Horrible Histories come to the Wirral stage at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton

Sep 16 2009 by Peter Elson, Ellesmere Port Pioneer

The premiere of two Horrible Histories, about the First and the Second world wars, come to the Floral Pavilion next week, Peter Elson reports

With their irreverent and often weird look at the past, Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories attract a big young readership.

Just the kind of material which must be gold-dust for a keen actor -manager, who has to keep his company going without grant aid.

But they are not the easiest books to transpose to the stage, with their screwball scatter-gun style, which goes off at all sorts of tangents.

However, Neal Foster, head of the Birmingham Stage Company, seems to have got the formula down to a fine art.

He successfully staged Deary’s comic tomes on the Egyptians, Romans, Tudors and Victorians.

So premiering both world wars on a double bill with four actors is a piece of powdered egg cake.

Such economy of scale helps with this touring production, Frightful First World War and Woeful Second World War, on at New Brighton Floral Pavilion, next week.

“Deary speaks to the children in a way they enjoy,” says Foster, 43.

“He’s very good at finding gory and horrible facts which children love.

“But these new productions, commissioned by us, are also very moving and sensitive.

“The tone created by the stage writers Phil Clarke and Mark Williams is spot on.

“There is the wartime black humour and Deary’s trademark strange things, but they also bring home to children what it was like to be there.

“We’ve found they appeal as much to adults as children, some of whom come without youngsters.”

In the first play, a girl is trapped in a Horrible Histories website. The second play is about two children evacuated from Coventry to Wales.

“In typical wartime style, we have a secret weapon – 3-D Bogglevision,” says Foster.

“Out of the giant video screen on stage comes 3-D objects which fly into the audience.

“These include the U-boat attacking the Lusitania on its way to Liverpool, and the bombs and flames engulfing Coventry.”

Foster has fought a few battles himself. The son of a Birmingham engineer and hairdresser, his parents were “supporting, never encouraging” about his acting.

“My father’s coming round to it,” he chuckles.

“My late mother wanted me to become a bank manager. I’ve not even played one on stage.

“I’ve never wanted to do anything else. Apparently, when I was two, I was dressing up and, aged seven, in a prep school play, the audience fell about when I played a parent in a sketch.

“To me, I was just getting into the part. It’s a rare sort, an experience to find people had a great evening because you were part of it.

“Stage acting becomes a very intense form of living. For two hours, you’re immersed in a character and experience you never have in real life.”

Another big battle was taking on Birmingham’s Old Repertory Theatre, built in 1913.

It was all but derelict when he discovered it behind New Street station.

With all the cheek of an unbruised upstart, he was in the habit of button-holing stars to interview on stage to raise money for his fledgling theatre companies.

These actors read like a Parkinson show A-list, including Glenn Close, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen.

“I was 23 and I needed a venue in which to interview Derek Jacobi,” he recalls.

“The Old Rep was half-boarded up, but had something about it.”

Vacated by the Birmingham Rep for a new theatre in 1971, the old theatre, built by the great producer Sir Barry Jackson, lurched on with one-off shows.

It was the perfect home for Foster’s Endless Theatre and Liaison Theatre companies.

However, it was 1992 when they eventually moved in and became the Birmingham Stage Company.

“This theatre is described as a fabulous instrument for the actor,” says Foster.

“It only has 378 seats, and is squeezed in between two streets, which gives it a beautiful intimacy.”

He originally set up his own company to provide himself with work, after leaving the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

“I also wanted to make sure I controlled quality. Now I only do one or two shows a year,” he says.

“But it’s worked out as everything I’ve been in has been wonderful. I’m planning to get out more on stage next year.

“Like everywhere, we’re being credit crunched, but we must never compromise on quality.

“We have no grant aid, being initially told none was available, so we never ever bothered applying.

“But it means that whatever we do must work and pay its way.

“I’m past doing the star interviews to raise funds, I feel it’s up to me to provide the work, rather than ask for help now.

“Creating work for other people in the business gives me great satisfaction. However, interviewing Jack Lemmon was one of the highlights of my life.

“I tried to ask unusual questions. I asked Peter O’Toole if he ever cried, and he replied, ‘Of course, do you think I’m an expletive turnip?’!”

Horrible Histories can be seen at the New Brighton Floral Pavilion from September 15-19. Ring 0151 666 0000 for details.