“Welcome to 1992, ” said the usher as I was directed to my seat, while giant black and white TV screens showed famous clips of Sid James, Tommy Cooper, and more great comedians. Dead Funny, by Terry Johnson, made its West End debut in 1994 at the Vaudeville Theatre following a run at The Hampstead Theatre. More than two decades later it has returned to The Vaudeville for a strictly limited run with an all-star cast and the writer in the Director’s chair.
‘Richard’ runs The Dead Funny Society, and when Benny Hill dies, the society plans to come together to mourn in the only appropriate way; through comedy, they happen to choose the night Frankie Howerd dies for their laughter filled tribute. But the laughter is hiding the breakdown of two marriages that is played out through subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, nods to a comedy era past.
Dead Funny is just that, hilarious in fact; I found myself howling with laughter as did the audience around me. Despite the twenty-two year gap since its last production, the play hasn’t aged at all, and the material is as relevant today as it was when it was written.
As ‘Eleanor,’ Kathrine Parkinson is just outstanding, delivering sarcastic wit and touching emotion with equal skill. Ralf Little, in the role of ‘Nick’ also gives a superb performance, seeming to channel the comedy greats to beautiful effect.
Rufus Jones, playing ‘Richard,’ maintains a challenging pace, while Emily Berrington, as ‘Lisa,’ lifts the stereotypical character off the page and breathes real life into it. Steve Pemberton’s portrayal of ‘Brian’ is perhaps the highlight of the evening. It’s a role Pemberton is comfortable with and carries it off with remarkable ease.
The comedy timing in Dead Funny is perfect, which is what gives us this very polished production. I will admit that some younger audiences may struggle with the references to long dead comedians (I only know them from Christmas re-runs) but that era of comedy was so strong that you can still enjoy it without necessarily grasping all of the references.
2016 is a year we have lost many of our own great stars, and so it seems the perfect time to revive a play that is set to such a backdrop. The cast as a whole are superb and make Dead Funny a wonderful play that balances comedy with tragedy, and everything in between.
