Our House

This was an energetic and fluid production that zipped along from scene to scene with almost no pause for breath. The result was a highly enjoyable evening together with a sense of wonder that the lead, Joe Casey, wonderfully played by Jon Newman, could remember who he was and where he was supposed to be at any particular point in the show. As a named singer in 20 of the 28 scenes, playing the good and the bad versions of Joe in many of them, there was never a misstep, a hiccough or even a slight suggestion that he was thinking to himself “which scene is this?” 

On reflection, although I didn’t think about it at the time, the whole cast was busy with countless costume changes and shifts in mood and demonstrated a commitment to playing teenage kids, or whatever, with enthusiasm. The choreography was fun and extremely effective, my favorites being Baggy Trousers, Wings of a Dove and the convicts’ song. That last one was so well drilled – I can only imagine how long it took in rehearsals to get everyone moving in the right direction?

oe Casey was supported by a very strong cast and so many good cameo roles. Nicola Myers was a splendid Sarah, who combined innocent, girl next-door looks with a great voice that we had to wait until Act 2 to discover properly. She presented a fresh-faced contrast to her worldly wise-cracking friends Billie and Angie, well played by Sophie Lines and Natalie Hills respectively.  Ian Pavelin and Aaron Crowe as Emmo and Lewis were a consistently warm and funny couple of mates but who would have suspected the strength of emotion from Aaron when he attacked Joe for sanctioning the murder of his mum – a powerful moment. Joe’s absent Dad, always appearing at the back of the stage on the rostrum as a sort of conscience, was strongly sung by Colin Shoard and must be applauded for coming in on cue despite being surrounded by fog that was reminiscent of Victorian pea-soupers. Catherine Gregory played Joe’s mum, Kath, and generated a genuine warmth of personality with her Irish accent and beautifully pitched vocals. Ross Rogers was a menacing Mr Pressman and Mat Smith a delightfully convincing Reecey, not nasty but simply amoral.

The set worked very well on the whole, although sadly electrical problems meant we didn’t see the video during Driving in My Car, and the costumes, being mostly modern day, all looked appropriate. The band played well and after some initial sound balance issues in the first 5 minutes I just enjoyed the production. Our House is not about spectacular scenery or costumes but a good storyline and the iconic music. In the hands of Springers and debut director Barry Miles Our House was a production not to be missed.   

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