Burning Down the Horse is an hour-long immersive comedy performance, directed by Maya Shimmin. It is being staged at the Underbelly Bristo Square venue on the Fresian Stage.
It poses the question: what happened inside the Trojan horse before it was wheeled into Troy? The audience becomes soldiers, waiting on their orders, and amongst them are seated Ajax (Sam Stafford) and Echeon (Sean Wareing), who are commanded by Odysseus (Freddie Walker) and their second in command Acamus (Lottie Lemoss). However, it turns out that the carpenter who made the horse (Epeius, played by William Huke) is also trapped inside by accident, to be wheeled into battle despite not being a fighter. The production completely reimagines the Trojan horse in an entirely original and hilarious way.
It is easy for the audience to get swept up in the performance and feel as though they really are part of the production. Upon entering, the cast is dotted around the seats, drawing the audience into conversation. Burning Down the Horse makes use of being in the round perfectly, adding to the immersive nature of the show and using audience participation in a way that feels fresh and entertaining.
Walker is fantastic as Odysseus, balancing the line between madness and brilliance perfectly in their performance. Their interactions with Lemoss are wonderful too, the two sharing great chemistry and their physical comedy is hysterical.
Wareing stands out as playing the stereotypical ‘funny man’, and they excel at it, smashing the delivery of each of their jokes in a way that contrasts brilliantly with the more straight-laced acting of Stafford and Lemoss. Huke meanwhile finds the balance between these two extremes, and their character seems the most aware of the absurdity of Odysseus’s plan, serving as the ringleader for most of the various mishaps that occur within the horse.
Burning Down the Horse is a refreshing and original piece of immersive comedy that completely reimagines the siege of Troy in a mildly absurd way. The cast share incredible chemistry and seamlessly integrate the audience into the show in a way that will have everyone laughing the whole way through.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
