Review: Our House – New Wolsey

Ipswich24’s Wendy Cook reviews the latest musical offering at The New Wolsey – Our House

It’s Joe’s sixteenth birthday and he wants to impress his girlfriend Sarah, so he takes her to a luxury apartment, only problem is it’s not his and he has to break in! Shortly after the police arrive… Should Joe run or stay and face the music? The choices he makes that night will change his life forever.

Set to the songs of Madness, Our House is a high-energy show that tells the story of Joe and the consequences of that evening. Told as two stories, one of the good Joe who does the right thing and owns up to the break in, the other of bad Joe who runs away from the scene of the crime.

Written by Tim Firth and directed by Peter Rowe, Our House has everything we have come to expect from a New Wolsey production, brilliant actor musicians, a great set and a fabulous story.

Alexis Gerred plays a convincing Joe as he tells both sides of the story – the cocky Joe who ran away and appears can do no wrong, flashing his cash and spoiling his friends with lavish gifts and the good Joe, who stayed to face the music, but with a criminal record nothing seems to go right for the young man.

Daniella Bowman is brilliant as Sarah, Joe’s choices also changes the way she leads her life, and Bowman gives a very moving performance as Sarah realises just what Joe’s actions have done.
The performances from the whole cast in this production are strong, Rebecca Bainbridge as Kath, Joe’s mother is particularly good as is Sean Needham as Joe’s Dad.

Our House is a very clever production full of some of the fastest wardrobe changes the Wolsey stage has ever seen! Added to this all the favourite tunes from Madness including, Baggy Trousers, My Girl, Embarrassment, Driving in My Car, The Wings of a Dove, It Must Be Love and of course Our House, this show is a real must see and it would be madness not to.

• Our House is at the New Wolsey Theatre until Saturday 5th October. To book tickets contact the Box Office on 01473 295900, www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

— WENDY COOK — Ipswich24

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