Miss I-Doll – The Other Palace, Victoria

Writers: Tobia Rossi and Oliver Lidert
Director: Ruthie Stephens

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Chaotic & Cluttered“

2 / 5

People all over the world have been waiting for the highly anticipated final of Miss I-Doll, with only five girls left competing for the coveted title. Mia is rehearsed and ready, but an accidental bump on the head opens her eyes to the corruption in the show – her unfiltered rant live on air pulling in ratings more than the TV execs could ever imagine.

The idea behind Tobia Rossi and Oliver Lidert’s show is an interesting one. Reality shows have been rife on television over the past decade, with various exposés detailing the truth behind the treatment on the shows, encouraging more safeguarding policies to be put in place for future contestants. Although the foundation is there, the execution of Miss I-Doll is chaotic and cluttered, with so much trying to be said, that nothing much gets said at all. Daisy Steele does her best with the fast-paced, frenetic script – portraying at least eight different characters on stage, each with differing (sometimes questionable) accents and mannerisms. Steele quickly jumps between each persona, and does a great job of transforming into each one, never once slipping up or slowing down. She is occasionally given a break on stage, with pre-recorded video segments (also starring Steele), showing the audience at home reacting to the show with Gogglebox style commentary.

What would really help this show is cutting what seems to be largely filler material to make way for the parts that entertain or make a statement. Having five finalists is overkill, each of them having equal time during the competition scenes means there is a large amount of repetition in scenes that are already not very captivating. The ballroom blitz is odd and monotonous, and while the mirror maze could be an interesting way to showcase online trolls and the scrutiny reality stars face, it instead is lengthy and dull, only making an impactful statement at the very end of the scene. The frequent sponsorship messages fall quite flat also, the humorous aspect funny at first, but overdone as it continues throughout the show. By tightening the focus and removing some of the unnecessary additions, it could also be shorter and without an interval, which would help maintain focus, keep the pace less manic, and help to structure a better functioning storyline.

It’s also quite underwhelming that Mia’s bump on the head is the only reason she initially speaks out against the show’s pitfalls, making her less likeable as a character. If she was to have had the outspoken stance from the get go, and be a feminist icon ready to disrupt the system, it would be more encouraging to root for her, rather than it just be an accidental side effect to an injury. Her ‘F This Show’ song is catchy and passionate, so having her only be an accidental anarchist weakens the message massively.

There are so many ideas vying for the spotlight; current references from Diddy’s parties to JK Rowlings bathroom outrage, alongside wider themes such as toxic masculinity and industry issues, so unlike Miss I-Doll, in this show, a winning concept doesn’t reign supreme and take centre stage this time around, which ultimately is to its detriment.

Runs until 9^th March 2025