The Stage

Alex Horne - When in Rome

Published Friday 12 August 2005 at 15:35 by Chris Wilson

Technology is one of the strengths and weaknesses of modern life. When it works, it is marvellous. When it crashes, as happened in this show, it is a major headache.

Horne and his laconic sidekick Tim Key have long been obsessed with Powerpoint-based comedy and hit on the amusing idea of combining their technophilia with the ancient language of Latin. Before the show started, the audience sat a brief exam. Top marks went to a young and jolly blonde who had translated a Latin poem perfectly, showing there is still some life in the creaky old language.

Horne and Key then led the audience into a labyrinthine onscreen adventure book with various Latin challenges on the way. It was highly creative and entertaining, albeit somewhat marred by the regular crashes of their laptop. Baking hot rooms and little computers don’t mix.

Their quirky double-act carried the night. Key’s vacuous persona is the perfect foil to Horne’s nervy wit. The evening ended with a girls versus boys classical tug o’ war with the whole audience yelling out Latin words to egg on their verbal gladiators.

Precipuus! (Excellent!)