★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Eleanor

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

Following a 5-star sell-out run at the Birmingham Rep, Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image the Musical has arrived with a bang at the West End’s Phoenix Theatre.

The fabric of society is falling apart. Prince Charles is determined to right this wrong before being crowned king, so appoints Tom Cruise as the leader of a crack squad tasked with fixing Britain. But Boris Johnson has assembled a team of his own and is determined to thwart them and become the leader of the world. The show is co-written by Al Murray (also known as his comic persona the Pub Landlord), Sean Foley (director of The Upstart Crow and The Play What I Wrote), and Matt Forde (host of The Political Party) alongside original Spitting Image co-creator Roger Law. The production is also Directed by Sean Foley.

With a show such as this, opinions will always be polarised. But I found Idiots Assemble to be an enjoyable show with fast-paced material that was both predictable and unpredictable, but always funny. Undoubtedly the stars of this show are the puppeteers themselves who elevate the material to a whole other level with their excellent performances.

There was a wonderful atmosphere outside and around the theatre, giving an idea of the wide range of ‘characters’ in the show. It definitely put you in a jovial mood before the show even started. You are also treated to a short voiceover before the musical begins, where they confirm outright that the show doesn’t respect “any bloody thing”, which is quickly shown to be true. No one comes out unscathed from this production, which is what makes it so absurd.

The Royal Family, Spitting Image, The Musical by Mark Senior.jpg

Stormzy and Tom Cruise - Idiots Assemble Spitting Image Saves the World - Live on Stage - credit Mark Senior.jpg

The show opens, as any good West End show would, with a monologue from Sir Ian McKellen. He explains succinctly how the puppetry will work throughout the show and then the ‘story’ (which is a relatively loose term for it!) quickly kicks into gear. Much of the first act focuses on Tom Cruise recruiting his dream team, with a variety of figures quickly being introduced in a ‘Britain's Got Talent’ style talent show. This worked well as it allows for some quick-fire jokes and impressions of well-known celebrities. The second half opens with Charles having issues with his pen (as was reported in September 2022 while the King was visiting Belfast) and expressing his frustrations in the form of the Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. With some longer form set pieces and memorable scenes, including a matrix-style fight scene and a political exorcism using ‘Tory dark magic’, the Avengers style team is finally formed and saves the coronation.

This musical transports you to various locations on land, sea, and sky. From No.10 to Ukraine and the English Channel. The set is mostly minimal with large interchanging backdrops and some set pieces. They never detract from the puppets themselves. It also means when some more intricate props are introduced they really stand out. The use of electronic screens were used to great effect, with enjoyable little interludes from BBC News.

To make the puppets come to life, the vocals are pre-recorded and played through speakers in the theatre. There are a few familiar vocal talents here, such as writer Al Murray and actress Kathryn Drysdale (known for Channel 4’s The Windsors and Netflix’s Bridgerton). Their script was undoubtedly updated to reflect current events, with Nicola Sturgeon protesting her innocence and repeatedly being escorted away by police. Again, this relevance just elevated the enjoyment of the show. The impressions may have been better for some characters than others, but always added an extra layer of comedy to the script.

On stage, the puppets were controlled by a series of puppeteers, who either maneuvered the characters remotely or used their own legs to move around the stage with the torso of the puppet connected to their own. This layer of movement is what makes the show so dynamic and stand apart from the relatively static scenes of the Spitting Image TV show. The puppets themselves were excellently crafted and truly come to life on stage. The fact you are never distracted by the puppeteers themselves is a testament to the excellent work they are doing to not only make the puppets talk, sing and move, but also dance. Putin’s dancing in the rubble to ‘Putting on the Ritz’ (Putin on the Blitz) is particularly vigorous and another comical moment.

The humour here is not the wittiest or highly elevated, but the low blows cast at a wide range of notable figures were funny and played on instantly recognisable tropes. Harry ending every sentence with a book plug for Spare, which increasingly lowers in price, and Suella Braverman’s depiction as the girl from The Ring were particular highlights for me. James Corden’s inclusion in Boris Johnson’s evil team, with his appearance in Cats being described as a ‘war crime,’ and the repeated appearances of Keir Starmer also garnered a strong reaction from the audience. Although some sections were more farcical and sometimes obscene, it was the content that most closely reflected true events which made me laugh the most.

I would not necessarily describe Idiots Assemble as a musical, but a stage show with several songs incorporated into it. The first song in the production is Paddington and the Royal family ‘singing’ to the tune of We Will Rock You with the lyrics changed to We Will Rule You. This is not necessarily the strongest number in the show but sets up well how music will be used throughout. Alongside the tunes of Queen and other recognisable pop artists, Idiots Assemble also takes advantage of popular songs from The Lion King; The Conservative Cabinet is assembled in the style of The Circle of Life, with the theme continuing into Boris Johnson’s rendition of I Just Can’t wait to be King. Similarly to most of the songs, this got a good reaction from the audience and the recognisable tropes were funny to spot, but the actual content within these songs was sometimes lost or not funny in of itself. As with the content of Spitting Image more generally, some settings and scenes were harder to get on board with.

Idiots Assemble: the Musical is absolutely farcical but in the best ways. The show was peppered with jokes and scenes which really made me laugh, and even though you can see the punchline coming it does not lessen the enjoyment in most cases. You know what you are in for with a show like this, and any fan of political satire will not be disappointed. Spitting Image knows who their audience is and rather than looking to expand it, they double down. The first half of the show is undoubtedly stronger than the second, with the shorter scenes and faster pacing meaning more jokes land well. In the second half some sections feel overly extended and punch lines are repeated. But the inclusion of references to current events and some theatre tropes really helped to keep the audience on side. The atmosphere you gain from being part of a live audience really helps this show in all the areas where the TV series would fall short. Overall, I had a very enjoyable evening and would certainly recommend this show to anyone whose sense of humour falls into this bracket.