Review: Horrible Histories Barmy Britain - Part Three at the Garrick Theatre

Horrible Histories Barmy Britain - Part Three
Garrick Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 29th July 2015
★★★★

Who knew rhinos used to roam the fields of Britain? Who knew 600 people in Soho died of cholera by drinking water from one mangy tap? I certainly didn't!

Guest Blog: Neal Foster - "one of the greatest joys of my life"

It’s another hot day in London and we’re trying on all the different costumes for our brand new Horrible Histories show called Barmy Britain – Part Three and just in case all the clothes aren’t warm enough, we’re putting on furs, wigs, crowns and gloves! 

In just 70 minutes we go from Stone Age, Viking, Medieval, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Victorian periods to World Wars One and Two! Our main problem at this stage is to stop laughing. 

For the first time in my life I’m acting and directing at the same time, which is very tricky. It’s amazing how difficult it is to judge how the scenes are working when you’re also performing in them. So I’ve enlisted the help of Alison Fitzjohn to watch rehearsals, as she’s been in all the Horrible Histories shows since they started in 2005. In fact this year is the 10th anniversary of Horrible Histories live on stage and during the run of Barmy Britain – Part Three! we’re celebrating with a special Gala Performance on 27th July at the Garrick Theatre featuring HH writer Terry Deary and illustrator Martin Brown. It should be ninety minutes of mayhem, with Terry and Martin making their West End debuts. 

Guest Blog: Body image in theatre

“Would you like to write a blog?” asked my General Manager, Peter. “Sure, why not” I replied not realising the questions that would bound around my crammed brain. I have just finished a six month, four-man National Tour of Barmy Britain and then proceeded to jump head first into a two-man version of Barmy Britain - Part Two! whilst trying to remember Barmy Britain - Part One! for a one off performance at Canary Wharf. Yes, it was a challenge and yes, it fried my brain! I wondered what would people want to read about? Why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? It was then I thought of something that affects us all, something that has affected me since I was little and will probably be a huge issue for me until I go to that theatre in the sky... Body Image.

Alison Fitzjohn

I am a size 24/26 and 5 foot 3 inches tall (nicknamed Gimley from Lord of the Rings - and no, I haven’t got a beard) and I quite like my hair and eyes. When I walk into an audition room it hits me; ten or so actresses all looking like they could be my twin sister, a glance up from a disgruntled director quickly realising I’m 'not what they are looking for', a hopeful smile from a casting director pleased that in fact I do look like my 10x8 photo. All instant judgments about how we look. 

There are few professions where how you look is why you get or do not get a job. In fact acting is one of the few careers where job advertisements are exempt from the legal equality law. Specifics are a must. It’s all part of the casting process. One which comes to mind was my audition for Little Britain. The breakdown of the role stated, 'Spanish girlfriend of Daffydd: the only gay in the Village. Think the ugliest girl in the world'. It was bitter sweet when I was told I hadn't been successful!

I hear stories all the time about how size matters. When recasting for roles, parts are often given to the person of similar size to the previous actor to save money on remaking costumes. A famous producer held my friend’s photo up to him. “You see this”, he said “this is a fat face”. My friend replied “too fat to play the role?”. “Yes”, was the producer’s reply... audition over. However, the silver lining to that story was that my friend focused on losing weight, re-auditioned and then toured for a year in his dream musical.

Review: Horrible Histories Barmy Britain - Part Two at the Garrick Theatre

Horrible Histories Barmy Britain - Part Two

Garrick Theatre 

Reviewed on Saturday 11th October 2013

Everyone loves gruesome and disgusting facts, especially when it makes us see a different side to a well-known story. This time, it's the history of Britain that comes under attack as The Birmingham Stage Company invites us to see the bloody and barmy side of history.

Guest Blog: "Do You Mind If I Hit You With A Lobster?"

Lauryn Redding

'I can't climb the tree then, I’m changing into a weasel', 'Do I smash the ukulele now or later?' and 'Do you mind if I hit you with the lobster?' These are just some examples of sentences that I have uttered in a rehearsal room. I've heard MANY sentences in these rooms that out of context sound completely ludicrous and the first day in the 'Barmy Britain Part Two' rehearsal room I was looking forward to hearing many more, and of course I wasn't disappointed. 'Lauryn...Can I cling film your head?' was one that particularly stood out. 

Day one. We read through the play, along with the creatives. We also saw the wonderful costume and set designs presented to us by our designer Jackie Trousdale. The first few days on a new job can be a little unsettled and basically about saying 'hello' to lots of people and drinking tea... but before I knew it, we were 8 pages down, 2 songs taught and my French accent had stretched it legs. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but it was already apparent that some unusual and hilarious sound effects were going to feature, along with enough accents to shake your stick at. For those who don't know the concept of 'Barmy Britain Part Two' it is a two hander, which means there are only two people in it. Myself and the lovely Anthony Spargo are in this production. It is an hour long romp with elaborate costumes, original songs and even a talking crow. Between Anthony and myself we play about 30 characters. As you can imagine, it will be pretty chaotic and currently makes for a very sweaty rehearsal room!