

Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image the Musical
The puppet domination of the West End continues apace with the arrival of this official ‘Spitting Image’ musical, which enjoyed a successful run at the Birmingham Rep earlier this year. Those who grew up in the ’80s will fondly remember the puppet-propelled political satire’s glory days – and subscribers to BritBox may also be aware of its recent reincarnation, which clearly isn’t the zeitgeist-chomping behemoth of yore, but does still raise the odd chuckle. ‘Idiots Assemble’ is very much brand new material – no trundling out of the ‘vegetables’ sketch – and features the contemporary (if not exactly youthful or diverse) trio of Al Murray, Matt Forde and the play’s director Sean Foley penning skits and songs that centre on Tom Cruise, who is tasked by King Charles to assemble a crack team of do-gooders (Greta Thunberg, Meghan Markle et al) to take on ‘a cabal of dark forces’. Reviews for the jokes were mixed, but praise was unanimous for the world-class puppetry: even if it doesn’t scale the show’s glory days it ought to be a fun night out.