The show starts with a mock trigger warning “for humourless pricks … this show identifies as funny”. It’s a shame then that the satire is its weakest aspect. When Spitting Image returned to TV it proved divisive. The show’s introduction asks us to shelve our outrage – it’s here to mock everyone.
The stage show has an advantage over its TV counterpart – seeing the puppets up close is impressive. The puppeteers are the stars of this two-hour show, deftly manipulating the cast of characters for dance numbers and slow-motion sequences (the fight scene starring Tom Cruise is a highlight). Working in sync with the actors, who nail most of their impressions, it’s an impressive choreography. The staging is striking too, taking us from Buckingham Palace to Ukraine, via the sky and sea.
Prince Charles needs help saving his kingdom: cue a quest to find seven stars to defeat the evil forces bringing Britain down. We meet the royal family, politicians, RuPaul, Greta Thunberg, actors, pop stars and evil billionaires. Pleasingly weird puppets offer the freshest material: a sinister Paddington Bear with protruding eyes who acts as adviser to King Charles, Rees-Mogg as an enormous praying mantis and Suella Braverman as a maniacally giggling girl from The Ring.
But the bulk of the joke-writing is predictable, leaning into cliches, catchphrases and obvious punchlines. Most characters only have one joke: Meghan Markle is desperate for attention, Tom Cruise is short, Keir Starmer is boring. Elsewhere the joke is unclear. Are we laughing at Angela Rayner because she overplays her working-class roots, or simply because she’s working class? The show is punctuated with songs, parodies of Queen, Toto, Disney. One stands out – a surprisingly sad duet by Sunak and Johnson, a powerful reminder of their catalogue of lies.
It urges us to take nothing seriously, but this sits awkwardly alongside the jarring sincerity of Zelenskiy saluting in front of his country’s flag, asking the audience not to forget Ukraine. The overarching message – don’t idolise public figures, they’re all as bad as each other – is interesting. Sure, no one is above scrutiny, but does Greta Thunberg belong in a lineup of politicians and Prince Andrew? Spitting Image is a spectacle. The puppetry is a pleasure to watch. But it’s light on laughs.
• At Birmingham Rep until 11 March.
