History with the nasty bits left in…

Posted 23rd January 2025

Murderous royals, deadly train rides and things that go bump in the night. Dark, but delicious, days are ahead in theatre-land this month. Sammy Jones has the details…

We start with a little reminder that amateur theatre group Drama Llamas continue with performances of Splendour (Jan 31-Feb 2) at Stony Stratford’s York House – pick up last month’s edition for more details on the work by Abi Morgan.

Now, if you want to get kids into history, you need to make it engaging and bring it alive – warts and all.
Horrible Histories is the show that delivers all the guts and grit about our famous ancestors, and the team is back in play at MK Theatre (Feb 6-9), digging into the Terrible Tudors.

You’ll learn about the horrible Henries and the end of evil Elizabeth, and hear the legends (and the lies) about the torturing Tudors. What about Henry’s punch up with the Pope?

Ed will fall dead in his bed, and the Spanish Armada will sail into the audience.

The team behind these colourful, clever and amazing history lessons are also unwrapping the mummies, with a look at the Awful Egyptians. Discover the foul facts of death and decay with the meanest mummies in Egypt.
It is, those fine folks at Birmingham Stage say, ‘History with the nasty bits left in.’

Who doesn’t want a bit of that? Oh, and it has ‘3D Bogglevision’…
Pelvic thrusting, stockings and suspenders and Frank’n’Furter are at the fore for the return of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show (Feb 10-15), which will be f-in fantastic – full of fun, frolics, frocks and frivolity.

The first tour of the record-breaking West End hit, Ghost Stories then visits (Feb 18-22).
‘When Professor Goodman, arch-sceptic out to debunk the paranormal, embarks on an investigation of three apparent hauntings – as recounted by a night-watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman awaiting his first child – Goodman finds himself at the outer limits of rationality, and fast running out of explanations.’

Horrible Histories

The warning is loud and clear – ‘Ghost Stories contains moments of extreme shock and tension’ and ‘We strongly advise those of a nervous disposition to think very seriously before attending.’ Crikey.

And you thought theatre stories about chills multiplying only popped up in Grease…
A classic among many to be born from her pen, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is on track to visit MK Theatre (Feb 25 – Mar 1).

Winter 1934 and an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?

Gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic, this murder mystery will keep you guessing until the end of the line.
Larry Dean, three times nominee for an Edinburgh Comedy award, is back out on the road sharing his new show, Dodger, which he is parking at The Stables at Wavendon for one night only (Feb 22).

Apparently, he’s been spending lots of time with his granny, and now wants to tell us all about it.
Having already enjoyed a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe, Melanie Bracewell brings her show, Attack of The Melanie Bracewell, to The Stables (Feb 27).

This is a story of revenge and of justice, but is mostly about her goofy, punchline-heavy comedy that has done her well all over the world. But let’s not forget that revenge bit!

We’ve just got time to tell you that Rare Productions will bring the classic musical Annie to the Stantonbury Theatre stage (Feb 13-15).
The youth theatre production will share all of the pluck and positivity that has charmed generations, and of course those big, bold songs will feature as part of the offering.

Finally for this month, Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece about love, class and gender roles is aired at the venue when Far From the Madding Crowd visits (Feb 21).

MK Theatre: atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes
The Stables: stables.org
Stantonbury Theatre: stantonburytheatre.co.uk
York House: ticketsource.co.uk