We watched Tony! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera) at Birmingham Rep & it was a booming noughties experience

It started with a BANG and the show just got louder and louder.

Tony! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera) certainly knows how to grab attention - and with the former British Prime Minister’s involvement with four wars it’s no wonder a comedy musical about his leadership was so explosive.

It was a trip back to the late 90s and early noughties packed into just two hours with every second brimming with hilarity, drama and intrigue.

The story of rise and fall of Britain’s last Labour MP and his counterparts was relayed in deftly slick manor. The cheerful asides from spin doctors Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell - both played by Howard Samuels - brought the audience directly into the heart of the drama.

At one point we were all part of a Labour Party Conference, which was quite an experience! Osama Bin Laden was resurrected and proved to be a bit of a mover as the rock band playing at the back of the stage throughout the show - adding to the crazy journey whizzing through Tony’s birth, school days, university, marriage - and finally Number 10.

Other key characters included Princess Diana - not sure how Prince Harry would feel about the depiction of his mum who Blair famously described as the ‘People’s Princess’ - which his character in the show heralds as one of his finest moments.

During the performance she dances with Blair and makes a return from death in another scene with her appearance acting as an inspiration for our PM character to massage documents about weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

Cherie has a heavy thick scouse accent, adding to the humour while Robin Cook, David Blunkett, John Prescott, Neil Kinnock and other key Blair cabinet members also make satirical appearances. It’s not long since The Rep hosted the Spitting Image puppets, so the stage is no stranger to political caricatures.

Another stand out scene includes President George W Bush with Dick Cheney explaining the role of the ‘goodies’ in the west, as opposed to the Middle East and a look back at the start of the War on Terror.

Star of the show Jack Whittle as Blair skillfully spins a recreation of the government decision making with the former PM agreeing with the plans through the ‘special relationship’ between the US and UK.

His energy zoomed around the theatre as the story unfolded with the witty script written by comedian Harry Hill and music from Steve Brown the show certainly takes a fresh look at Blair’s years in power and gives an interesting retrospective.

Blair isn’t portrayed as a villain, more of an egotist - and there’s a reminder that he isn’t the only world leader to attract criticism. Worth a watch if you haven’t seen it before. Wonder if they’ll do one on Boris! You can get tickets here: Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] at Birmingham Rep