REVIEW - HORRIBLE HISTORIES: THE CONCERT
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Rock and (Head) Roll Spectacle Brings Hit Show and History to Life
Parents soldier through repetitive books about pre-Mounjaro caterpillars and foxes hunting for socks - but life becomes infinitely more exciting when they come of age for the Horrible Histories books and CBBC show.
Horrible Histories: In Concert brings this to hilarious life, with a high-energy rock and (head) roll spectacle, delighting young and old with history’s fabulously grotesque moments.
We meet the brilliantly camp and engaging William Shakespeare (Richard David-Caine), who is tasked with creating the greatest show on Earth.
Party monster, King Charles II scuppers plans by leaping from his backstage party at Royal Festival Hall - shown on the big screen - and onto the stage to prematurely perform the big, closing number.
Shakespeare frantically tries to fix this, but ends up accidentally promising the musical finale to a gaggle of monstrous monarchs. Now King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Boudica and Cleopatra want his head.
In keeping with Shakey’s Tudor plays, the delighted crowd is encouraged to heckle, sing along, and dance during the perfectly rowdy performance.
And there are some bangers from the show to sing along with - although half the mega-fans in the crowd do not need the lyrics shown on the screen.
These include the hilarious 'Stupid Deaths' song, performed by Death before she hosts a gameshow sequence with Henry VIII, for Shakespeare to win the chance to keep his head.
Other musical highlights include the brilliant, Adam and the Ants homage in Dick Turpin’s glam-rock song, and Henry VIII’s royally catchy 'Divorced, Beheaded and Died' number.
Ethan Hawke was born to play Henry VIII, commanding the stage in every scene, as a good tyrant should.
A special mention to Alison Fitzjon, who belts out a hilarious number about the Prime Ministers she got through, and the fabulous Inel Tomlinson, who owns the stage as both Mansa Musa (throwing gold into the audience and getting everybody dancing) and Barnum, for the explosive circus scene of his Greatest Showman number.
He even roams the theatre before the show, posing for photos with children in character as the axe-wielding executioner.
The true king of the show is the smash hit TV series’ composer, Richie Webb, who plays himself (brilliantly and endearingly) throughout, breaking down the fourth wall and juggling singing, guitar and ukulele playing with witty skits and leading the live band on stage.
The cast fire themselves through history (and costumes) playing multiple characters, full of slapstick, music and the juiciest historical facts.
Shakespeare eventually saves his head by talking the furious kings and queens into sharing the closing number, for their fast-paced hit, 'The Monarch’s Song.'
The kids are all on their feet, dancing and singing the names of all monarchs from 1066 to present, like they’re at a rock concert and not sneakily learning actual history. It’s extraordinary to watch.
As Shakespeare says: “We’ve got more bangers than bonfire night.” The crowds of children singing “divorced, beheaded and died” on loop at Waterloo Station on the way home are testament to that, and the explosive power of making education fun.
We watched this as part of the brilliant Imagine festival, Until 21 February. Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Mixture of FREE and paid events
Horrible Histories: The Concert will tour the UK until 18 April 2026
