Tony Blair rock opera musical to run at the Park Theatre this summer
Harry Hill and Steve Brown's satirical rock opera about former Prime Minister Tony Blair will have a six-week run this summer.
Hill and Brown, who have been crafting the show for a few years, will present the piece at the Park Theatre in north London, with dates from 1 June to 9 July.
Peter Rowe directs the musical, which is described as "Yes, Minister meets The Rocky Horror Show!" and charts the highs and all manner of lows of the former Labour leader. Characters involved include Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alastair Campbell, Osama Bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein and Gordon Brown.
Hill said today: "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."
Casting is to be announced, with the show featuring choreography by Francesca Jaynes, set and costume by Libby Watson and sound by Andre T.
