Review by Jess at Manchester's Opera House
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.
As a first theatre experience or concert for children - or indeed, a night out for the superfan - the Horrible Histories Concert is a must-visit.
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| The cast of Horrible Histories The Concert. Photo by Matt Crockett. |
William Shakespeare (Richard David-Caine) has a conundrum - he has to choose who is going to sing the final big song of the show. But there are six monarchs, all who want to sing it, and he’s accidentally promised it to all of them - and now they want his head.
Firstly, however, I must acknowledge my own bias in writing this. I grew up on a steady diet of Horrible Histories. I can sing every lyric to the Monarchs song, and Dick Turpin Highwayman was a significant part of my childhood. There is a part of me that knew that I was going to love this concert.
Richard David-Caine is phenomenal as a stage-capturing, slightly campy Shakespeare, who weaves through all the monarchs, awkwardly dances in the background of big numbers, and gets the audience laughing from the get-go. Another standout performance has to be that of Ethan Lawrence, a phenomenal King Henry VIII who commands the stage in his game show segment and delivers the songs that we all know so well that the whole audience is singing along.
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| Photo by Matt Crockett. |
The real standout star of the show, however, is iconic Horrible Histories composer Richie Webb - band leader, guitarist, ukulele player, butt of the jokes and all round good sport. For someone not accustomed to the stage, he has an incredible stage presence, coming off as endearing and also an institutional legend. The man wrote the soundtrack to so many people’s childhoods, and he’s just there on the stage! Right in front of you! The round of applause and cheers that he got at the end of the show felt incredibly well deserved.
The audience was, as you would expect, full of children, and it really was the perfect first theatre opportunity for these kids. They were lively, engaged, and laughing along with the cast.
All in all, if you have young ones, this is a wonderful theatre opportunity to introduce them to their favourite songs live on stage. And if you don’t have young ones, but grew up on the show - well then, it’s just as wonderful.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Horrible Histories Live (and Dead) - The Concert plays on tour. See below for dates and venues.
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