Horrible Histories The Concert

Horrible Histories – The Concert at Milton Keynes Theatre is exactly the kind of energetic, gloriously gruesome family show you’d hope for from the CBBC favourite — and it delivers in style.

Although billed as a concert, this is far more than a straightforward singalong. There’s a loose but effective storyline running throughout as William Shakespeare — played brilliantly by Richard David-Caine — attempts to pull together the greatest show on earth while battling interruptions from history’s most unruly characters. It gives the evening a welcome theatrical spine and plenty of comic moments between the musical numbers.

The live band, under the musical direction of Richie Webb (who wrote the songs for the TV series), is outstanding. The sound is punchy, polished and genuinely exciting, bringing the much-loved Horrible Histories songs to life with real energy. The mostly school-age audience absolutely loved it, singing along enthusiastically, laughing loudly and reacting with delight to the show’s trademark gory facts and cheeky humour.

Performance-wise, the cast are uniformly strong, clearly relishing the chance to bring these larger-than-life historical figures to the stage. Inel Tomlinson is a standout as Mansa Musa with I Like To Spend It — a brilliantly funny parody of I Like To Move It Move It that had the audience fully engaged. Meanwhile, Ethan Lawrence brings the house down as Henry VIII with the ever-popular Divorced Beheaded Died, which remains one of the show’s biggest crowd-pleasers.

What makes this production particularly special is the rare opportunity to see the familiar CBBC stars performing these songs live on stage. For younger fans especially, that connection creates a real buzz in the auditorium.

Fast-paced, funny and packed with catchy tunes and revolting historical nuggets, Horrible Histories – The Concert proves that learning about the past can still be wildly entertaining.