“A play to be enjoyed by the whole family with catchy musical numbers, quippy lines and hilarious slapstick”
Whilst I was a lone 20-year old going to see this play- I can say that Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors is a brilliant play brought to life by the Birmingham Stage Company that will keep the entire family entertained for a run time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. Best suited for 6+, this play runs through the whole history of the Terrible Tudors: with all the best and nastiest bits left in! (the website does say 5+ but 6 is more apt).Starting with the downfall of the evil Richard III and concluding with the end of the Tudor reign (brought about by the death of Elizebeth I without an heir.)
This play is punctuated with catchy musical numbers, quippy lines, hilarious slapstick and interactive sections (as well as some innuendos to make the whole thing a lot more enjoyable for the adult audience 😉 ). The audience gets involved in mock trials, chants and chant offs which keeps the crowd (both big and little) engaged and invested. If your children love the TV show or if like me, you liked it when you were yourself a youngster then this is a great play to attend.
This play has only two multi-talented cast members per show who will knock you socks off! On the day I went (August 6th) I had the pleasure of watching Ben Martin and Emma Swan. The pair took on a wide range of roles throughout the show with quick costume changes and quick jumps in and off stage. Ben Martin does a wonderful job portraying evil tyrants with a funny twist and engaging the adult audience with hidden mature jokes and Emma Swan is particularly talented in her range of roles and kid friendly banter.
One of the best things about this play is that, whilst being incredibly engaging, this play is teaching kids (and adults) real, interesting history! Writers (Terry Deary and Neal Foster) have done an amazing job composing and structuring this play enabling it to run through a whole monarchy comprehensively whilst remaining funny and interesting. And the adults were learning just as much as kids, if the conversation I heard on the way out of the theatre was anything to go by. I heard two mothers saying that that was the most they’d ever learnt about Tudors and that they’d really enjoyed it and would bring their kids back to another one on a different subject (there is! -The Terrible Thames). And I personally particularly liked learning that Anne Boleyn had six fingers and was considered a witch because of it.
I have only one criticism of this play – noticing a small drop off in the quality in the play (pace and content) towards the latter half – there was a shoddy very slightly rejigged version of I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas which fell flat. It did however pick up again closer to the end. Finally I would say that as parents who know your kids better than anyone – I would not recommend this play for children who are particularly sensitive to violence. Whilst this play is incredibly kid friendly – there is only so many ways you can disguise some gruesome details (especially in the Tudor punishment section).
Overall, this play brought back many nostalgic memories for me of watching Horrible Histories in class and listening to the songs on YouTube after school. However, it’s not just Horrible Histories stans or former fans who would enjoy this. I can firmly say that most kids and parents would enjoy this experience.
This play is running at Garrick Theatre until Saturday 6th September – and if you are after more Horrible Histories adventure then there is the Terrible Thames Tour-Live Onboard also running this summer.