee singing (a voice as smooth as honey) and the moment we were all waiting for…when Cheryl Hole dropped dead (reverse that).
The costuming is nothing to write home about but the makeup more than makes up for this - they were all so visually stunning! There are a good number of fun stage effects, and the set, although simple, does its job. Lighting is used effectively to highlight comic or scary moments - a personal favourite is when LoUis CYfer and Jujubee are hilariously walking ‘on the spot’ to the domestic quarters.
A show of a great many parts, I would say its only significant drawback is that the story is not as strong as it could be. Although if you’re a fan of drag in all of its miraculous subversion, this might be of little importance.
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