Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time) @ Monkey Barrel
Yorkshire's Biggest Bastard, Frankie Monroe (aka Joe Kent-Walters) is back for another rodeo following his Best Newcomer win last year
A direct continuation of the Best Newcomer winner’s debut hour, our gravel-voiced protagonist Frankie Monroe (Joe Kent-Walters) has been dragged to hell, and now aims to return to land, reclaiming his working men’s club from the terrifying hands of gentrification.
Armed with props, characters and songs, Frankie doesn't make many alterations to last year’s award-winning formula, instead going harder and heavier than before – and it's a joy to watch. The changes are mainly in the fine tuning, as there are fewer distractions than previously, but with his trusty sidekick Mucky Little Pup making a return, the show promises to be a welcome introduction to new fans, while simultaneously paying service to returning guests of Kent-Walters' special brand of comedy.
In many ways, it is less a comedy show and much more a cabaret night, with the forced narrative slightly getting in the way of the silliness. Bursting with dance routines, sparkly sequins, game shows, puppets and bright costumes, DEAD!!! is old-fashioned fun with a devilish twist.
It's an undeniably crowd-pleasing hour; without the demonic veneer, the show is classic entertainment. Whether Frankie's berating the audience, singing about eggs or fighting a giant sausage hoodlum, the comedy is never too far removed from the club comic fodder of a bygone era. If you were on a cruise ship sailing through hell, you’d want Frankie as your entertainment.
Merging commercial likeability with an incredibly daft flair for the ludicrous, Monroe taps into a combination last brought to the mainstream by The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen. The jokes aren’t necessarily revolutionary, with big meat hammers making silly noises or gentrifiers being the scum of the earth (schooners, overpriced IPAs and pizza in a jar are now on the menu) but they are delivered with a clear, invigorating love of the genre. You could argue that the show is simply ‘Vic & Bob’s Big Night Out Goes Spooky’, but it stands on its own two red PVC legs. Frankie is dead good, stupid fun and it doesn’t get much better than that!
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time), Monkey Barrel (Cab Vol 1), until 24 Aug, 9.30pm, run sold out, some pay-what-you-can tickets available on the door; touring in 2026, including Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 18 Mar and The Stand, Glasgow, 19 Mar