Edinburgh Fringe Review: Tony - The Tony Blair Rock Opera
The Pleasance @EICC, Pentland Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The destruction of Labour and the birth of New Labour is turned into a wickedly funny 90 minutes of rock’n’roll in Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s self proclaimed ‘reckless satire’.
For those who lived through the rise and ‘fall’ of Britain’s first pop PM, the political heavyweights who populate this breath-takingly bad taste musical will all be only too familiar.
Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, John Prescott, David Blunket; just a few of those who presided over an era that changed British politics forever, taking the UK to war, building the foundations on which the rise of populism would grow and then flourish, and planting the seeds of the public’s distrust in ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ politicians.
Blair is on his deathbed as the insanely catchy opening number ramps up the energy. It’s time to review his life and achievements, which don’t so much flash before his eyes as flick from chapter to chapter.
From the moment of his birth, his story unfolds courtesy of some simple staging, a three piece band, and a big glowing sign that spells out ‘TONY!’.
At this performance, on stage cover William Hazell steps into the title role vacated due to illness by Jack Whittle (pictured), with a well pitched ‘nice but dim’ approach.
He’s aided by an army of outrageous grotesqueries that, were they to give their Spitting Image counterparts a run for their money, the puppets would be lift at the starting blocks.
Along with some snappy songs, highlights of the night include things you never knew you needed to see, like Blair wrestling Brown for superiority, or Cherie and Tony’s rampantly inept love-making. Both bring tears to the eyes.
It is, however, the brilliant Howard Samuels who steals the show. His Peter ‘Mandy’ Mandleson is the wicked queen of this political pantomime. It’s a deliciously camp and instantly loveable creation. Never more so that when stopping the show with a of ballon sculpting. Yes, really.
If the momentum wilts briefly at the top of Act 2, (which follows straight on from Act 1 sans interval) the arrival of Martin Johnston’s boisterously bullish George W Bush soon lifts the energy again to keep the laughs coming.
While the diminishing of our democracy might not be cause for hilarity, The Tony Blair Rock Opera elicits not just howls of guilty laughter but also bellows of approval throughout as the seriousness of the message is never lost amid the mirth.
Just as well, that message remains as vital and holds as much relevance now as it did when Cool Britannia first waived the rules.
Until Aug 27, various times
Credit: Líam Rudden Media