Burning Down the Horse ★★★★

If your first thought of the Trojan Horse conjures up the dry dusty tomes of Homer, think again! Fishing4Chips’ giddy, irreverent, interactive and wonderfully silly take on the equine portion of the Trojan War is more Carry On Up The Aeneid.

You don’t just buy a ticket for Burning Down The Horse – you enlist! For audience members are conscripted to the Greek Army to go on a heroic (read: suicidal) mission to take down the enemy city of Troy. In fact, you should ready yourself for inspection by Acamas (a wonderfully brusque jobsworth from Molly Keogh) the Number 2 in command as you wait in line ahead of the show. Quizzing this reviewer about where he got his unusual covered-toes sandals, she seemed ill-acquainted with the market known as H & M!

When the doors shut closed, you find yourself not in the Queens Dome at The Pleasance but rather inside the belly of the recently-constructed timber beast. But at least we’re all in it together – or so the historical tales would have you believe. A brave army ready to make the ultimate military manoeuvre… But the history books were wrong!

Rather than the noble leader of yore, Odysseus (played with unhinged, swivel-eyed panache by Freddie Walker) is revealed to be an elitist, unstable, narcissistic monster with a trinket-obsession who has bought his own hype a little too readily. Brooking no dissent, his wooden horse plan will be his ultimate triumph.

Unfortunately he is sharing this weapon of cunning subterfuge with a set of soldiers for whom dissent is certainly brewing. Whilst literally on board, they are certainly not metaphorically on board with the scheme. Anticlus (a superbly chippy Kathryn Pridgeon) is the first with the awkward question and withering to its response. In contrast, Ajax The Great (a towering performance in every sense from Alistair Rowley) seems enthusiastic, earnest but entirely bewildered despite his long history of heroism. Echeon (a ridiculously adorable, irresistible Sean Wareing) is waging his own minor skirmish – that there’s no wine, no nuts, he’s hungry, he’s forgotten his sword…he’s an idiot. And lastly, completing the quorum of potential rebels is Epeius (Connor Joseph bringing the pathos), the carpenter who crafted the horse and who didn’t leave in time.

There’s mutiny afoot and the rebels will want to rope you in!

The script, by Sean Wareing and Freddie Walker, is as hilarious as it is endearing. The gags are profoundly silly. “Why is Oedipus not here?” “It’s complex.” “We shouldn’t have invited him on mother’s day”. Discussions of whether the Horse actually looks like a horse has a brilliant call-back punchline later in the show. And the character-comedy interactions are worthy of a great sitcom.

But what the writers do so well is sneak ideas about the futility of war, the expendability of foot soldiers and the power of comradeship under the prevailing merriment. If only there were a good metaphor to describe that.

Because the entire ensemble of six are so likable, despite the hilarity and high jinks, by the end of the show, you really care what happens to the characters. Heed The Recs’ advice: If you are looking for a show filled with Grecian groaners, Hellenic howlers and some flaming good jokes, make booking for Burning Down The Horse a feta compli! …. Feta compli… Feta, it’s a greek cheese..oh forget it!