During the interval the man in the seat next to me asked me about the story of J Edgar Hoover, the despotic FBI Director from 1924 to 1972 who, according to this musical, was secretly gay and had a penchant for wearing women's clothing. He looked pretty aghast when I told him the production was about a real-life political operator – maybe he thought it was about a man who invented vacuum cleaners. 

 

This is a world premiere but it is not exactly a new show. It was first developed for radio in the 1990s. The creative team behind it is pretty starry. Book and Lyrics are by Harry Shearer and Tom Leopold, Music is by Peter Matz. Shearer is best known for This Is Spinal Tap and The Simpsons, Tom Leopold wrote for Seinfeld and Cheers, so it's no surprise the dialogue is pretty snappy. The late Peter Matz was Barbra Streisand's MD and certainly knows his way around a hummable show tune. 

 

 

Think The Producers-meets-Oh, Mary!. After we see Hoover on his hospital death bed meeting his young self the story flashes backs to tell us his life story, kicking off with a swish Busby Berkeley dance number – choreography from Bill Deamer – that isn't a million miles from Springtime for Hitler.

 

From there we see Hoover's rise and rise, becoming more and more powerful, hunting down gangsters such as John Dillinger and later Communists, meeting with Joe McCarthy of Hollywood witchhunt infamy.

 

At the same time the plot homes in on Hoover's lengthy relationship with Tolson. A stand-out number features a neat coup de theatre with Tolson switching in the blink of an eye from dowdy office garb to sparkly pink outfit.

 

As Hoover's power increases we see him lording it over successive Presidents from Eisenhower and Roosevelt to JFK (pictured below). He's a monstrous figure who doesn't just think he has absolute power, he actually seems to have absolute power. While he remains closeted that doesn't stop stop him from attending a party in drag, setting the scene for another memorable sequence.