The stage is set. The lights are rigged. Five archetypal contestants wait in the wings. It’s the live final of mega reality show Miss I-Doll, and anything can (and will) happen.
The first hopeful we meet is Mia (Daisy Steere, who also plays all the other visible characters), who starts to tell her expertly honed sob story to the ‘Confesh Cam’, complete with childhood trauma and emotional support pets. Competing against our protagonist to be crowned Miss I-Doll and win the lucrative prize of heading up a charity of their choice are posh girl Veronica, nepo baby Samy Sire (whose resemblance to Dani Dyer is purely coincidence, I’m sure), buttoned-up Christian girl Prudence, and tough disaster-prepper Ren.
As Steere depicts all of these contestants, as well as a ruthless Italian producer, icy ‘girl boss’ sponsor, and peppy presenter, she fizzes with infectious energy like a glittery bath bomb. Her ability to switch between accents, mannerisms, and gaits is truly impressive, and she commands the stage with ease. Her vocal talents are also sublime, which she shows off as she breezes through the catchy pop-inspired musical numbers with relentless charm.
The production qualities are similarly slick, with a set covered in Miss I-Doll branding, dramatic colourful lighting, and punchy video design (which includes Gogglebox-esque clips of Steere playing different characters reacting to the TV show).
While Ilaria Fioravanti’s original concept promises a scathing and satirical take-down of the toxic fame machine, its execution by writers Tobia Rossi and Oliver Lidert is unfortunately all snark, no bite. Miss I-Doll starts strong with the introduction of the contestants and “backstage fascist” producer Maria, but a bizarre plot point centred around Mia’s concussion-induced rampages against the show muffles the messaging. It gets even stranger when in the climax of the story it’s revealed that Mia actually faked her ‘blackouts’ as a cover up for vocalising her true feelings towards the harmful TV industry. This throws much of what we’ve seen previously up in the air for no real reason — Mia could have easily come to terms with her opinions on the show without the unnecessary farce.
Miss I-Doll offers witty commentary throughout, with plenty of jokes about the commodification of women’s health and insecurities, but Mia’s final song advocating for acceptance and self-love ironically feels like a cliche plucked from the very industry it’s parodying.
Steere’s fabulous performance and masterful multi rolling talents makes Miss I-Doll an entertaining watch, but its convoluted plot and too-neatly tied up ending stops it from being the biting satire it clearly aspires to be.
Miss I-Doll is at The Other Palace Studio until 9th March. Buy tickets from: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/miss-i-doll/
Reviewed: Olivia Cox
Reviewer: 21st February 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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