Dead Funny
Dead Funny
Eleanor wants a child. Richard would oblige if he could, but he's too busy running the Dead Funny Society.
When British comedy heroes Frankie Howerd and Benny Hill turn up their toes in the same week the society gather for a celebration of hilarity and laughter. But Eleanor’s grin masks a grimace.
When your marriage is deader than either Morecambe or Wise it's hard to see the funny side of things.
Terry Johnson’s “Painfully funny and funnily painful” (The Times) comedy, Dead Funny, plays for a strictly limited season with Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd, In The Club, Humans), Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen, Benidorm, Whitechapel), Ralf Little (The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, The Cafe), Emily Berrington (The Inbetweeners 2, Humans, 24) and Rufus Jones (W1A, Hunderby, The Casual Vacancy).
Additional Details & FAQ
- Cancellation Policy
No exchanges or refunds after purchase.
- How Does It Work
If you choose collect at box office you will receive a confirmation email with your booking reference, please print this and bring it with you on the day of the show a minimum of 30 minutes before the performance start time.
If you choose post - tickets are sent 5 days after purchase.
- Suitable For Children
Ages 15+ - Contains nudity and scenes of a sexual nature
- Where Do I Go
Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, London, WC2R 0NH.
By Tube- Charing Cross (Northern, Bakerloo) Embankment (District, Circle)
By Bus- 1, 4 , 6, 9, 11, 13 , 15, 68, 76, 171, 176, 18
Critic Reviews
The Guardian
Nov 8, 2016
“roar with laughter and feel a lump in the throat”
The Telegraph
Nov 8, 2016
“Funny and painful – sometimes both at once”
Evening Standard
Nov 8, 2016
“Just the thing to cheer us up as the nights get colder”
The Independent
Nov 8, 2016
“Delicately combines laughter and tears. Dead Impressive"
Reviews
Christopher McG
Feb 5, 2017
Funny , sad , cringe inducing and a sorry tale of unhappy marriage falling apart before your eyes . Humour permeates through the most of sad parts and can take an optimistic view on future for the worn down heroine Nice to see how far family humour had progressed since the 1980s too
Pease2
Feb 5, 2017
Well acted, fun.
Sarah Cox
Feb 4, 2017
Had a great evening - lots of laughs both happy and sad!!
Mary Murphy
Jan 30, 2017
It was ok but I thought it would be a lot funnier than it was considering who was in it.
Sally
Jan 29, 2017
So good. Very brave actors and loved the slapstick.
Jane Hill
Jan 29, 2017
One of the funniest plays I've seen in a very long time but also one of the most moving. Seriously good acting by the cast. Katherine Parkinson is just simply fantastic. Rufus Jones and Ralf Little wonderful, Emily Berrington very good and Steve Pemberton historic. Loved every miniute of it.
Keeley
Jan 29, 2017
Literally Dead Funny! Hilarious from start to finish. Brilliantly acted!
Essex visitors
Jan 29, 2017
Very strong cast delivered a great performance. Not quite what we expected but better!
Julie Steventon
Jan 29, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable experience. Brilliantly acted. A roller coaster of emotions. From very funny to shockingly sad in moments.
Jan Trevorah
Jan 29, 2017
Best comedy I have ever seen, absolutely hysterical. Excellent acting and comedy/acrobatic timing! I was attracted by the 'old' comedian theme, but that was actually a small part of the enjoyment! Congratulations on an excellent show!
Dean Rogers
Jan 28, 2017
Excellent, laugh out loud funny with a twist of poignancy and great performances from the whole cast. A tribute to great British comedy and how it shines a light into Briton's views on sexuality, morality and relationships. And who'd have guessed famous people have always died, not just in 2016...
mrs rj
Jan 27, 2017
The play was mildly amusing but could have done without the gratuitous nudity.i went with a younger companion adn she didn't understand a lot of it because she hadn't heard of many of the dead comedians!
Dave
Jan 27, 2017
Watched with my wife at the end of January, found the acting to be excellent, the timing perfect and the overall experience very good. Katherine Parker in particular was brilliant. If I had a negative it would be that the fast dialogue early on was a little difficult to comprehend but once adjusted to it I found that it flowed along nicely. Would recommend anyone to see it but definitely not for children.
Ron & Maz
Jan 27, 2017
What a brilliantly funny and well scripted show. We haven't enjoyed a show or laughed as much for years. All five very talented and extremely funny actors were excellent so let's have another from them as soon as possible.
Avid theatre Goer
Jan 27, 2017
I made the decision to leave during the interval owing to the fact of its sexual nature. The nudity at the start was fine and the acting very good and the plot about a dead comedian was also very funny. However the other plot was very sexually overt and I did not feel comfortable. For me a play to avoid. However I must impress this is my opinion and other theatre goers found it exceptionally funny.
Faye
Jan 26, 2017
I was really looking forward to seeing this play as I love the entire cast. I was so disappointed by what I saw and my husband and I considered leaving at the interval. 5 minutes into to second half I apologised to my husband for not doing so. I did not laugh once and refused to clap at the end, it wasn't a cheap day out and I would not recommend this play to anyone
JB Evans
Jan 26, 2017
Didn't really know what to expect from this one, so I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be a fantastic play. Hilariously funny sometimes but then also having serious undertones, the whole cast was top notch.
PC
Jan 25, 2017
Very funny but you need to be of a certain age or a fan of 70/80's comedy to understand a lot of the jokes. Fantastic acting, an excellent night out!
