Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

When Margaret Thatcher died, certain quarters of the Left responded by organising and participating in public celebrations. As morally questionable as it may be to gloat at the demise of the elderly and frail, what's surely worse is exploiting events of this nature for publicity or profit. Remember the witless novelties that followed Michael Jackson's passing? Jimmy Savile's? In a shock turn of events, Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho is far from the one-joke throwaway, and may very well turn out to be one of the funniest hours that this year's Fringe has to offer.

It's puerile stuff, but exactly the kind of humour that Ben Elton was delivering in the '80s. Behind the relentless innuendo lies a profound sense of political dissatisfaction; winking bonhomie masks a righteous contempt for the ruling class. And when it comes to the actions and beliefs of socially conservative bigots, it turns out the Village People's camp buffoonery can make for as effective a protest song as the more pointed offerings of Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg.

The show imagines an alternative reality in which Thatcher realises the error of her ways over the introduction of the notorious Section 28 legislation, which banned the "promotion" of homosexuality in schools. As she undertakes a tour of the UK's gay clubs and meets her adoring audiences, there's plenty of room for pathos. If only the Iron Lady had been less set in her ways, wouldn't she and her subjects have been a lot happier?