From the moment Mark Thomas steps on the stage he holds the audience in his thrall. Highly polished, eloquent, irreverent, expletive and thoroughly persuasive, Mark weaves together the three main plot lines of this show into a unique event. You’re not entirely sure whether you’re at a comedy club, union meeting or motivation seminar.
Plot A is the formulation of the Edinburgh Manifesto. The audience is asked for policies and ideas whilst queueing outside and these are read out on stage with the gathered masses voting vocally for them. Ranging from “edible flowerbeds in towns and villages” to “compulsory volunteering for the unemployed” (which won on 14th), each is handled considerately and add a frisson of improvisation, also giving the audience some degree of ownership of the show.
Plot B is an hilarious exploration of various political japes and practical applications of ideas. Breakfast television zombies and herding lesbians, the hostage-taking of topiary, calling for the Bank of England to be renamed “The Pound Shop” and Mark’s tale of having his own fingerprints destroyed. Pure distilled entertainment.
Finally we come to the overall Manifesto – details of which shall be revealed in the show, suffice to say his argument for invading a certain small island is perfectly reasonable and should be instigated immediately. To complete your experience, don’t forget to grab your free No State Funeral for Thatcher postcards and handy wallet-size Stop & Search cards.
For those who are already fans, this will not disappoint. For those who are not, welcome to your new religion. Provocative, compelling and hilarious, this is the sharper image picture of how Britain is today and how it should be tomorrow.
5/5 
Zander Bruce
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