Our House

Anticipation was high when entering the Towngate theatre auditorium to watch Basildon Operatic Society present the high energy show, Our House, last Saturday. Based around the songs from Madness, the stage was full of stylised doors on wheels that were moved seamlessly around the stage during the performance to form Casey Street and even Las Vegas at one time. A high platform gave extra height and in the centre was an opening so that we could get a tantalising glimpse of the band. A simple star cloth framed the set but it was clear that the director, Vikki Purton, had intended to populate the stage with colour, dancing and singing from the very energetic cast. Lighting was carefully plotted and the simplified staging was perfect for this show. The doors were white, or black on the reverse, to underpin whether we were in the ‘bad’ or ‘good’ version of the action. There was one exception, of course, and that was the bright red door, number 25, which was Our House.

This set had been designed and constructed by the director, Vikki Purton, and her husband, Mathew Purton, the stage manager. And what a fabulously versatile set it was. It was perfect for the storyline which can be quite confusing between the main actor, Joe’s, good and bad choices. A word here about the stage crew who performed each scene change in time with the music and choreographed so that the trucks were in place when the songs started. Confident and practiced, they really contributed to the pace and fluency of the show. Amazing work from them all.

Lighting and sound were just great and really added to the atmosphere. Well done Jack Liddicot and Jamie Mather.

The action starts straight away with some back story of Kath and Joe’s dad winning the dance competition on Margate Pier and then we were into a great set of Madness songs starting with Our House. The storyline gets quite complicated but I’ll concentrate on this team of very talented actors. Kath, played by Fay Evans, was a lovely gentle version of Joe’s Irish mum. I loved the softness and vulnerability of her interpretation and her singing voice was lovely. It made the deep affection between her and the dad, and later on with Joe, very real. The dad, played by Darell Jackson, was amazing. Lurking around the stage and platform trying to give advice to his wayward son not to do what he had in life, he had the power and gravitas laced with sadness that was needed for this role.

Joe Casey was their son and was played by Joe Drury. This role was just made for him. A great Jack- the-lad interpretation coupled with incredible dance skills and that powerful voice made him perfect for this bloke he was portraying. And when he met up with his 2 sidekicks, Emmo and Lewis, played by Sean Hynes and Alex Wood respectively, the comedy really went up a notch. The three of them together had amazing rapport and their comedic timing was spot on. There were so many highlights of their performances but ‘My girl’s mad at me’, the singing condom and the hysterical car trip during ‘When I’m driving in my car’ were performed way better than any cast I’ve ever seen before.

The dance routines for Our House ‘were amazing…so full of energy, enthusiasm and athleticism. Everyone from the society was included which filled the stage with pure joy. At the conclusion of every high energy dance number, we all felt like cheering as well as the cast.

Reecey, played by Jake Portsmouth, was a great, Vaselined, seedy bully. With a terrific accent and great voice, he led the way with Baggy Trousers. What a dance routine this was. All the cast were back onstage and the energy level went up even further, including a bit of Riverdance in the mix.

David Ludbrook as the ruthless developer, Mr Pressman, also gave a confident performance with great timing and a necessary nasty side to the character.

I must talk about the girls in the show. Led by Sarah, played by Cerys Wilkin, she navigated the intricate storyline sensitively and with great confidence. Her song ‘It must be love,’ with Joe was gorgeous, as was ‘NW5’. In fact, I had goosebumps and there was definitely something in my eye at the end of both those songs. What a lovely performance. The 2 friends, Billie, played by Charlotte Cavedasca and Angie, played by Beth Hodges, were terrific. They were very funny, with great timing and a terrific onstage camaraderie. When the 3 lads and 3 girls were involved, they lit up the stage. And when joined by the cast for ‘The wings of a Dove’ the theatre was totally on a high! The ‘Who will buy’ pastiche in the middle of ‘The sun and the rain’ was really well done.

There were many excellent cameo performances, in the Young Offenders Institution, the court rooms, the solicitors not to mention the job interviews and the characters in Las Vegas. Elvis was definitely in the building as was the gondola, briefly. I’m afraid I can’t list you all but I was left marvelling at how many talented performers there are in BASOP. The whole gloss of polished professionalism and creative originality must be laid at the feet of Director and choreographer, Vikki Purton, for delivering such fabulous dance routines and carefully thought through staging, but it must be a joy to work with such an enthusiastic cast.

There were some tricky harmonies and timings in this music and the MD James Green had schooled the cast well in both the delivery and timings of these songs. The band were just excellent and, by the time they got to the finale of ‘One Step Beyond’, I should imagine that they as well as the cast were exhausted.

Costumes and props were very good and backstage must have witnessed some frantic costume changes especially for Joe going from good to bad outfits. I loved the Las Vegas colourful outfits and Camerons trews.

BASOP, this was such a fast paced and energetic show that is sometimes tricky to perform to ensure clarity of the storyline, but you absolutely nailed it. The audience and I loved it all and I would have happily sat in my seat to watch it all through again. Many thanks for looking after us so well.

 

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