Our House
Information
- Date
- 16th May 2019
- Society
- Brentwood Musical Theatre Society
- Venue
- Brentwood Theatre
- Type of Production
- Musical
- Director
- Sarah Barton
- Musical Director
- Ian Southgate
- Choreographer
- Sarah Barton
Once again Brentwood Operatic have pulled out all the stops for this production. The energy of the entire cast was awesome, I felt exhausted just watching. It was very clear that they were having great fun with the production and that elevated their performances.
Our House, unusually for a ‘juke box’ musical, has a very complex story and Director Sarah Barton had obviously given this a lot of thought. The story follows the trials and tribulations of a young North Londoner, Joe Casey, and tracks his formative years. The twist is that it is a ‘sliding doors’ story so we constantly see Joe in two different scenarios at virtually the same time. Sarah managed this beautifully and, although the lead role does require many quick costumes, there is also some sleight of view which makes the performance even more effective.
Aiden Adams played the lead role of Joe Casey and he put his heart and soul into the characterisation. He showed distinct differences between the ‘white’ Joe and the ‘black’ Joe. He obviously has a lot of performing experience and this role needed someone of that calibre to make it work.
Emily Walker played his girlfriend Sarah, and this was another good performance. Lisa Harris played Joe’s mum Kath beautifully, her Irish accent was consistent and effectively done. Martin Harris played Joe’s Dad, a tricky part as he is a ghost and cannot participate in the action on stage. Martin managed to bring just the right feeling to the part and his performance rounded out the story well.
Jamie Fudge (Lewis) and Allister Smith (Emmo) brought the welcome comedy to the performance. I was worried that Allister’s portrayal of the ‘stupid’ Emmo might go over the top, but he held it just on the borderline. Lauren Tidbury (Billie) and Hannah Brent (Angie) made a great pairing as Sarah’s two friends, bringing more comedy to lighten the story in the darker moments. Iain Johnson played Reecey, a nasty piece of work and very well characterised.
Other named characters were Bob Southgate as property developer, Mr Pressman, Richard Orchard-Rowe as Callum and Sarah Woehrl as Julie. The ensemble worked so hard, portraying a wide range of characters, it wasn’t just Joe who had a lot of costume changes! Their enthusiasm and energy was terrific and they all contributed to this excellent production.
I had forgotten how good the arrangements were, of Madness music, in this show and the cast produced a good ‘sound’ throughout. There were clearly quite a few Madness fans in the audience, and they showed their appreciation which was very well deserved. The band only numbered five but the sound they made was excellent.
The costumes worked well, and I am always amazed at the way this society manages to find the space in this theatre for the scenery. It is, of necessity, simple but it was very effective and worked very well. Scene changes were largely done by the cast as they went, which maintained the pace of the show and there were no obvious pauses in the flow. The lighting was cleverly plotted, and the cast all stepped into their light at the right moment. And that is not something that happens without a lot of concentration! The sound worked well, and we didn’t miss dialogue which can happen if the sound engineer is not in the ball.
Overall, a very well-directed, well performed show which the audience, including me, clearly enjoyed. I would also thank the Chairman Maggie Kiel for looking after me so well before the show and during the interval. It is very much appreciated.
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