Birmingham Repertory Theatre- until 11th March 2023
Reviewed by Emma Millward
5*****
First broadcast in 1984 and produced by Central Independent Television in Birmingham, it is very fitting that they have returned to the second city for the world premiere of their first ever live show. It’s a unique show with the Puppeteers being clearly visible onstage throughout, although you are soon pulled into the story and focus on the characters. The satirical and at times x-rated dialogue spoken by the cast is pre-recorded by twelve talented voice artists, including the show’s writers Al Murray and Matt Forde.
The show starts as it means to go on, with an expletive laden announcement informing us if we are easily offended, it’s definitely time to leave. We meet our narrator for the evening, a tiny but domineering Ian McKellen. He is quickly interrupted by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sitting in the ‘Royal box’ at the side of the stage. We then meet the rest of the Royal Family and are treated to the spectacular sight of the newly crowned King Charles singing Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ (or “I will Rule You”) and Queen Elizabeth II rocking the guitar solo! The King enlists a teeny tiny Tom Cruise to save the UK and the ailing ‘Fabric of Society’ (a grotty pair of underpants) by assembling a very unlikely Magnificent Seven group of celebrities including Greta Thunberg, RuPaul, Tyson Fury and Idris Elba. An overly enthusiastic Keir Starmer tries and continually fails to join the gang. They set off to defeat the most evil men in the world, which includes, among others, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak (characterised as a Posh Schoolboy) and James Corden.
What follows is two hours of probably the craziest, fast-paced and often shocking comedy I’ve seen in a long time. To name all the familiar faces who appear throughout would take up my entire review, but they include Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Adele, and a wild-eyed,drugged up Paddington Bear offering his advice to King Charles. The characterisations are as savage as we all expect from Spitting Image, including a hilarious take on Home Secretary Suella Braverman, depicted here as a creepy possessed little girl akin to Regan from The Exorcist. Other stand out moments included a tiny Vladimir Putin tap dancing and singing ‘Putin on The Blitz’. However, for me, a scantily clad Carrie Johnson and a troupe of giant dancing male genitalia definitely provided an epic climax to the first half of the show (pun fully intended).
Despite being pre-recorded, the show still manages to keep the show up to date by constantly making edits throughout it’s run at The Rep. Nicola Sturgeon’s recent resignation was added to the show with her gleefully popping up to tell the audience about her own new-found independence. The show’s director and writer, Sean Foley, explained in his pre-performance email that it is both a finished show, and a ‘work in constant progress. The prolonged standing ovation given to the talented Puppeteers at the end of the show was truly deserved after a show that definitely captured the essence of the original show and delivered a laughter-filled evening that left the crowd wanting more.