‘Luv it!’ purred the shaven-headed, Ageing Madness Fan (about my age) sitting next to me as the plaintive piano intro of ‘It Must Be Love’ rang out and then somehow, ingeniously morphed into the melody of ‘Baggy Trousers’.
As the curtain had yet to go up, this boded well for all involved in this University of Oxford Cross Keys Productions rendition of the Madness ‘jukebox’ musical Our House, currently on at Oxford Playhouse.
When it did, we were treated to two hours of life-affirming singing and dancing as the vibrant young cast and these wonderful old songs melded perfectly in the Olivier Award-winning musical by Tim Firth.
Plot wise, it’s all based around 16 year-old Joe Casey, who has sworn to his mum that he would never end up like his now-deceased, convict dad. However, when he heads out on a first date with Sarah, to try and impress her, he breaks into a new luxury apartment.
The police arrive and it’s Joe’s ‘Sliding Doors’ moment: if he runs and escapes, his life unfolds one way; if he stays and is arrested, his life heads off in another direction.
We get to see both versions of Joe’s life play out, cleverly narrated by the ghost of Joe’s dad, who pleads with his son to make the right choices – by no means an easy task as he faces the pressures from Mum, Sarah, mates, bosses, lawyers and criminals.
Scintillating set-pieces abound: Joe and mates stuffed into a Morris Minor for the song ‘Driving In My Car’ (‘It’s not quite a Jag-u-ar’ must surely be one of the best rhymes in popular song); the silhouetted dance to the heartbreaking ‘NW5’; multicoloured umbrellas open and twirl for ‘The Sun and the Rain’ and then there’s the tender, touching park bench duet between Joe and Sarah of ‘It Must Be Love’.
The almost-hidden live band deserve three cheers here as they always seem to be doing something creative with the Madness catalogue – it’s fascinating to hear these songs mashed together, slowed down or stripped back, and at times they overlayed two melodies one on top of the other – how do they do that?! Mesmerising.
Alex Innes as Joe is always a dude whether he’s crying or shimmying with his girl. Tristan Hood as Dad cuts an ominous figure. His semi-operatic singing of ‘Simple Equation’ gives the song and his role the necessary gravitas.
The mainly teenage and twenty-something audience were on their feet by the end. ‘Oi enjoyed that – they did good!’ exclaimed the Ageing Madness Fan (about my age) sitting next to me, as he got up to leave. And then some, I thought. And then some.
Edward Bliss
OUR HOUSE, Oxford Playhouse, until Saturday May 23. https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/our-house
