Our House: The Madness Musical Review

Whether they’re a firm favourite in your parents’ ‘blast from the past’ CD collection, or you saw them on the Glastonbury Pyramid stage this summer, we all recognise a Madness hit when we hear one. Their songs are instantly infectious, urging us to put on our baggy trousers and get up and dance. And that’s exactly what the north London band wanted people to do when they approached Tim Firth to write a Madness musical. They collaborated closely on the project, with Firth cautious of not writing a jukebox musical for the sake of showcasing Madness’ music. Instead, he aimed to intertwine a compelling narrative with the stories of the band’s songs.

Having performed in my school’s rendition of the Olivier Award-winning show, I half knew what to expect when I sat down at the Belgrade Theatre. That is, I knew the scenes that I’d been on stage for. I’d never actually watched Our House from start to finish, so this was a chance to see the show in its entirety, from the other side of the stage.

Their songs are instantly infectious, urging us to put on our baggy trousers and get up and dance

The first thing that struck me as we waited for the show to start was the age range of the audience. From the younger ones sat up high on their booster cushions, to the older generation clutching their programmes, this was clearly a musical for the masses. The universal appeal of the show is reflected in Madness’ ability to capture the minds of the younger generation with their barmy lyrics about “eating dirt” and “squashing snails”, whilst the darker nature of the narratives within their songs reaches out to an older audience.

The opening number, Our House, set the scene: it introduced us to a “house-proud” mum, her son Joe Casey (the lead) who had “got a date to keep”, and a house in the middle of the street. While the band’s songs each furthered the story, the musical continually turned back to the core values expressed in the opening number, of pride, love and community. It was the narrative nature of the songs that particularly stood out to me. Each song told its own story about authentic people, who in turn had realistic tales to tell. Tim Firth has managed to collect all of these seemingly separate narratives, and thread them together to create a musical with family at its heart.

The musical continually turned back to the core values expressed in the opening number, of pride, love and community

Whilst the musical is rooted in Madness’ music, it also takes inspiration from their early days of rehearsing. The band started almost forty years ago, in the basement of a house in north London. The musical builds on this, using 1980s Camden Town as the setting, bringing the streets where the band started out to life. During the second act, the musical moves to Camden Market which was bustling with people and littered with colourful stalls. The vibrancy of the Camden Market props were set against the brick wall backdrop of the street in which the Caseys grew up. The contrast suggested both a sense of opportunity, and the idea of establishing a place called home. The musical is grounded in a very particular time and place, reminiscent of the band’s first days on the music scene, finding their place to call home in an already colourful music scene.

The concept behind the musical also sets it apart from other shows. Our House revolves around parallels, and introduces the audience to the idea of right versus wrong. In the first act, Joe Casey has to decide whether to run from the police, or to face the consequences of his actions. From this point onwards, the show splits into two, following the two paths that Joe could have chosen. Our House therefore essentially has two storylines. In fact, the musical reached the Guinness Book of Records for the highest number of quick changes, which Joseph Kajdi (who played Joe Casey) had mastered to a tee. He convincingly showed the two sides of his character, allowing the audience to experience both the good and the bad of Casey. The staging aided the telling of the two pathways, with a white door representing the “right” path, and a darker door representing the “wrong”. Joe Casey’s costumes – a white tracksuit and a black suit – also indicated his respective right and wrong personas.

The sign of a good show is when the audience carries on where the characters left off, singing and dancing their way home

Another parallel was added to the mix in the form of the ghost of Joe’s dad, who loomed mysteriously onto the stage during every decision made by his son. The presence of the ghostly figure forced me to think about the parallels between life and death, and about the actions necessary to survive as a young working-class lad without a guiding father figure. These parallels may well have been lost on the younger ones in the audience, but they certainly worked well for those who could keep up with the swift changes!

Although the musical used the darker nature of Madness’ lyrics to explore the characters’ hardships in life, ultimately it took the jaunty melodies of the band’s songs to bring life and energy to the show. Starring as bad boy Reecey, George Sampson burst onto the stage in order to disturb Joe Casey’s decision-making. I particularly enjoyed Sampson’s dancing, which didn’t completely steal the spotlight, but instead added sharpness and a sense of impact to the songs. Even the minor characters’ choreography was inspired by the Ska dancing in Madness’ music videos.

Once the show had ended and the bows had been taken, the cast descended into a dance-off, which had the audience up on their feet and dancing down the aisles. I’ve always thought that the sign of a good show is when the audience carries on where the characters left off, singing and dancing their way home.