TONY! [THE TONY BLAIR ROCK OPERA]
BY HARRY HILL & STEVE BROWN
PERFORMANCES SOLD OUT IN TONY BLAIR’S FORMER CONSTITUENCY OF SEDGEFIELD
NEW DATES ADDED TO UK TOUR
‘Look anyone will tell you, I’m a pretty straight sort of guy.’ Tony Blair
A reckless reappraisal of the life of former Ugly Rumours front man and Britain’s first pop Prime Minister Tony Blair.
In the week Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s hilarious musical TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] opened in London’s West End at the Leicester Square Theatre, and with dates now sold out at Sedgefield Parish Hall in Tony Blair’s former constituency, new dates have been added to the UK Tour at Derby Theatre (12-16 September), Bromley Churchill Theatre (21-23 September), Eastbourne Devonshire Park Theatre (26-30 September) and Liverpool Playhouse (10-14 October, the same week the Labour Party Conference is in Liverpool).
TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] is playing a limited season at the Leicester Square Theatre until 21 May. The musical will then tour the UK from 25 May, including four weeks at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in association with Pleasance.
The musical tells the story of how one man went from peace-loving, long-haired hippy and would-be pop star to warmongering multimillionaire in just a couple of decades. Throw in a stellar cast of larger-than-life characters – Cherie Blair, Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alastair Campbell, Osama bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein and Gordon Brown – it’s Yes, Minister meets The Rocky Horror Show and a musical like no other.
Please note: Neither Tony Blair, the Tony Blair Institute, nor any other person featured in this production have endorsed the production or its marketing materials and are in no way affiliated with the production.
Harry Hill and Steve Brown said, “It’s a show for Tony Lovers and Haters everywhere – and everyone in between – don’t expect a history lesson – in our world Tony’s born singing and dancing, Saddam Hussein is played as Groucho Marx and Gordon Brown occasionally turns into the Incredible Hulk – let’s just say all the facts are there… but not necessarily as they occurred! Tony hasn’t yet replied to our invite to see the show, but we do hope he’ll pop along to his old stomping ground of Sedgefield to give his verdict when we open there at the Parish Hall. Tony? If you’re reading this we’ve put a couple of tickets in your name on the door.”
The full cast is Jack Whittle as Tony Blair, Howard Samuels as Peter Mandelson, Tori Burgess as Cherie Blair, Phil Sealey as Gordon Brown, Martin Johnston as Neil Kinnock, Rosie Strobel as John Prescott, Sally Cheng as Robin Cook, Emma Jay Thomas as Princess Diana and William Hazell as on-stage cover. Other characters featured in the musical, who are played by the cast, include Saddam Hussein, Liam Gallagher, Alastair Campbell, Osama Bin Laden and many more.
TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] is directed by Peter Rowe, with set and costume design by Libby Watson, lighting design by Mark Dymock, sound design by Richard Brooker, choreography by Francesca Jaynes and casting by Debbie O’Brien. The Park Theatre production of TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] is produced in the West End and on tour by Nicholson Green Productions.
For more information, visit www.tonyblairrockopera.co.uk
Twitter and Instagram: @tonyrockopera
LISTINGS INFORMATION
15 April – 21 May 2023
Leicester Square Theatre
6 Leicester Place
London WC2H 7BX
Performances vary, so please check the website
Box Office: 020 7734 2222
Website: leicestersquaretheatre.com
Tickets: from £26.50
Running Time at Leicester Square Theatre: 2 hours (inc. interval)
Suitable for 14+
TOUR SCHEDULE
25 May – 3 June Guildford Yvonne Arnaud 01483 44 00 00
7 – 10 June Birmingham Rep 0121 236 4455
14 – 17 June Cardiff New Theatre 0343 310 0041
21 – 24 June Richmond Theatre
27 June – 1 July Brighton Theatre Royal
3 – 8 July Bath Theatre Royal 01225 448844
11 – 15 July Chester Storyhouse 01244 409113
18 – 22 July Malvern Festival Theatre 01684 892277
24 – 26 July Darlington Hippodrome 01325 405405
www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
27 – 29 July Sedgefield Parish Hall
www.eventbrite.com/e/tony-the-tony-blair-rock-opera-tickets-537360799617
2 – 27 August Edinburgh Pleasance at EICC (Venue 150) 020 7609 1800/0131 556 6550
12 – 16 September Derby Theatre 01332 593939
derbytheatre.co.uk on sale 12 May
21 – 23 September Bromley Churchill Theatre 0343 310 0020
26 – 30 September Eastbourne Devonshire Park Theatre 01323 412000
2 – 7 October Salford The Lowry 0161 876 2015
10 – 14 October Liverpool Playhouse 0151 709 4776