Too Many Greek Myths

I have a pretty fun job, as careers go.

I get to pop into the artsy and cultural goings-on in and around Bristol and jot down my thoughts on them. Glorious.

But, as I discovered last night, the members of Clevedon-based comedy theatre company Living Spit win the fun job competition by an Olympian mile.

Living Spit make (in their own words) poorly researched historical comedy drama shows and tour them all over the UK. What this looks like in reality, and as was the case when I saw them, is two best mates wearing slightly ill-fitting costumes engaging in an hour-long vaguely historical inside joke in questionable accents. And it’s bloody brilliant.

Their latest offering is Too Many Greek Myths. Allow me to get you up to speed. Stu McLoughlin and Bev Rudd, two members of Living Spit, are caught bragging about being the best North Somerset based historical-comedy group in the whole of… well, North Somerset, by the ultimate ‘Siblings or Dating?’ duo, the almighty Zeus and Hira (spoiler alert: they are indeed both siblings and dating).

Enraged by their inflated egos, Zeus decides to knock them down a few pegs. How, you ask? A theatrical challenge of course!

This is how Stu and Bev find themselves having to squeeze 20 of the greatest Ancient Greek myths into one show, or else, and how we the audience find ourselves coming along with them for the ride.

Now, my knowledge of the Greek myths extends about as far as the 20 pages of my brother’s Percy Jackson book that I read on holiday when I was bored of my own book about 12 years ago. But, if you’re in the same boat, then fear not, mere mortal, because Bev and Stu are only just figuring it out too.

Armed with a couple of supermarket togas and a tennis racket for a guitar, the duo flip between gods, heroes, and villains at a rip-roaring pace with an enthusiasm and dry wit which is quintessentially British.

Between laugh-out-loud quips about how Greek mythology has trickled down into 21st-century life (‘Hermes!’/ ‘I’m called Evri now’), and catchy micro song breaks (we particularly enjoyed Orpheus’ cover of The Jackson 5’s I Want You Back), there are genuine insights into the historical subject matter that underscore the silliness and keep the whole family engaged. You might be laughing at the mythology-themed local banter (‘I heard the Underworld is a no man’s land where no one dares goes- it’s a bit like… Weston-super-Mare’), while the 10-year-old across from you will be laughing at the silly man with the sheet wrapped around his head. But ultimately: everyone’s laughing.

As hilarious as a pantomime rendition of a Scouse Pandora trying to resist opening her box (or jar) is, the real mythological magic binding Too Many Greek Myths together is the chemistry between Stu and Bev. The pair’s boundless joy, improvised banter and complete conviction in their utter ridiculousness gives the whole show the vibe of an extended History GCSE group project in which everyone involved has a serious case of the giggles. Friendship! It might just save the world. And I think it actually did, in this instance.

Too Many Greek Myths. I went with my best mate and felt like I’d made two more. Go with yours!

Living Spit theatre company has a quandary: as North Somerset’s leading two-handed satirical comedy troupe dealing with productions based on an historical situation, they are awash with hubris. Surely, think Stu McLoughlin and Bev Rudd, there is nothing they cannot do.

When Zeus and his wife (and sister) Hera overhear their bragging, they set them a truly Herculean task. They must put on a seventy-five minute show covering the top twenty Ancient Greek myths in one go. If they fail, they will forever be plagued by indifferent lighting and poor reviews.

On the basis of this latest production, that is never going to happen. Well, the poor reviews at any rate.

From the moment that the setup is established, juvenile jokes, madcap mayhem and belly laughs fill the auditorium. In true LS style we are treated to a smidgen of toilet humour of the highest kind, but given this is a family show with an age recommendation of 8+ it is not runny, just funny. We get a song called I love Uranus. If we hadn’t, the audience would have felt cheated.

With a set comprising a large wicker basket containing a motley array of childish props with several more strapped to the pillars, McLoughlin and Rudd count down the myths on a video monitor at the side of the stage. Their comic invention operates at full tilt and along the way we meet a jazz poet Hades, spitting rhymes in the underworld, an over-muscled Heracles fighting the Minotaur before speeding away from Ariadne’s dubious charms in a toy motorboat, Orpheus playing air-lute on a tennis racket to soothe the rabid three-headed dog Cerberus. And then there is fleet-footed Hermes, the messenger. Only he has been rebranded as ‘Evri’ and his ability to deliver as efficiently as the god has similarly been downgraded.

McLoughlin and Rudd’s on-stage chemistry is superb, matched only by their quick-fire costume changes, boundless energy, and willingness to find out just how far to take a joke. And then they then push it some more because, like Sisyphus, they are always willing to go a bit further to please an audience.

The Tobacco Factory arranged in the round is an ideal stage for their talents, and from my seat all I could see was broad smiles and people doubled over in unrestrained mirth.

Given the ridiculous number of props, situations, and references to the various gods’ wives also being their sister, director Craig Edwards has put together a performance of sublime, almost omniscient majesty. But with the talents of McLoughlin and Rudd to call upon, it could not really fail. Their commitment to each character, dodgy accent and dedication to their craft is testament to why Living Spit attracts an adoring legion of fans.

So, did they satisfy Zeus and Hermes’ demands? Of course they did, because like silly King Midas, everything Living Spit touches turns into gold.

★★★★★ Bryan J Mason, 28 October 2025