Horrible Histories Groovy Greeks at the Theatre Royal Brighton Review
Horrible Histories
Groovy Greeks
Theatre Royal, Brighton
12-16 April 2016
Reviewed by Laura Wragg
Last night I took my 5 year old daughter to see the Birmingham Stage Company production of Horrible Histories Groovy Greeks at the Theatre Royal in Brighton. My daughter had seen a couple of the TV shows but having not read any of the books yet I wasn’t sure what to expect from the theatre production. We bought a souvenir programme when we arrived and really enjoyed looking through it as we waited. The programme was full of fun games and facts along with the cast and crew details. My daughter really enjoyed trying to find all the ‘rotten rats’ in a ‘where’s wally’ type picture at the back.
Upon entering the theatre the sounds of crickets filled the room which instantly made you feel like you were in a warm country. My daughter was delighted by this as it reminded her of family holidays and sparked a discussion about crickets in warm countries and led us to discuss Greek countries. Being Cypriot ourselves I was keen for her to learn some of the history of her ancestors which this performance was perfect for.
The voice of Zeus (Terry Deary) boomed over the speakers and really got our attention to the start of the show, introducing the story and history of Ancient Greece. The 4 actors appeared from the audience and were soon under the control of Zeus. The family were thrown back in time to learn about Greek history and to tackle many obstacles along the way. I felt the first 20 minutes were quite full on for my daughter as there was a lot to take in with so many Greek gods, rulers, countries and philosophers that they were whizzing through. Had she been a lot older she would have been able to digest it a bit more and perhaps remember some of it afterwards. As the family moved on through history the audience became more involved and the visual effects kept you captivated. Using current television programmes, like Britain’s Got Talent and Big Brother, they educated you on Greek history and kept it simple enough to understand and make you laugh. As we approached the interval we heard a Minotaur’s cries which was not only scary but kept you thinking during your ice cream of what could happen especially as we were asked to collect our 3D glasses for the second half.
We excitedly returned for the second half with our 3D glasses on and ready to tackle the Minotaur. The 3D bogglevision was superb. My daughter was reaching out to help fight the beast, dodging arrows from the Persians and screaming as spiders popped up in front of our faces. The second half flew by with all the fun of 3D and we were disappointed when the end suddenly came. Had I known how fantastic it was going to be I would’ve booked tickets for the ‘Incredible Invaders’ which was on the following night and continued our history lesson!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £14.65 to £19.65 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Horrible Histories Groovy Greeks is at Theatre Royal in Brighton until 16 April 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 7650.
Theatre Royal. New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1SD | 0844 871 7650
