MUSICAL REVIEW: Our House ★★★★

Our House
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham
Friday 11th - Saturday 19th October 2019

Based on the music from the ska band Madness, Our House follows the story of Joe Casey (Jamie Evans) and his troubled teenage life, whilst along the way encountering the love of his life Sarah (Olivia Facer), with a added moment in the production involving where Casey's world split in two, giving us a 'Sliding Doors' moment, and allows us to envision a alternative world jumping between a Good & Bad Joe, which though definitely in this version has the ideas floating around, it doesn't manage to differentiate and land with much impact.

Evans is full of energy and shows commitment to the protagonist; barely off stage, he powers through with persistent, and even though his vocals can be hard to hear due to the uneven mic levels at times, his voice carries the whole production alongside Facer's, who equally is angelic and charasmatic with a huge array of emotion. Their version of 'It must be Love', penned by Lavi Saffre, is a breath of fresh air compared to the carnage and frantic nature around them.

Madness are instantly recognisable for their ska music, something to which the live band visible on stage bring together with such authenticy, and also allows Lucy Hill to embody within her choreography. Though dynamic and lively, it's evident that some performers are more unsure of the steps compared to others, which at times gives the crowded stage an unfocused point and visible exhaustion trying to balance the routine and words at the same time, something which was evident with 'Baggy Trousers'. Hill should be commended though for their repertoire of movement skills, which makes each song different to eachother and memorable, with 'My Girl' and 'Wings of a Dove' providing highlights with physicality and a change from the otherwise spirited and vigorous numbers.

Tim Jones is in the directing seat for this run, and does immensely well in adapting the production for the playhouse staging, which compared to The Everyman Theatre is much more compacted and actually suits the production better with a party atmosphere and intimacy with the audience. The use of the raised platform gives scope for Jones to play around with levels, filling out and make sure every member of the company are visible. Some moments can be more static compared to others, and though the minimalistic set compromising of black boxes can certainly lack on stage, Jones allows us in this case to let our imagination run wild which can be fun, whilst the background scenery is made up of monochrome brickwork which juxtapositions the vibrant lighting on stage.

Overall, CODs production of Our House is enthusiastic and will leave you with a smile on your face throughout. Though at times technical aspects hinder bringing the characters to life to their full extent, it's forgiven when the sheer commitment and enjoyment from every member of the cast on stage is evident. Our House is unlike any other production seen from CODs, pulling in a brand new audience compared to its usual outings, and that alone is truly exciting.