“A riotous return for one of the Fringe’s most gloriously camp political showstoppers.”
One of the most beloved Edinburgh Festival Fringe institutions is Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Soho, a high-camp drag musical detailing how the Iron Lady became a cabaret icon. Like all good concepts, we’re left wanting more, and just as The Phantom of the Opera picked up with Love Never Dies, Queen of Soho picks up Maggie’s story with Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Hollywood.
Maggie may have conquered the Falklands, miners and scabs, but she faces a threat of another level, the Hollywood exec, in this latest musical comedy chapter. After conquering the cabaret world, the former PM is beckoned to Hollywood to star in a remake of The Iron Lady, part of the upcoming Prime Ministerial Cinematic Universe. Whilst on her journey to Oscar stardom, the Prime MiniSTAR must take on the treacherous producer Harvey Sexpest and her sworn nemesis Meryl Streep.
Matt Tedford returns to take on the role of Margaret Thatcher, which the actor feels truly born to play. Bringing an icy confidence, withering sass and high-camp theatricality to the role, Tedford’s Maggie is like a steamroller taking on everyone in sight. Written by Matt, Jon Brittain and Tasha Dhanraj, the team have a wonderful understanding of the camp at the heart of the persona of Lady Thatcher, and turn this up by a hundred for a truly mesmerising, bizarre and hilarious Fringe treat. The PM’s controversial legacy also becomes intertwined in many of the gags, with miners, milk-snatching and privatisation all amusingly working their way into the narrative, as well as one riotous reference to pegging Dennis.
The 80s political gags get interspersed with a camp send-up of the treacherous nature of Hollywood. The addition of Meryl Streep, who appears as director of The Iron Lady remake, sees the actress seek to turn Maggie’s story into an Oscar-winning indie hit where Maggie is once again the villain, whilst Maggie seeks to tell her story like a powerhouse 80s action flick, including a will-they-won’t-they romance with Ronald Reagan and Norman Lamont as a talking dog. Queen of Hollywood makes a few gags about the current state of Hollywood, with the PM awed by the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson, Kevin Spacey… and soon-to-be Maggie. The addition of Hollywood Ryans, Reynolds and Gosling, is one of the less successful gags, but does lead to a standout musical number called Fuckable, which sees Maggie turned into a Hollywood sex symbol.
The Assembly Piccolo set is adorned by a grand, glittering silver Hollywood sign, now Maggiewood, whilst an assortment of elaborate props and costumes are brought on to bring the La La Land setting to life, including the highlight of Maggie in an Aliens-style robotic suit. Whilst many of these Hollywood-geared gags are humorous, I did find myself slightly more longing for even more political humour, whether geared towards Mrs T’s time in office or the current changing political state of the country.
Tedford is supported on stage by two actresses who take on multiple roles, from Mrs T’s Gen Z co-stars to Harvey Sexpest, Meryl Streep and the Ryans. Both actresses bring versatility and comic chops to the fore, bouncing off Tedford’s mighty Maggie. The audience is also drafted in to take on some small roles, allowing Tedford to bring in a little sharply tuned improvisational skill.
Musically, the numbers from Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones are as punchy and amusing as those in the show’s predecessor. Songs such as Thank You Me, Prime MiniSuperstar, We Can All Look Out for Number One… Together and Give Me My Oscar! capture Maggie’s political essence whilst also heightening the camp and musical silliness of Queen of Hollywood.
Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Hollywood is a riotous return for one of the Fringe’s most gloriously camp political showstoppers. Matt Tedford’s commanding performance, a talented supporting cast and a collection of suitably outrageous musical numbers make this a hugely entertaining sequel. Maggie’s journey from Downing Street to Maggiewood is every bit as wonderfully absurd as it sounds – and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Hollywood runs until August 30th. Tickets are available here.
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