Reviewed Friday 11th April 2014
History can, and should be a fascinating study but, unfortunately, much of what happens in a school classroom is dry and fails to capture the imagination. Before television teachers used slide projectors and, occasionally, films, but these, too, were dull. Television and modern films set in past eras have not been a great help as they do not often present an accurate picture of the past. Many have a basis in fact, with most of the resulting work being purely imaginative. Two men found a way to make learning about history, accurately, in a fun and captivating way, be devising a completely different type of history book for young people, and the idea caught on becoming a huge franchise.
Writer, Terry Deary, and cartoonist,
Martin Brown, began the whole thing with their very popular
Horrible Histories books, which then became an equally popular television series. The Birmingham Stage Company is now bringing
Horrible Histories - Awful Egyptians to the Adelaide stage, courtesy of Andrew Kay and Associates and the Adelaide Festival Centre.
The younger members of the audience brought a feeling of excitement and anticipation to the packed Dunstan Playhouse as they waited for the performance to begin. This was helped by the fact that a vast number were wearing the very well made Pharaoh's headdresses that were available for purchase in the foyer, even some of the adults.
The production begins with two suspicious characters sneaking around in a darkened room in a museum. Archaeologist, Horatio Storey, who has the look of Indiana Jones about him, and his not too bright assistant, Bill, are interrupted by Maisie, a bright as a button schoolgirl with a thirst for knowledge. They are joined by Ramses II (alternatively spelled Rameses, or Ramesses), known as Ramses the Great.
Ramses takes them back to Ancient Egypt to show them how people really lived, died, and entered the afterlife in his time. This could have been problematic with large physical sets, but this production cleverly uses projected images making set changes almost instant. With Ramses leading the way the trio are introduced to life in Ancient Egypt and, as those who have read the books or seen the television shows would know, that is going to be a thorough exposition, warts and all, hence the title of the series of books.
Adam Murphy plays Horatio Storey, Michael Linder plays Bill,
Adele Parkinson plays Maisie, and Justin Stewart Cotta plays Ramses II, but they take on numerous other roles in telling the stories. There is plenty of comedy, including some excruciating puns and much physical humour, as well as a collection of musical numbers, one of which had the audience singing along and doing all of the movements.
The four work together extremely well as an ensemble, keeping up a great pace and almost constant movement, with Parkinson a standout as the schoolgirl, skipping, dancing, and running about the stage throughout the whole show. If only there was a way to bottle her energy, she could power a major city. They create a wide range of characters, aided by a long string of quick costume changes, and bring the Egypt of the Pharaohs back to life in a way that anybody can understand.
In keeping with the traditional style of the books, there have to be some horrible bits, and the preparation of a body for mummification fits the bill perfectly. Although the process itself would have been particularly gruesome, the staged recreation is absolutely hilarious. It was clear that this was what the younger people wanted, judging by the response.
'Bogglevision' glasses needed to be worn for the second act in order to see the very high-tech 3D projections, which includes a race through the tunnels beneath a pyramid. Created by Amazing Interactives, the 3D projections have to be experienced to fully understand why they are so remarkable.
This is most definitely a performance that you should consider as a treat for the kids, that will be certain to put you in their good books. Just be sure not to tell them that it is educational, and they'll be so busy having fun that they do not notice how much they have learned until it is too late.
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