After numerous sell-outs runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, a West End season and UK Tours, Margaret Thatcher- Queen of Soho (a phrase I never thought I’d say!),  is at The Lowry in Salford this week and, let me tell you, there is nothing conservative about this production.

Created by Jon Brittain and Matt Tedford and described as a “big gay odyssey about LGBT rights, the 80s and disco”, Margaret Thatcher- Queen of Soho does everything it says on the tin. It tells the what-if story of Britain’s first female Prime Minister on the eve of the Government vote on Section 28. For those not in the know, this legislation- backed by Thatcher’s Conservative Government- prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities, caused by the discovery of a children’s book about a young girl living with same-sex parents…sounds ludicrous, right?

With direction from Brittain, Maggie takes centre-stage as a cabaret performer after her stint at Number 10 and tells the audience of how the fateful night before actually happened- cue the absurdity, satire and more belly laughing moments than I can count.

Co-creator Tedford plays the leading (iron) lady (which holds so much irony in itself; given the Tory Government’s stance on queer communities) and is a force to be reckoned with. Their superb characterisation of Maggie could give Ms Streep a run for her money and truly soars during their adlibs. The exaggerated facial expressions and subtle nuances are sublime.

Paul Heath and Jacob Jackson join Tedford on stage and play a multitude of parts, including the voice of Churchill’s talking portrait (yes, really) and the driving force behind Section 28, Jill Knight- who we are encouraged to boo at each time she appears to the underscore of Phantom of the Opera- and rightly so! Heath and Jackson more than hold their own throughout and much to Maggie/Tedford’s irritation, can clapback to much hilarity during some of the unscripted moments. They both switch their roles in seconds without so much as a deep breath and truly are cement holding the theatrical bricks in place.

There were some sound issues throughout the performance with the levels being off, particularly over the SFX and for Heath and Jackson’s microphones. There was also an issue with Tedford’s mic but that’s simply acted as a catalyst to add even more hilarity to the piece and was handled like a pro!

Technical hiccups aside, all-in-all, this is a hilarious and much needed piece of theatre in a time where the queer community are still widely used as political scapegoats. Though it’s important to remember that- in Thatcher’s world- anything goes…

Margaret Thatcher – Queen of Soho runs at The Lowry until Saturday 14th September. Further information and booking details can be found here.

Gifted in exchange for an honest review.

Photography courtesy of the production.