Miss I-Doll
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: The Other Palace, London
Cast: Daisy Steere and Natalie Casey

Mia is entering the Miss I-Doll competition with one goal in mind; to become a global superstar.

But on the eve of the show’s primetime final, a peek behind the curtain reveals a ruthless system of feminine stereotypes, capitalistic agendas, green washing, unethical marketing, discrimination, and… let’s cut to commercial.

Reality TV has boomed in recent years, with shows like Big Brother, Love Island, X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing providing iconic moments and captivating millions across the world. The fascination with such shows is only growing and that's why now is the perfect time for a musical like Miss I-Doll to take centre stage. 

Miss I-Doll takes everything you know about reality TV shows and turns it on its head, revealing what happens behind the scenes before and during the final. The musical comedy follows the story of Miss I-Doll, a competition very similar to the likes of X Factor and Pop Idol, but catered for women. From 5,000 contestants, we're down to the final five and Daisy Steere becomes all five of the contestants, as well as the producer, Maria...and every other character. Including Gogglebox-esque segments on a TV above the stage where we keep up to date with the viewers "at home" and their ever changing judgements and thoughts.

It's impossible to not give Miss I-Doll 5 stars because Daisy Steere's performance is nothing short of exceptional. As well as being an incredible musical theatre performance, her comedic timing is absolutely impeccable. It's hard to believe she didn't write the material itself as the script, from Tobia Rossi and Oliver Lidert, almost feels like a part of her, and as though it's ingrained in her.

She delivers each line and character with such an unbelievable amount of realism that you almost forget that she's up there alone on the stage; rather than just one woman portraying more than a handful of characters. She's an absolute force to be reckoned with, with powerhouse vocals and comedy that left me (and the entire audience) erupting with laughter. 

The script from Rossi and Lidert is satirical genius. If you're a lover of reality TV, like myself, there are so many references to various shows to watch out for (yes I'm talking that David has died moment on Big Brother). It plays into the stereotypes we're all too familiar with and have strong emotions for, whether it be love or hate; the despicable villain, the almost too-good-to-be-true contestant. It uses these stereotypes and turns them on their heads entirely, creating an entirely new narrative.

Everything is so incredibly current to today's topics (think P. Diddy, Elon Musk and the likes) and it's the type of show that you could easily adjust slightly to make it as relevant as possible to fresh audiences. As a woman, it's hard not to relate to this show. While the majority of the show is satire, there's some real poignant moments integrated throughout that left me with tears in my eyes at their depth and how much I resonated with the script. 

The set from Ellie Wintour was simple but effective, emanating a reality TV set with the use of multiple bright back lights, a chair and video cameras. The lighting design from Alistair Lindsay is bold and stark much of the time, which almost replicates what it feels like to be in the spotlight all of the time, like that of an idol. 

Miss I-Doll is witty, hilarious and satirical genius in every way. Daisy Steere gives a performance that is absolutely astonishing.

You can book tickets to Miss I-Doll, here.

**photo credit: Mariano Gobbi**