We couldn’t be more excited for the return of Death Drop – we caught the original show in various iterations three times, starring a stellar cast of iconic RuPaul’s Drag Race stars including Courtney Act, Monet X Change, Jujubee and more besides. In the 2021 production at London’s Garrick Theatre on the West End we saw Willam play the lead role; Willam has now returned for all new story Death Drop: Back in the Habit. The show opens this week at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre before embarking on a UK tour this winter, including a two-week West End run at the Garrick Theatre in November.
The show will also feature Drag Race UK alumni Cheryl Hole, River Medway and Victoria Scone, as well as hilarious drag king LoUis CYfer. A gaggle of fierce nuns have the peace and tranquility of their convent shattered as a serial slayer starts slashing through the sisters. It promises to be a nun-missable new murder mystery – can Sis Marple save the day?
We caught Willam for a quick chat as rehearsals started getting underway in Bromley…
Whereabouts are you at the moment?
Bromley! The sun doesn’t come out all that much, I was thinking “what have I done? I should have stayed in LA!” But as I was walking out I heard someone butchering ‘Shallow’ on the guitar, busking, with their hat out and I was like ok, that’s the sign from God. A Star Is Born is my movie, so it’ll be fine.
Can you tell us how rehearsals are going so far?
I’ve only been here a day! I was all ready to come and then my passport got stolen, I had to get a new passport which involved driving five hours and then my bags didn’t get here so I’ve been wearing this for two days. So it’s been an adventure! Rehearsals started today, so I’ve been here this morning, ate lunch, took a nap because I’m jet lagged and then we started another scene.
Can you tell us a bit more about what we can expect from Death Drop: Back in the Habit?
Everything that you would want from a horror mystery drag thing – but there’s like, zombies, there’s everything! You’re like, “what? Oh, ok, that makes sense.” It’s not a sequel to Death Drop – when I said yes to it I thought it was! My character’s name is Sister Titis [Sis-Titis]… she is either ancient or she’s had a very hard paper route that involved a stint in rehab!
Tell us a little bit about working with your co-stars…
I worked with LoUis on the first Death Drop and he’s great, he’s really funny, I’ve been to a couple of his club nights, he’s a great drag king and MC. Cheryl Hole I knew from before she was on Drag Race, when she was just a little dancing twirling twink. Now she’s a larger than life diva! She’s amazingly funny… and she let me borrow her pen. Sisters!
Oh that’s definitely going in the feature, ‘Cheryl Hole lends pens’…
Oh fuck off!
The show is touring – is there anything that you’re excited to do while you’re here in the UK?
I wanna go to this place called the Neon Graveyard… it’s in London somewhere. I think. Either London or Las Vegas! It’s somewhere with neon. It’s real, I swear!
This show is also going to be calling at the Garrick Theatre, on the West End, where Death Drop was before…
That’s the part I’m most excited for – I really like that dressing room!
If you could play any iconic role on the West End who would it be?
I would really like to do Drag the Musical by Alaska Thunderfuck. It’s only been in LA for like three weeks and I don’t know where it’s going next but it probably will be on Broadway or the West End at some point! But if there’s an iconic role that hasn’t come about yet… I mean, I’m 40 so if I haven’t done it by now! I think Hedwig is a bridge I would like to eventually cross but it’s a lot of work memorising all that stuff… but I wanna do it!
Anything else you’d like to add about Death Drop?
If you hate organised religion, you’ll love this! In churches people genuflect but here they’re genu-fucked… wait did that work? It worked in my head. Come see the show!
More information can be found here.
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