Our House Review

Churchill Theatre, Bromley until 28 October, touring until 25 November.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

3***

This moral tale is kept afloat on a wave of high energy, nifty footwork and the unmistakable music of Madness.

Tim Firth’s book uses the Sliding Doors conceit showing the two possible lives that Joe Casey (Jason Kajdi) leads after a pivotal decision on his 16th birthday. After committing a petty crime to impress his girlfriend, one version of Joe runs away from the police, and the other stays to face the consequences. This is all watched over by his dead father, urging him to take the moral choice. This dual storyline means there are plenty of quick changes for Kajdi, between a white and black outfit, and spotting when a replacement slipped into a dance routine becomes the main interest of the show. That’s one of the main problems, the staging is so slick and clever that it seems wasted on such a simplistic plot. Luckily, the lyrics of each (brilliantly placed) song add some vigour and the cast belt them out while Fabian Aloise’s fun choreography creates the illusion of a much larger company, especially in The Sun and The Rain and Wings of a Dove. Unfortunately, some sound issues resulted in many lyrics being drowned by the band last night, but I am sure that any hiccups will soon be ironed out at this theatre.

Callum McArdle as Dad ties the show together, and his stunning clear tones are in a class of their own. Kajdi is a likeable leading man, full of boyish charm and cockiness, and ably supported by Billy Roberts and Will Haswell as his two comedy mates. Sophie Matthew as Sarah makes the most of her big numbers, in an underwritten role, again supported by two great comedy mates, Etisyai Philip and Jessica Niles. Matthew and Kajdi’s sweet duet in It Must Be Love is staged beautifully. Deena Payne is also underused as Joe’s mum, bringing lots of warmth and heart to the role. George Sampson as bad boy Reecey dances effortlessly, and Aloise’s choreography mixes his street dance with familiar Madness moves to great effect.

Our House is an enjoyable, high-octane night of entertainment – let’s face it, with music like this, you can’t help but smile.