Heading over to the REP theatre last night, I truly did not know what to expect. I, of course, knew of Spitting Image – the satirical television show with its puppets and controversial comedy. Yet, how this would translate into a stage show featuring a much-boasted cast of not only politicians but singers, such as Taylor Swift, was to be seen.

Subtitled “Idiots Assemble”, the plot followed the royal family despairing over the deteriorating fabric of society. Led by the unusual but comedic pairing of Tom Cruise and Ru Paul, they assembled a team of celebrities with the hope of rescuing Britain from its disastrous politicians. This plot was simplistic in itself, giving way to the much more impressive aspects of the show – its production. With slick set changes casting the action from Buckingham Palace to Ten Downing Street, various projections; set pieces including a fully sized boat and plane; and accompanying lighting made the show a visual spectacle.

More impressive, however, were the puppeteers themselves. I was sceptical as to how a performance solely through puppets would be engaging, imagining wooden acting that stilted the pace. Instead, the cast members navigated the puppets so deftly you barely noticed them, from the more raucous tap and street dance numbers to the most subtle of body languages when reacting to the other characters.

Where the show found itself lacking, ironically, was in the comedy itself. Whilst many of the jokes were crowd pleasers, picking on various stereotypes of the royal family and Conservative party members, it was rarely original and clever. Many of the celebrities included, such as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, appeared to be merely names to attract in audiences, delivering brief and ultimately generic jokes.

Indeed, much of the comedy attempted controversy merely for the sake of it. Lengthy segments of the play were set in Ukraine and in a migrant boat. Instead of adding to the comedy of the performance itself these moments felt uncomfortable and unimpressive, only achieving reluctant laughs from the audience.

The truly comedic moments thus came from the more successfully parodied characters such as Tom Cruise, King Charles, and Rishi Sunak. Here, their accents and even body language were uncannily portrayed alongside jokes that trod the line between comedy and discomfort more appropriately. At times the performance even satirised the nature of performance itself, parodying songs by Queen and from the Lion King. Whilst the adaptations of the lyrics were often lacking, the musical numbers remained a success for the audience in providing moments of relief and keeping the comedic pace moving.

As the show finished, the audience’s enjoyment was made clear with the majority standing to applaud. However, this ovation was perhaps more for the puppeteers themselves as opposed to the script and storyline which lost total momentum by the end. It was certainly an enjoyable evening however the one thing that I expected to see- the comedy- was the very aspect that I found it to be lacking.

Rating: 3/5 

Liked this? Read more from Redbrick Culture below!

Review: An Evening of Music and Dance

Ballet Review: Swan Lake

Theatre Review: The Mirror Crack’d