Horrible Histories Barmy Britain At The Hawth, Crawley Review
TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
If you are looking for a half term treat for your children, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the performance of Horrible Histories, at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley. Branded as history with the nasty bits left in, its perfect for any age from child to adult, although some younger children may not be so keen on the gory bits. Presented by the Birmingham Stage Company, Barmy Britain is one of several different options of the show touring within the Horrible Histories brand. I must admit, I didn’t know much about the show, so didn’t quite know what to expect but with our children having spent last term studying the Victorians we were hoping that this show would bring the period to life in a fun way and we weren’t disappointed.
We arrived just in time for our 6.30pm performance where the lobby was full of hustle and bustle as people collected their tickets. The performance was being held in the main theatre and as we took our seats, I was surprised to see, although the theatre was not full, all the booked seats were together without empty seats between groups, this being my first theatre trip in two years, it did make me feel a little nervous. Masks were recommended, but not enforced, and we didn’t see many being worn whilst seated or walking around.
The entire show was performed by just two actors, who played the parts of characters such as King William, Queen Victoria & King Henry VIII amazingly well. With just the minimum of scenery on stage the historical characters were brought to life with a mixture of excellent costumes and a large background screen which really came into its own in the second half. The performance is packed with humour, most aimed at children, but with plenty of laughs for adults, during which the performers sang & danced their way through history, with funny tunes, slapstick dance routines and lots of audience participation.
As the first half came to a close, we were all asked to collect 3D glasses from the sides of the auditorium during the interval, this heightened the anticipation for the second half of the show, and everyone was in their seats early waiting for the performance to start. When the second half started, the screen that had just been an ordinary 2D picture in the first half became a 3D wonder with bi-planes and footballs seemingly flying right out into the audience. This was just the start of things to come as the show moved into Victorian times with flying skulls and a bursting dam that projected water right out into the auditorium.
What an amazing and unusual delight this performance was, perfectly suited to children with a running time of around 1 hour 40 mins including interval, it was long enough to enjoy but not so long for younger children to get restless. Fabulous costumes, fantastic actors and nonstop laughter topped off with 3D images meant that all of the horrible bits of British history were expertly brought to life. With performances running until Saturday 30th October, with two shows per day on most dates, any history loving family should try and get tickets to see Horrible Histories, Barmy Britain if they can.
We watched Horrible Histories at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley, West Sussex. Situated just ten minutes from Gatwick Airport, with very easy access to the M23 motorway and plenty of free parking The Hawth is a great theatre to watch any show.
Rating: A resounding 5 out of 5 from both eight year old children and their mums!.
Tickets cost from £19.50. Horrible Histories Barmy Britain is at The Hawth, Crawley from 27th- 30th October, for more information or to book tickets visit https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/The-Hawth/show/fc91ec36-99ce-eb11-aa26-922393f3df32/horrible-histories-barmy-britain or call the box office on 01293 553636
The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley,RH10 6YZ