Lee weber
Jan 24, 2017
Fantastic
Dave
Jan 22, 2017
Despite the reviews I read, the really funny lines are few and far in between. The story line is predictable and feels tired. Despite this all, the cast played welll, not well enough though to make this a pleasurable evening!
Sharon
Jan 22, 2017
We give this five stars easily. We laughed from start to finish. We definitely recommend this.
Daisy couple
Jan 22, 2017
Really enjoyed this play. The actors were all excellent, lots of laughs and great timing.
Nick
Jan 22, 2017
Excellent comedy - all the cast were superb and you left having enjoyed that feelgood factor
Trevor and Sue
Jan 22, 2017
So funny!!! Great show, so true!!
Croissant
Jan 21, 2017
Fun evening, great gags with lots of laughs but serious undertones. Super to see Katherine Parkinson and Emily Berrington on stage!
Alex Neilson
Jan 21, 2017
Brilliant cast, cleverly written with so many laugh out loud moments juxtaposed with such emotional melancholy . The old comic references blended cleverly into a modern script - loved it. Alex Neilson
Manifest
Jan 20, 2017
From the title you would think we did not like this play. On the contrary we thought the script was very clever making a very funny black comedy BUT WHY oh WHY was there so much incongruous so called "adult content". The opening scenes could have been so much funnier if partly clothed, the language could have been tempered to give far greater effect. Such a shame as the acting was superb, the set very clever and as said the script clever to get you laughing when you should be crying at the circumstances. I worry as with 30 yrs experience in producing/directing shows that it is deemed needed to gain effect to have everyone stripped off or swearing.
Samantha Deeks
Jan 20, 2017
But very glad I made the effort for this. The entire cast were amazing and I laughed out loud throughout - oh and cried too. Thanks for a fantastic evening.
A Aldridge
Jan 19, 2017
Very entertaining. Funny, clever, great cast. Light hearted comedy. Fabulous afternoon.
TJ - Newcastle
Jan 19, 2017
Got these tickets at short notice and we were so glad we did. A very funny enjoyable evening - what more can I say ?
Stuart
Jan 19, 2017
Very funny and enjoyable performance. Great value for money ticket. Incredible to see play of this quality for a couple of pounds more than going to the cinema.
Pam, Sutton
Jan 18, 2017
Maybe because I didn't read any reviews, I didn't know the plot and didn't expect men's floppy bits to be on show. Perhaps they resorted to nudity to try and boost the play, but it didn't work. Dead Funny it wasn't - not even slightly funny. Went because I liked the cast. Katherine Parkinson was good, but it wasn't enough to help the play. Subject could have made for an hilarious show, but, sorry, really disappointing. Left at the interval.
Rowena Mollett
Jan 18, 2017
Excellent well written and relevant play. Lots of nostalgia but wouldn't have mattered if not old enough to remember. A friend recommended and I would recommend to all my friends
Theatre goer nw
Jan 17, 2017
Much ruder than I expected but found it very funny and entertaining, worth while going to see
Jill Taunton
Jan 17, 2017
I recently contacted customer services to exchange my tickets from January 16th to 23rd because of a family funeral. We hope to go on 23rd and have seats E12/13 in the Grand Circle. Please could you confirm
Rick the Theatre Reviewer
Jan 17, 2017
Quite funny in a morbid sort of way
D W
Jan 17, 2017
What a cracking night out, fantastic play, well done to the cast and crew.
Alan
Jan 16, 2017
It was dead funny. Probably helps if you know some of the old comedians,but a god time had by all,including the cast i think!
Iona C
Jan 15, 2017
Some inspiring acting, incredible writing and perfectly timed comedy. A performance that made me laugh all the way through and then well up!
Helen2307
Jan 15, 2017
I couldn't believe how quick the time went.
Jim
Jan 15, 2017
Not what I expected but a funny show
Anne
Jan 15, 2017
Didn't find it particularly funny but enjoyed it nonetheless. A clever literary juxtaposition of humour and despair.
John
Jan 14, 2017
Very good- funny, sad & relective
Jenkins
Jan 13, 2017
I'm 25 didn't get any of the references and didn't really find it funny. The acting wasn't bad but overall I wouldn't recommend
stuart
Jan 13, 2017
The cast were so professional and on the ball. We loved the show and the way it was performed faultlessly. 10/10 for value and entertainment. Catherine Parkinson is brilliant on stage and Rufus did a great job keeping a straight face all the time !!
Amanda
Dec 30, 2016
what a great play, so funny, we loved every minute. Five stars for all the cast.
Teresa Crow
Dec 29, 2016
Was very good. Had booked for a 14 year old to come, pleased they didn't as didn't realise it would be rude. Good acting, liked the theatre.
Sue Brook of York
Dec 29, 2016
The script pulls you in right to the last. Not as brilliant as some have espoused. More of inwardly amusement, with a few laugh out loud moments. My surprise was how good an actor Mr Little was. He was my highlight.
Tim Raynor
Dec 29, 2016
Featuring an extremely professional cast this play provides both laughter and tears from the bittersweet storyline. The touching sub plot between the main characters underpins the comedy of the Dead Comedians society's get together to commemorate the death of Benny Hill. Expect adult themes, comedy and tragedy and you will certainly enjoy this.
Vikki
Dec 29, 2016
I went on 24 with friends to see Dead funny play. I was disappointed as expected the play to have content and to be entertaining. Instead it lacked of meaning and it was difficult to retain the interest of the public. It started with nudity at the beginning and frankly I didnt find that funny at all. The story was very predictable between afair, and sexual orientation confession....that didnt create any drama nor any funny situation. Very disappointing.