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Well, the story begins with Tony on his deathbed as his “friends” – including Peter Mandelson (Howard Samuels) and Gordon Brown (Gary Trainor) – assemble to tell his story from birth to the all-important university years, where he and fellow longhair Gordy shake their locks in a kind of Jagger-meets-Meatloaf combo.
In the race through New Labour via Diana, Princess of Wales’s death to the Iraq War, there is something to offend everyone.
Played as a petulant Peter Pan, Tony is manipulated throughout by the Mephistophelean Mandelson as the rest of the multi-tasking cast race on and off in a welter of wiggery jokery with each impersonation more unlikely than the last.
David Blunkett is yanked around by his toy dog, Madison Swan is highly amusing as Lady Diana, and Saddam Hussein is a kind of Iraqi Groucho Marx.
Gleefully plundering every musical form from Vaudeville to Broadway musicals and Gilbert & Sullivan, Steve Brown’s spiky lyrics are a hoot.
The hard-working cast sing, dance and switch accents (as well as genders) with admirable gusto but this lively satire is more mock than rock.
Park Theatre, London, until July 9 Tickets: 020 7870 6876
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