Five star review and sell-out show

Tony Blair - the Musical is now officially a 2007 Fringe sell-out show, having been completely sold out for the last four performances - if you're hoping to come along you are advised to book early!

Please note again that if tickets are unavailable through the Fringe office then you may still be able to get them from the Gilded Balloon.

The media coverage continues and there have been many reviews over the last few days, including a four star review from Three Weeks which you can read here.

The show also has a five star review in the forthcoming edition of ScotsGay, reproduced below.

Io Theatre Company
Tony Blair - The Musical
Gilded Balloon *****

I was not sure whether to see this. I detest with every sinew in my body this vacuous war criminal. Was I about to attend a hagiography to the man? I need not have worried.

It is interesting to see what you can get away with about politicians. In 2001 Out of Joint did a show written by Alaistair Beaton called Feelgood which portrayed new Labour as unprincipled megalomaniacs who would stop at nothing to gain power. This year they did King of Hearts where it was perfectly plausible to see the then Prime Minister portrayed as a racist bigot.This follows on from there and was surprisingly popular - the room was just about full. We experience a Peter Snow that was perfect at election time, Tony Blair doing a "Not a day for Soundbites" song featuring soundbite after soundbite. The rhyming of education, education, education with mutual masturbation is one I will remember for a long time. We are lead into early legacies of this government, such as the Millennium Dome. We experience a manic John Prescott and female ministers who are clearly there because of their genitalia not their intellect or ability. Blunkett comes alive in a scene that is very simple, yet utterly ridiculing (I'll say no more). Then comes the war. I was reminded of Oh What a Lovely War with songs such as "We want a War" and "Bomb the Faggots". The Tories don't escape either, however I would criticise the treatment of the Lib Dems, who should either have been totally ignored or treated more seriously.

It ends with the death of Blair which is a combination of Shakespear's Julius Caesar and Hancock's The Bowmans. Writer James Lark and director Delyth Jones have developed a show anyone could be proud of; watch out Max Stafford-Clark and Alaistair Beaton you have competition. Oh I almost forgot, there is a web site that also had tears running down my face if not quite down my trouser leg. It is selling peerages.