THE BIRMINGHAM leg of ‘Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain’ tour of the West End’s longest running children’s show arrived at The Alex last night. A small but highly appreciative family audience greeted it.
It has a cast of thousands but is performed by just two – Jack Ballard and Morgan Philpott aka Rex and Roger.
This hard-working, dynamic duo started off with Boudiccia and took us all the way through to Queen Victoria. On the way we met Vikings, Tudors featuring naughty Henry VIII, Elizabethans, historical pyromaniac Guy Fawkes, everyone’s favourite Highwayman Dick Turpin and the infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare.
Birmingham Stage CompanyThe second half is a feast of 3D where everything from cannonballs to hatchets fly at the audience adding an exciting dimension.
This show with its fair share of disgusting facts is an excellent way to give us a history lesson. Here’s some comments from the two young reviewers I took along with me.
Bobby Thompson aged 10 – “ I like the way they got the audience involved – that made the show fun. I also liked how they made history funny and entertaining”
Bobby’s mate Matty also aged 10 – “I preferred the second half because the 3D added to the show. I would have liked to have seen the years come up on the screen to show us where we were in history but I still thoroughly enjoyed it”
The script is by the Horrible History book authors Neal Foster and Terry Deary – Foster also directed, Jackie Trousdale designed the functional set, effective lighting design is by Jason Taylor, bangs and clangs by Nick Sagar, music by Matthew Scott and choreography by Kenn Oldfield.
Picture by Jane Hobson. sThis fab journey through history is perfect entertainment for anyone aged from 5 to 105 at any time, but as a pre-Christmas treat even more so.
Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain at the Alex runs until Saturday, December 4. Click here for times, tickets and more information.
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Review by Euan Rose, Bobby and Matty.
Euan Rose Reviews.
