Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain, Garrick - review

I know that CBBC’s recent adaptations of Terry Deary’s bestselling, gore-strewn Horrible Histories books have proved a great hit — because many adult friends have told me so, recounting with furtive delight ingenious sketches about Henry VIII. It’s no wonder that the programme became the first children’s show to win a British Comedy Award, and even less of a surprise that a stage version, Barmy Britain, has now capered into London for a seven-month matinée run. My only cavil is quite who this sharp and amusing 60 minutes is most likely to charm.

There are clever spoofs of popular television programmes: Roman Mankychef examines the culinary peculiarities of our earliest invaders, whereas Guy Fawkes is the latest contestant on Who Wants to Blow Up Parliament?, opting to phone Robert Catesby when the going gets tough. “Not many Catholics in today” is Fawkes’s whip-sharp retort when one of his gags falls flat. I laughed but the primary school children around me looked on in benign bemusement. What got them going was the generous helping of poo and vomit gags that pepper the action. Toilet jokes, you understand, are never not funny. General Haig being called into the “war room” to account for the balls-up at the Somme to a furious Lord Sugar is, for the under-11s at any rate, a far more dubious proposition.

This sometimes awkward disconnect between fine material and target audience — the recommended age is six plus — is an unfortunate drag on proceedings in Neal Foster’s try-hard production. Performers Benedict Martin and Lauryn Redding certainly don’t stint on energy and enthusiasm as they quick-change their way through centuries of our island’s barminess; they have particular fun with a Henry VIII/Anne Boleyn rap and I would bet that the kids are not going to forget the “Divorced, Beheaded, Died” mantra in a hurry. Some might argue that history merits a more gravitas-filled approach than this but that didn’t deter Blackadder.

Until Sept 1 (0844 482 9673, barmybritainlive.com)