Apollo Theatre – until 31 August 2019
Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes
5*****
“History with the horrible bits left in” is how Horrible Histories live is billed and they are absolutely right. Presented by the Birmingham Stage company, Benedict Martin and Pip Chamberlin bring the books of Terry Deary to life on stage.
Giving an in-site into the life of St Alban, Vikings, Tudors and Victorians amongst others, Martin and Chamberlin become various characters from history, some fictional and some real, and make the historic events memorable through jokes, songs and audience participation. If you ever want to see a Night-soil man do the floss dance or watch a Viking and Saxon have a rap battle then this is the show for you.
With a very basic set consisting of two old fashioned lamp posts and a large wooden box that is moved to become a Viking long boat, a train interior and a throne and costumes being taken from a fancy box so the actors can be dressed for the historical era they are explaining, the emphasis is more on the facts than the staging.
With references to modern day events such as Boris Johnson being the Prime Minister and the impending Brexit deadline, the show is as much for adults as it is children. Grab a ticket whilst the show is still on and enjoy history in a fun but educational way whilst laughing at fart jokes