Southwark Playhouse, London – until Saturday 24th August 2024
Reviewed by Phil Brown
5 *****
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call entertainment!
(To adapt a branding Virgin Records coined for a series of smash hits compilations back in the 80s.) A triumph for both cast and production, particularly director Nick Evans.
As high voltage productions go, ‘Our House’ generates more than enough to blow the fuse boxes of a major city. Rarely have I seen such whole hearted commitment and young performing talent coming so sweetly together on stage. On this evidence, the future of the British acting profession is secure and I feel sure we have seen multiple stars in waiting in this production.
‘Our House’ is a two act musical ( 2 hours plus interval) based on a book by playwright Tim Firth written around the songs/hits of Madness (including “it Must Be Love” by Labi Siffre – one of the few hits not written by the band). It’s been around for a while – first premiered in 2002 and winning the Olivier award for Best New Musical in 2003, going on to tour fairly regularly but without becoming a monster hit show. On the basis of this performance, that is a travesty.
The timeless story, set in Camden Town in the 80s, is essentially the coming of age saga of Joe Casey age 16, played out against the background of a tainted, broken home life as a result of his father, now deceased, taking the wrong path and ending up a convicted criminal – something that haunts Joe as he starts to chart his own path through life’s ups and downs.
The action begins with Joe, on the night of his sixteenth birthday, taking Sarah, the girl of his dreams, out on their first date. Wanting to impress Sarah, Joe breaks into a building site to show her his street, Casey Street, (named after his great great grandfather) from on high. Back in the days when the police might actually investigate break-ins, they arrive. Sarah flees and Joe is left with the decision of which path to follow – to flee or to give himself up. This moment is the point at which the performance divides into the two parallel paths that Joe could follow – the right path and the wrong path. This twist could be momentarily confusing for audience members who may not have bothered to read up about the show beforehand.
As well as effectively delivering two quite different stories for the price of one, the parallel paths require a lot of rapid change of costume, the range and inventiveness of which is quite wonderful with witty references to the Madness checkerboard design (Molly Fraser). In fact, with the size of the cast (30), the pace of the action, the numerous ensemble routines, the brilliant use of multiple props, and the relatively small performance space available in The Southwark Playhouse, the logistics underpinning this performance was a masterclass in faultless precision and coordination. Hats off to the entire Production Team!
The two leads – Des Coghlan-Forbes playing Joe Casey and Sara Bilal as Sarah – are simply quite superb – both wonderfully charismatic and natural. All the named supporting actors are excellent, in particular Joe’s Dad (Ryan Cooley). Joe Butler-Smith ( as Emmo), and Jacob Cullen (Lewis) are perfectly cast as Joe’s mates. And Olivia Barrett (as Billie) and Amy Field (as Angie) are equally convincing as Sarah’s friends. Freddie Tickle impresses as saturnine property developer Harold Pressman.
Possibly what impresses the most though, are the exceptional ensemble song and dance pieces. There is perfect teamwork on display here across performing and production teams. The choreography in a tight space is brilliantly and imaginatively conceived (Simon Hardwick) and superbly executed with the sort of unfettered verve only youth can channel into physical pursuits. I love the different props employed such as the HM Prison trays and union jack umbrellas.
Madness’ infectious music is already of national treasure status. The numbers used are well judged and well performed with a nice balance between solo and company singing. Backing music is by an impeccably tight 6 piece band with Musical Director Lee Freeman conducting and arranging to perfection. You don’t often see the spotlight on individual musicians in musicals, but guitarist Charlie Churchill and bass player Ali Warwick get the chance to show off their considerable instrumental prowess on “Road to Cairo” to re-engage the audience and launch Act 2 with a serious blast of energy.
Considering all that is going on in this exuberant production, it’s astonishing it runs like frictionless clockwork. A massive achievement for all involved and a totally joyous tour de force.
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