Our House

Our House weaves the life of Joe Casey a 16-year-old boy having to make decisions around the music of Madness.  The story unfolds revealing two sides to Joe, the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ and following the parallel paths he is ultimately reunited with his childhood love, Sarah, who is now a lawyer so that they can fight against the demolition of their street and Joe’s “Our House”.  The well-written script from Colin Firth of Calendar Girls fame and the popular music from Madness combine to make a truly entertaining evening.

The scenery from Scenery Solutions was most striking and made an instant impression especially the raised area at the back which was well-used by the cast in a variety of ways.  It gave a different level to the production.  The sliding doors underneath the gantry provided the opportunity to hang doors and flats which slid in and out and created a multiplicity of scenes.  The use of the triangle of flats was fascinating and the cast were kept busy turning them at the appropriate time. Throughout the show the technical side was faultless – it was such a pleasure to hear the cast clearly whilst the band although excellent at no time drowned them out.  Well done MD and sound tech. The orchestra created a good sound and supported the singers well. The ensemble singing was very good and were not only well-balanced but well interpreted.

This evening of “Our House” was delightful.  The audience around me were most enthusiastic in their praise for the performers and musicians.  No show of this genre is complete without a choreographer and this production was no exception, Kim Majczak was able to utilise every bit of talent on the stage.  The discipline and accuracy was inspiring. The whole production was very well crafted.  The integration of the principals and chorus was evident with each member of the chorus creating their own persona.  Act one ran very smoothly and the passing of time was not noticed. Joe Casey was superbly played by Sean Ridley whose exuberance was evident throughout.  He was ably supported by Molly Lancaster as the thoughtful, childhood sweetheart.  The pair of Emmo and Lewis played by Adam Brombley and Gareth Billington excited the audience with their loveable but over the top antics.  There was not a single weak link in this whole production.  Both the director, Ian Clark, and MD, Louise Helyer, are to be congratulated on bringing this production to the peak of perfection it achieved.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this first-class production.  It was a delightful evening’s entertainment enjoyed by all in the audience if the comments heard on the way out are anything to go by.  Well done!

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