5 Mistakes That Changed History - Gordon Aikman Theatre George Square Gardens - Review

With the Edinburgh fringe, you find yourself desperately trying to see as much as possible and in doing so you have to be quite picky. And when you need your schedule to work out just right, there can be those shows that slip through the cracks simply because the timing just doesn’t work out right. That was the case for me and 5 Mistakes That Changed History, a show I wanted to see but could never make work. But this year, the stars aligned and it finally fit into my schedule, and I am very glad that it did.

Paul Coulter is a history nerd and he’s proud of it, he went to school dressed as a civil war soldier when everyone else dressed up as a superhero. And now he shares his love of history with the masses, selling out the Gordan Aikman lecture theatre, all whilst combining that love with his natural flair for comedy and storytelling. 5 Mistakes That Changed History is 50% lecture, 50% stand up, 100% hilarious as Coulter guides us through 5 events influenced by simple mistakes or strokes of bad luck that changed the course of history in one way or another.

With stories at this performance including the case of Henry II and the fatal jousting accident that led to Mary Queen of Scots arriving in Scotland, the NASA Mission that sent man to the moon that was saved by a toddler who just wanted to push all the buttons and how the Mona Lisa only became famous after it was stolen, Coulter brings these little known stories into the limelight telling them with such passion and such a unique comedic style that the audience hang on his even word.

You may think that one person talking through historical events would feel dry, but it doesn’t, I guarantee you. Using modern references, viral internet clips and relevant jokes Coulter brings the history to life. For example, here he compares the fame of Annie Oakley and her ability to bring in the crowds to the stadium filling fame of Taylor Swift and adds humorous sound effects to footage of the moon landing, which has the audience in fits of giggles whilst they learn a lot more than they even realise they are. The stories that Coulter carefully selects to include have silly elements that induce giggles and he is able to build on this to have the entire audience laughing along with him.

It is Coulter’s passion for the subject that really makes this show work, bringing the stories to life and filling them with jokes that land every time. There are elements of horrible histories here as he works on the idea that we can learn and laugh at the same time. Put it this way, if my school history teacher had been like this, I would have loved the subject much more at the time. Coulter states that when he first started out, he would perform this show to small audiences in tiny venues and now it’s grown to this bigger space, tours and even a book. It’s really no surprise, as it’s such a gem of a show that will have you laughing out loud. I expect it to grow further.