Our House

  Great set worthy of this fine show… a top class cast and music to tickle the 70’s nostalgic taste buds…a clever positioning of the band ‘on stage’ was a nice touch and from the effervescent opening number ‘Our House’,  they were always part of this vibrant and moving show.

  Stephen Brown as Joe Casey certainly led us on an emotional journey as he sets out to impress his first date but will he make the right decisions… Certainly his widowed mother Kath Casey (Debbie Lambert) hopes he will turn out well…his ongoing personal dilemmas were well portrayed as he shows us the conflicting pathways which unfold as he may or may not follow his fathers criminal footsteps…his quick transitions to show, almost side by side, the potential  results of his decisions involved some swift costume changes and the re computing of his emotional demeanour. He never once missed a beat as he led the line in this intriguing scenario which also tested his vocal prowess.

  His dilemma was constantly under scrutiny and persuasion from the ‘ghost’ of his late Dad (Ian Cook) who is anxious for him NOT to make the same mistakes as he did. His was a nicely underplayed role with excellent vocal support in some of the iconic musical numbers. Joes girlfriend Sarah (Emily Holt) showed her ‘class’ in both ways as she attempted to deal with Joes duplicitous escapade   HIs ‘Bad’ side is influenced by Reecey (Daniel Hughes) as a character with no saving graces and a persona to really make all good people squirm, payed with some style by Dan who is gaining a reputation on the ‘darker’ side and one in which he excels.   Add to the mix a couple of chavs Billie (Natasha Bird) and Angie ( Sophie Cannel) a super fun pair with very few airs and graces and ‘friends’ Emmo (Baden Aldridge) and Lewis (Sam Howlett) with not too many grey cells between them but each of them having far too much fun in playing their characters.  

The unlikely scenario of Joe taking gainful employment is facilitated by the ever so slightly dodgy dealer and successful high-end Property Developer Mr Pressman (Bob Sharman) who gave a convincing performance  as the shadowy businessman flirting with the wrong side of the law to make his fortune. All of this supported by a myriad of cameo roles, too many to mention, some actors playing up to five parts! And all adding to the real premise of this show … the music of ‘Madness’, as the numbers just keep on coming and each in turn shows the skills and vocal prowess of the large cast who also showed they can dance a bit as required assisted by younger teams ‘Superlatives’ and ‘Show Dancers’ to add a ‘new’ generation of youthful fans to the ‘Madness’ bandwagon. All their ‘old’ hits were there and sung with all the style and energy you could wish for…it was almost a relief to have a slower and more mellow number ‘Tomorrow’s Just Another Day’, to end Act one.

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