Review: DRAG QUEENS VS ZOMBIES by Haus of Dench/Springboard at King Head’s Theatre

‘Escapism from reality at its finest. I will be saying “Qausage Qoll” in my sleep tonight.’

★★★★

Kate Butch and Crudi Dench, A feuding drag duo, are attempting to host a cabaret night to remember, but when a zombie outbreak intervenes, they find themselves having to put their differences aside in order to save the audience from their impending doom. With Dench’s last night lover in the audience and Butch trying to accept her veganism can they manage to save the day?

When going to a show candidly called ‘DRAG QUEENS VS. ZOMBIES’ you can’t be too sure what to expect but Matthew Stallworthy and Eleanor Mason have written a clever interactive story that is always very much in on the joke, never taking itself too seriously. It opens with the audience believing they are truly watching a live drag show as the onstage comedy duo immediately break the fourth wall, but it suddenly flips on itself as we are taken behind the curtain into the dressing room as chaos ensues. Although the writing is simplistic at times, there is a real sense of naturalism amongst the absurdity of the plot with some lovely moments of positivity for non-binary representation. 

Butch opens the show with their camp, energetic rendition of ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gayner, only to be forced to share the spotlight with their frenemy. I found myself relating to Butch’s dainty, fame hungry personality (Which may or may not be a good thing?) and being very impressed by their strong singing ability. We all love to see a lip sync assassin but it’s always refreshing to see a queen hold their own with a microphone. Butch very much holds the first act of the show on their shoulders with comfort and ease before passing the baton to Dench who quickly won the audience over with their impressively quick and witty improvisational skills taking centre stage and, in my opinion, stealing the show. I have to say watching Butch save the plot by devouring a vegan scotch egg and Dench trying to open a ketchup sachet as a zombie whilst ‘Thriller’ played, were the highlights of the night (you had to be there).

The minimalistic set complimented the gritty British drag we love to see that can only be described as ‘rough around the edges’ but in the best possible way! My only concerns for the show were the heavy reliance on audio that can often feel a little jarring as an audience member, and I personally felt the pace could have been a little more consistent particularly between scene changes. However, I feel pacing will easily be perfected the more this light-hearted joyride is performed, and I really look forward to seeing where this show goes and how it grows in the future.

DRAG QUEENS VS. ZOMBIES

Presented by Haus of Dench

at The Kings Head Theatre

12– 16 April 2022

Box Office https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/springboard-drag-queens-vs-zombies

Future showings:

Electric Arcade, Brighton, 2nd – 5th June 2022

Buxton Fringe, July 2022 (Dates TBC)

Gilded Balloon Patter House, 5th -31st August 2022

Keep in touch with the company https://campsite.bio/hausofdench

Twitter: @hausofdench

Reviewer:

Adam Hannigan is an Actor/Writer/Director leading his own comedy company 'Ear to Ear Productions'. He fled the green fields of Ireland to the dazzling cobbled streets of London, breaking a heel in the process. His work focuses mainly on LGBTQIA+ themes with his latest show 'Game Night' earning multiple 5 star reviews. He thoroughly enjoys comedy from slapstick to dark and twisty, add a splash of horror and he is sold. or a cat... add a cat and he is putty in your hands. @adamhango