Theatre / Reviews
Review: Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors, Theatre Royal Bath – ‘An entertaining, well-played historical romp’
An hour-long, engaging and family-focused historical romp through Tudor history with just two actors isn’t an unambitious task.
With Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors, The Birmingham Stage Company have made a very solid production that should tick many of the boxes for good all-round summer holiday entertainment.
The power-house co-writing team of Terry Deary (who has been writing the smash-hit Horrible Histories series for 30 years) and writer/director Neal Foster are reunited here for a show that does everything you’d expect.
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We get lashings of gore, death, egotism, callousness, and light scatalogical humour, neatly underscored by two actors slipping between multiple characters and costumes.
Along the way, there is plenty of singing, dancing, and some partially successful interaction with a disappointingly under-powered and under-sized audience that makes them work for it.
But work for it they do. Emma Swan and Jack Ballard make multi-roling look easy, drumming up the atmosphere and fun of a panto by the end.
Swan’s Elizabeth I is reminiscent of Miranda Richardson’s memorable Queenie in Blackadder; Ballard is particularly strong as the swaggering, finely attired Henry VIII.
Among the many other appearances, we get a blast of Richard III, Henry Tudor, Edward VI, William Shakespeare, Ann Boleyn, ‘Bloody Mary’, Mary Queen of Scots, and even Henry VIII’s former Groom of the Stool.
Elegant sound design (Nick Sagar) and beautiful but eminently practical costuming (Jacqueline Trousdale) lifts the production, which rattles along nicely and never drags.
Not all the jokes land, and an apparent fake mistake is a bit overblown, but overall, the balance of historical detail with contemporary references and anachronistic language feels deftly judged.
Ultimately, the focus of Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors is more on uncomplicated entertainment than education or analysis, though you could say the same of the musical Six, and that’s no criticism.
Judging by the constant giggling from my delighted seven-year-old, he’d happily go and do it all again tomorrow.
Horrible Histories is at Theatre Royal Bath from July 20-22 at 7pm, with additional 4.30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Friday and a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. Visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk for ticket availability.
All photos: Mark Douet
Read more: Review: Tony! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera), Theatre Royal Bath – ‘A show where everybody shines’
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