01 Apr 2012
A busy time for the BSC. It’s been non-stop since four shows played over Christmas – three in Birmingham and one in London – which also coincided with the launch of the new tour of HORRIBLE HISTORIES, followed by the world premiere of BARMY BRITAIN at The Garrick and the launch of a HORRIBLE HISTORIES tour to Dubai and Hong Kong, which finished today. As always, the four of us in the office have managed the shows between us, with a lot of fun along the way. Our eyes are now turned towards four new productions for the summer and autumn – a new production of BARMY BRITAIN for The Edinburgh Festival, a new production of JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH for Birmingham and a national tour, a new production of TOM’S MIDNIGHT GARDEN for London, and in spring 2013 the launch of the world premiere national tour of OCTONAUTS. Not forgetting Dubai and Hong Kong which are both looking forward to a return visit this time next year! HORRIBLE HISTORIES – BARMY BRITAIN is proving to be enormous fun at The Garrick. Based on Terry Deary’s fantastic books and co-written with the man himself, we explore eight periods from British history in the glorious style of the HH books, visiting Roman, Viking, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, late and early Victorian eras and the Great War.
Galloping through those periods in an hour of hectic drama is accomplished by two actors, currently the fabulous Lauryn Redding and Benedict Martin, soon to be played by Alison Fitzjohn and Neal Foster, presented in the style of Tommy Cooper as he might have explained British history with multiple costumes and hats. The West End is increasingly full of spectacular sets that dazzle the eye and in direct contrast the aim of our show was to put the actor back at the centre of the play, wonderfully supported by Nick Sugar’s sound effects, Matthew Scott’s music, Jason Taylor’s lighting and Jackie Trousdale’s design. Terry Deary himself will be signing all your HH books on 4 & 5 April so be sure to bring along your battered copies for a signature! It’s amazing how all this started with a humble book. In Hong Kong this week I stood in wonder as dozens of children crowded round the book stall after AWFUL EGYPTIANS to buy a myriad of titles from history, science and geography. It was astonishing to see so much excitement being generated by these sensational books for subjects too often considered dry and boring. On which note, don’t forget the BSC’s production of HORRIBLE SCIENCE will be returning in 2013! We just keep getting more horrible!