The Purple family have always enjoyed Horrible Histories. Super Kid was given a ten book collection and read and reread them, then told anybody who would listen all the wonderful facts (some of which are pretty gruesome) he’d learned. The children have all watched and enjoyed the TV series, and the Ruthless Rulers song is responsible for everything I know about the history of the UK’s kings and queens.
So we were excited to go and see Horrible Histories, Groovy Greeks, at Bristol Hippodrome last night. The Horrible Histories stage show team are touring two shows, Groovy Greeks and Incredible Invaders, and both can be seen this week at the hippodrome.
I’ve always felt that Horrible Histories is like Monty Python for children. Ridiculous, silly, hilarious and somehow still educational. The show didn’t disappoint. The premise to Groovy Greeks is that the ancient Greek god of sky and thunder Zeus challenges a family to learn all about the ancient Greeks through a series of challenges. Fun fact, Zeus is voiced by Horrible Histories writer Terry Deary.
The first half of the show is all about the things the ancient Greeks did, including The Trojan War, ancient Greek medicine, theatre, and the Olympics. The second half uses 3d boggle vision to teach us about the Minotaur, and the war between the ancient Greeks and the Persians.
I was really impressed by all four actors in the show (Evelyn Adams, Elliot Fitzpatrick, Holly Morgan and Tom Moores) who brought history to life with masses of enthusiasm.
Horrible Histories stage show is a brilliant way for children to learn about history. I would recommend it for children aged five to twelve. For more information about the remaining shows at Bristol Hippodrome go here. For more information about the Horrible Histories shows, books and TV series go here.
*Disclosure; I was given tickets for this show so I could write this review. I am always honest with my reviews.