From stand-up comedian and TV legend Harry Hill and his long-time collaborator Steve Brown comes the premiere of Tony [The Tony Blair Rock Opera].
A reckless reappraisal of the life of former Ugly Rumours front man and Britain’s first pop Prime Minister Tony Blair. 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.
It’s Yes, Minister meets The Rocky Horror Show!, a hilarious tragedy of political intrigue, religion, power, and romance that plays fast and loose with the facts, complete with songs such as ‘Macro Economics’ and and the haunting ballad ‘I Never Did Anything Wrong’. Peter Rowe directs, and the full cast is to be announced.
Charting Tony’s meteoric rise to his stark shift in public opinion, the show is laden with larger-than-life characters such as Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alastair Campbell, Osama Bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein and Gordon Brown. It’s one hell of a weapon of mass distraction!
Harry Hill said, “Ask yourself this – if you bumped into Tony Blair in the street would you ask for a selfie? Gordon maybe – but Tony… Don’t think so! Think of the insta-hate! Yet 25 years ago there he was – the master of all he surveyed surfing his britpop wave with Cherie at his side. Ah, Remember Britpop? The future all looked so rosy back then didn’t it? It’s struck me for a while that Tony Blair’s life is epic – operatic even, in its story arc.I know it doesn’t sound like obvious material for a comedy musical but we’re not laughing at Tony so much as laughing at the choices WE made back in the 90’s and early 2000’s.”
Steve Brown added, “Memories of the first Pop Prime Minister; the one who rode the wave of Cool Britannia; Noel Gallagher necking champagne at Downing Street; it was like the 60s again. Optimism and groovy gear. Er, and a few wars. We could only convey this story in the most overblown of all possible theatrical forms: The Rock Opera… or Poperetta if you will. Fun, catchy but ultimately, a tragedy in the making.”
Tony [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] is at Park Theatre 1st June to 9th July 2022.
