AWFUL EGYPTIANS - ARTS THEATRE
Can you make the goriest details of mummification and the sombre journey of dead souls to the Egyptian afterlife entertaining for children? Awful Egyptians takes that risk and, as part of the hugely successful Horrible Histories franchise, largely pulls it off. It's a long, loud and relentlessly energetic show that will delight most – though perhaps not all – young audiences.
John-Paul Cherrington's lively script is packed with everything adults imagine children enjoy: toilet humour, TV references, daft puns and rapid-fire jokes. Some land better than others. One gag about the most wicked thing a mummy had confessed to the gods of the afterlife being that he'd once voted for Andy Burnham quite rightly fell flatter than the Fens. But there were plenty of genuine laughs too, not least a splendid Donald Trump impression as a Pharaoh determined to "Make Egypt Great Again" by building the biggest pyramid ever. It was one of several jokes that probably amused the adults more than the primary-school children.
The framing device is borrowed from Night at the Museum. A teacher and his pupil find themselves accidentally locked inside a museum overnight, surrounded by Egyptian artefacts and increasingly convinced that the exhibits are about to spring to life. Naturally, they do. Enter the imposing Ramesses II, played with commanding presence by Rob Cummings, who becomes our enthusiastic guide through the gruesome world of Ancient Egypt. He regales the long-suffering teacher, Mr Bland (Jack Ballard), and the irrepressible schoolgirl Milly (Megan Parry) with tales of dynasties, pyramids, mummification and the extraordinary beliefs surrounding death and the afterlife.
As you might expect from Horrible Histories, there is a surprising amount of real history woven into the comedy. I certainly learnt plenty. Occasionally the educational content slows the pace of what is otherwise a breathless production, but the three performers attack the material with inexhaustible enthusiasm, playing a bewildering array of characters. A typically boisterous audience participation song rounds off the first half in fine pantomime style.
The second act introduces the production's real showstopper. Every audience member is handed a pair of 3D glasses and suddenly the stage bursts into spectacular life. I don't know about the seven-year-olds, but this seventy-something reviewer had several heart-stopping moments as snakes, mummies, flying objects and assorted horrors seemed to leap out into the auditorium. The emphasis shifts from laughs to gasps as the show explores Egyptian funerary rituals in ever more imaginative ways.
Jacqueline Trousdale's video design is outstanding, creating an impressive blend of animation, projection and 3D illusion. Combined with an inventive soundtrack packed with comic sound effects, the technical elements become stars of the show in their own right.
The pace rarely lets up. While some of the historical references and cleverer jokes may sail over the heads of younger children, there is a surprising amount of genuine learning hidden beneath the silliness. Part pantomime, part comedy-horror, part history lesson, Awful Egyptians throws everything at its audience and, for the most part, emerges triumphant.
Photo credit: Mark Douet
