Jamie Douglas review - SkinnyFest

Article by Will White | 14 Aug 2006
If you take out Caligula and the death of Nelson, the rest of history – war, diplomacy, empire – mightn't seem all that funny. But Jamie Douglas disagrees with this thesis and Historique goes some way to proving him right. With the help of sidekick Martin Miller, Douglas takes us on a whistlestop tour of world history from Cromwell to Rwanda, asking us not merely to remember names and dates but to join him in an act of historical empathy – GCSE-style. Douglas is at his best when addressing the audience directly and his childhood essay about what it is like to be a Roman soldier in Britain is done to perfection. Despite some fine comic acting and neat ideas, however, the problem with Historique is that many of the sketches fall just that little bit short of the mark – thanks to some slightly flabby writing – and because of this it's hard to escape the feeling that history is just one damn thing after another.
Jamie Douglas Historique, Underbelly, until August 27 (not 16), 15:00, £9/£8 (£8/£7).