"Our House Madness Musical" KTCo Studios.
"Our House - Madness Musical"
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton
For their end of year production, KTCo College students perform their first full college musical. Our House is a jukebox musical which tells the story of Joe Casey, a teenager who has just turned sixteen years old and faces decisions that splits his life into two journeys. We see each life play out before us and explore the consequences of his choices in each parallel path.
The stage is set with multiple doors lined up before us and the lights give off a soft glow. As soon as the cast appear on stage, their costumes, by Grace Kolasa and Daisy Marsh, capture nostalgia and a time period that exists no more. Scarlett Tilling beautifully enhances this feel by the way she has styled their wigs, hair, and make-up. The slow dance routine going hand-in-hand with setting the tone.
As the band plays their music, the Musical Director, Charlotte Daniel, allows the melodies to be so accurate it could actually be Madness performing before us. Unfortunately, it does seem as though the Sound Operators, Dave Dallard and Jack Clark, have a lot of plate spinning to do as music plays over the actor’s lines. This does make it difficult to hear what the characters are saying as they are drowned out by the background songs. Therefore, the sound does feel slightly unbalanced at points either due to the music or some actor’s voices not quite reaching the audience. Because of this, I missed important plot elements and find it difficult to catch up with what is going on throughout the rest of the show.
Joe Casey, played by Jake Lightbrown, and Sarah, played by Evie Radmore, ascend the scaffolding, but it is difficult to see what is unfolding in this scene as the lighting is placed right behind the couple and they transform into silhouettes. Although the Lighting Operator, Stephen Greatorex, does manage to create a romantic and calming scene with beautiful pink lights which was very fitting for It Must Be Love.
Jake does a fantastic job of maintaining enthusiasm and confidence throughout the entire show and Evie creates a lovable character who is sweet and obviously very smart. The chemistry between both actors only makes the passion and love that Joe and Sarah have for each other more beautiful and genuine.
There are two members of the cast that really stand out for me and they are Emmo, played by Findlay Parker, and Lewis, played by Gracie Foster. They work together extremely well and create a dynamic duo with an epic comedic presence, drawing out laughter from the audience on multiple occasions with so much ease. They are naturals and play their roles perfectly.
I am also particularly impressed by Pressman, played by Imogen Clark, a powerful villain with a strong and clear voice that must grab your attention every second she is on stage.With Tom Hopcroft’s and Rob Bridges’ set design and Hannah Pattinson’s props, they are able to create busy looking office scenes, parties, and pubs which are swiftly erected by the cast, allowing the story to continue flowing naturally.
It was only in Act Two did I realise that Pressman was kicking people out of their homes and I still couldn’t grasp why there was a difference between the red and blue stories. Perhaps this was because I missed parts of the story due to the sound issues but it could also have been a complex story to follow in general. However, with the story being so fast paced at times, with quick outfit and set changes, the cast and crew did exceptionally well to keep up the pace and there is clever use of two actors during The Sun and The Rain (Reprise) to show the two different outcomes unfolding.
Cassie Hall Photography
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