Dead and Kicking | Camden People's Theatre

Jeanne Pouchain (Camila Anvar)  seems to have everything going for her. She runs a successful cleaning company, has a loving husband, and is planning a holiday to the seaside. So why does Mulch Productions’ Dead and Kicking open with her funeral?

It all starts with that holiday, and the passport she needs to renew to take it. 

“That would have been lovely,” the worker in the administrative office tells her, before launching into a bewildering tirade of bureaucratic babble which will be familiar to anyone who has tried to get a straight answer out of a government agency. The upshot is, Jeanne’s passport application has been rejected, and this is swiftly followed by her insurance being rejected at the pharmacy and then her bank card being declined. When she goes to the bank to figure out the situation, she receives a bewildering answer. Her accounts have been closed. 

“It appears you don’t exist,” the bank manager tells her. 

In fact, she has been declared legally dead, in a still more bizarre turn of events involving the villainous Madame H (Tilly Botsford), a disgruntled ex-employee with an axe to grind by means of a fiendish plot and a fabulous song. 

Dead and Kicking then follows Jeanne’s attempt to restore her identity, along the way dealing with more administrative hurdles and a helpful if psychotic ‘quest goblin’ (portrayed brilliantly by Larissa Crafford-Lazarus).

This stranger-than-fiction true story is made even more hilariously peculiar by Mulch Productions’ choice to portray it using song, dance and clowning. The ensemble cast, made up of Tilly Botsford, Larissa Crafford-Lazarus, Rosa Collier and Ezra Saifie, also act as the band as well as playing a rotating cast of characters who Jeanne meets on her journey. 

As is common with fringe theatre, the stage is largely bare, with a pair of red curtains on a moveable rail providing the backdrop, as well as a screen for the cast to change. This suits the cabaret-style numbers which the cast perform, complete with flapper dresses and can can lines. 

Although the cast is universally strong, and ably directed by Martha Barnett, Larissa Crafford-Lazarus is a standout, flipping between the swagger of Jeanne’s husband Jean and the feral energy of the goblin with ease. Camilla Anvar is a sympathetic lead, bringing across the seriousness of Jeanne’s situation but also finding the humour in the lighter moments.

The show tapers off slightly towards the end, losing its edge a little as it transitions from comedic to heartfelt. Still, this is a gripping and hilarious piece which deserves longer life than this short run. 

Dead and Kicking runs at Camden People’s Theatre until 5th April.

Tickets and More Information

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Zoe Birkbeck