After the success of West End smash Death Drop, Tuckshop return with Death Drop Back In The Habit. It’s hard to describe this as a sequel as other than the name, it has no relation to the original Death Drop narrative. Bringing together some of the most outrageously funny drag queens from Ru Paul’s drag race and the hilarious drag king LoUis CYfer, this show had real promise.
We find ourselves in the mysterious convent of St Babs, where nothing is quite as holy as you would expect. From here the plot is a little lacking, but you don’t come to this sort of show for a deep and meaningful tale. You come merely expecting to laugh your socks off. Unfortunately Death Drop Back In The Habit fails to deliver.
Whilst the cast are undeniably talented, the piece is let down by the script itself. Where the original Death Drop script was clever, witty and comical, this show fails to hit the right notes. Although we shouldn’t expect any real depth to the humour, most of it feels overly juvenile; focusing on nuns saying shockingly rude things with a sprinkling of blasphemy thrown in for shock value. Moments early on, such as when Sister Maria Julie Andrews (Jujubee) interacts with birds are genuinely funny. Sadly, these moments are few and far between.
The simple convent set by Peter McKintosh works well, and the added lighting and sound effects creates some fun jump scares. The pacing however felt off and it took a good while to get going, although this was slightly better in the second act. What did work better was breaking the fourth wall, which was well and truly smashed through. It is a show that isn’t afraid of poking fun at
itself and this works in its favour.
Death Drop Back In The Habit gives audiences a great opportunity to see and support some of our best drag talent. However, the weak script lets down the talented cast, in a show that had real promise.
Photo Credit: Death Drop: Back In The Habit (deathdropplay.com)
Note: My ticket was bought. Irrespective of whether a show is gifted or bought, I always ensure that my reviews are fair and based on my honest opinion alone.