Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 22nd July 2023
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
5*****
Tony! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera), with music by Steve Brown and lyrics by Harry Hill… Who could resist such a totally bonkers concept? Not I.
The opening number immediately showcased the show’s multi-faceted strengths – ensemble song & dance routines, biting comedy and a “knowing nod” to a greater truth behind the politics all set to a toe-tapping soundtrack. Truly, something for everybody.
Howard Samuels launched tonight’s proceedings with a deliciously camp Peter “Mandy” Mandelson, giving the opening number some appropriate spin on the Blair legend. A truly fantastic concoction that fizzed across the stage like a comedic perpetual motion machine intent upon revealing this impressively talented actor in all his technicolor glory. My favourite role of the entire show, with more than a touch of classic Carry On about it. As U2 might say, “even better than the real thing”.
Fans of Harry Hill’s madcap tomfoolery will be thrilled by our title character’s entrance – of which I’ll say no more so as not to spoil the surprise… As a charming theatre going companion astutely commented on Jack Whittle’s performance as Tony; he “perfected each movement and mannerism, to the point of wearing the character like a tailored suit – that louche dead-eyed grin was magnificent”. Thank you Anne, perfectly put!
The story of Blair wouldn’t be complete without his shadow, Gordon Brown, played with devastating precision by Phil Sealey – especially in nailing that vocal tick. His “Macroeconomics” song (written out word for word from an actual speech) was something you don’t hear wrought in song every day and was a sheer delight.
The entire cast were fantastic and only my paltry word count precludes a paragraph for each performer (which they deserve). I will briefly mention Emma Jay Thomas as Princess Diana neatly weaving in (and out and in again) making hers an enjoyable and pivotal role. And the villainous dictators of the tale are treated in perhaps the only way possible for a piece of family entertainment – like the Nazis in The Producers – which I thoroughly enjoyed. Lastly for my whirlwind mentions, Cherie (Tori Burgess) and Tony’s love scene was worth the price of admission alone! I haven’t laughed that hard for quite a while.
I’m not sure if a serious message behind all the humour was intentional but the song “Bombs Away” was arguably one of the most insightful commentaries on American foreign policy ever. There’s also (given our current geopolitical situation) a particularly apt ending to “The Whole Wide World” routine. Guaranteed to receive a supportive cheer, it will have you humming yet another glorious tune long after you’ve left the auditorium.
As my aching face (from the two hour Blair like grin I had been wearing) and split sides attested, Tony! is a riotously funny piece of musical theatre which I cannot recommend highly enough. Utterly wonderful in it’s absurdity and all the moreso as it was based on true events (well, mostly true anyway), this show is a real tonic! Mr Hill began as a Doctor and in this humble reviewers opinion this show should be prescribed on the NHS as a pick me up. Bravo to all concerned, grab a ticket while you can!