Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera more than exceeds expectations in its witty whistle-stop tour of the eponymous politician’s life. Despite not quite being what it says on the tin – a ‘rock opera’ – the production is energetic, hilarious, and extremely camp. With a rhythm that wastes no time between laughs, co-writer (and comedy veteran) Harry Hill allows his comedic voice to continuously shine through. For better or worse, the show retains its upbeat tone despite the socio-political repercussions of Tony Blair’s tenure as Prime Minister. The production is not a scathing political commentary, despite Harry Hill undoubtedly possessing the intelligence to provide one. However, its silliness in its depiction of real-world events and people, paired with the enthusiastic and supremely talented cast, facilitates the production’s satirical tone.

Tony! cyclically begins and ends at the eponymous politician’s death, with Blair opening the show on his deathbed as he asks for a priest. The show moves swiftly on from this moment of reflective poignancy, snapping suddenly from Blair’s future to the moment of his birth. From the get-go, Tony! pokes fun at the politician’s slapdash journey to number 10. Tony! touches on a range of notable moments in the Labour Prime Minister’s career, including his marriage, Princess Diana’s passing, and his relationship with the US, to name a few. Supported by a revolving cast of caricaturish public figures, politicians, and dictators, Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s take on Blair’s tenure as Prime Minister is a non-stop barrage of parliamentary parody.

The cast of this bizarre and unlikely musical are undoubtedly a major source of its success. Jack Whittle provides an energetic and captivating performance as Tony Blair. With a large grin, he charmingly squirms across the stage with a wide-eyed naivety that conforms to the show’s overall political commentary. Despite his astoundingly entertaining performance, there is another contender for the culprit of stealing the show; Howard Samuels. The actor’s performance as Peter Mandelson is fantastically camp. He bounced with pure energy and erraticism, not to mention when he shimmied across the stage at seemingly every opportunity, which induced riotous laughter from the audience. Like Whittle and Samuels, the further ensemble cast provides incredibly strong performances. Notably, the scouse accent wields Tori Burgess as Cherie Blair, who engages with her spouse in a charged tango, where Burgess comedically demonstrates Cherie’s famously strong-willed nature.

Aided by a leather flight jacket, Martin Johnston’s performance as Bill Clinton is a scarily accurate likeness; bewildered doddering somewhat aside. Alongside Tony Blair, his character was also a primary participant in one of the more memorable songs: this homoerotically charged number details the ‘special relationship’ between the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Due to the sheer amount of characters and events depicted in the show, political figures are often reduced to caricatures. However, if the audience’s hysterics at the Groucho Marx-esque depiction of Seddam Hussein is any indicator, this reductive lampooning seemingly only adds to the enjoyment.

Of course, there cannot be a musical concerning the life of Tony Blair without considering the politics that he pioneered. The show is straight to the point about its harder-hitting themes, yet still manages to retain the playfulness that cuts through its comedic approach. As was the climate during the introduction of Blair’s ‘New Labour’, today’s political climate feels rife with change. It seems to be a happy coincidence that such a show has fallen this time, as many of the ludicrous depictions of factual events in Tony!’ feel painfully and ironically familiar.

Considering the theme of political change that follows Blair throughout his time as Prime Minister within Tony!, it feels apt to consider the vast extent to which political theatre seems to have influenced the show. The work of German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht appears to have been heavily influential, with his Epic Theatre aiming to didactically poke at politics and power through techniques such as a direct address, song, narration, and breaking the fourth wall: techniques that are all employed throughout Tony!. Hill and Brown’s musical also feels reminiscent of agitprop theatre, a style of performance that aimed to tell stories of revolution in a manner that could be swiftly adapted to a different cast or a range of settings and locations. Tony! certainly falls into the genre of political farce and clownery that agitprop called for, and takes influence from a wide breadth and history of political theatre to engagingly tell a story suited for the modern age.

Tony! has been produced at an interesting time. In the current political landscape, the Conservative government is the bane of the majority of the nation, so any remotely anti-Labour Party rhetoric inevitably feels somewhat misplaced. However, the show’s catchy final song, denoting how the world is ‘run by arseholes’, cements the idea that regardless of political affiliation or agenda, world leaders, in general, are untrustworthy degenerates; for the most part. Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera is far from laborious to watch, it boasts a vibrant cast and brims with silliness, all while not getting the credit it deserves as a genuine piece of political theatre.

Rating: 5/5

Enjoyed this? Read more from Redbrick Culture here! 

Musical Review: Heathers the Musical – Double Perspective

Interview: Harry Hill and Steve Brown of Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera

Musical Review: Annie