I had no idea what to expect from John Hinton’s Ensonglopedia of British History. For a start, why was I surrounded by children? This was surely going to be a massive mistake, but I wasn’t anywhere near an exit so had no choice but to see it through. Sometimes I see a show and afterwards wish I could have that hour of my life back.
His choice of rhymes will delight anyone with even the vaguest interest in words.
For those who haven’t seen one of Hinton’s shows previously, the format is simple: Hinton performs a series of songs, each one elucidating an aspect of British history, or a particular event. Working alphabetically, he manages to chart the whole of British history in just over one hour, starting with 40,000 BC and finishing with Brexit. A useful timeline appears on a screen behind him throughout, so we can keep tabs on where we’ve got to. These are mostly placards in the language of protest of various kinds (anti-slavery, women’s suffrage, workers’ rights), which are handed to the audience to shake during the relevant songs. Younger members are also called upon to hilariously re-enact important battles such as the Battle of Hastings and the War of the Roses (fought with roses, of course). There was no shortage of volunteers!
The brilliance of this show is that it is pitched perfectly, so that younger audience members have plenty to amuse them, with suitably winning and larger than life delivery between songs. At the same time, adults have plenty to admire in the lyrics. Hinton doesn’t have a brilliant singing voice, and he’s not the best musician in the world, but that isn't the point - the songs are fantastically clever, sometimes reminiscent of Jake Thakery, and his use of language, particularly the choice of rhymes, will delight anyone with even the vaguest interest in words. Obviously, in a show like this, some songs will work better than others and everyone will have their own favourites. For me, the Danelaw song (a supremely intelligent and funny pastiche of an ABBA medley, with guest dancers supplied by the audience) was a big hit, as was What Has the EU Ever Done for Me and You? and the Shakespeare song. The NHS song nearly made me cry.
There is a strangely political feel to the show, because it’s also the history of successful protest and as such has a certain rousing quality; one is left to ponder the extent to which Britain has suffered from wave after wave of almost continuous invasion, and hence question what being British actually means, which is the subject of the final song. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the show overran but nobody cared; although the crowd went wild and wanted more when it finished, there are sadly only 26 letters in the alphabet.
So, do I now want that hour of my life back? Emphatically not. This time, I want to have it all over again.
