Our House - a Musical Love Story [DVD]

Most 'jukebox' musicals, as they have become known, bank on you enjoying the tunes so much that you won't care about the plot. The usual suspects spring to mind: Mama Mia, We Will Rock You and the rest. What makes this one different is that the story is intelligent, emotional and totally gripping - so much so that you don't even have to be a Madness fan to enjoy it. Of course, the Madness songs are all there, but they are integrated so seemlessly (and with occasional changes to the lyrics) that they could easily have been written especially for this show.Expertly written by Tim Firth (of Calendar Girls fame) and acted out by a largely young, supremely energetic cast, the story rests on a petty crime from which can spring two separate destinies for its central character, Camden teenager Joe Casey (a magnificent performance by Michael Jibson, more recently seen in the film The Bank Job). One path - the one which the ghost of his father encourages him to follow - seems to lead to nothing but trouble while the other - the cowardly, indefensible one - initially seems to point towards unstoppable success. It is this subtle moral ambiguity, coupled with fantastic trick effects as we continually switch from one Joe to the other in their alternative futures, that makes this show so compelling.It deserved a much longer run in the West End (its marketing did not make enough of how clever the story is - the rather dull tagline 'a musical love story' doesn't do it justice) though it has since been on tour and I even recently caught a partly amateur prduction in Kingston. Looking back on it, I can't remember enjoying a show more in all my years as a theatregoer. If you haven't seen it yet, I can't recommend it strongly enough and this DVD captures it perfectly.

'Our House' is arguably the Best Musical since 'Blood Brothers'. But I would like to make it perfectly clear that, in my opinion, it is not better than 'Blood Brothers'. Although 'Our House' deals with some similar social issues as BB, like crime and social status, and whilst the story is moving in parts, it does not possess the gravitas that 'Blood Brothers' does. I like to think of it as BB's younger sibling. It is much better suited to a younger audience and, crucially, is far more likely to get young people interested in theatre as it isn't patronising and, unlike 'Blood Brothers', the young people portrayed are played by young people.But where 'Our House' really scores points is how the music effortlessly intertwines with the plot. There is no ridiculous, far-fetched and absurd story twists in order to fit the plot, nor do you roll your eyes at the shameless pairing of the music with whatever subject is being addressed in the script at the time, as you do with almost every other musical with the music supplied by a famous band, even 'Mamma Mia' has those moments where I feel myself cringing into my seat.BE WARNED PLOT SPOILER AHEAD!!!The story ends in an upbeat fashion, with the hero saving the day (street) and the 'evil' Joe getting his just desserts. Even though I love 'Blood Brothers' because of its brave, albeit devastating, ending, I have to praise 'Our House' for its rather balanced and honest closure. The finale which consists of a medley of 'Madness' songs will have your entire living room dancing.Despite not being the same as going to see it at the theatre, the DVD of the show, whether through the cast or the scripts sheer brilliance or maybe through how it is filmed, still leaves you affected and emotional, i'm glad to say probably in a better way than before you sat down to watch it.

What lies ahead for Camden Town's Joe and Sarah? Whilst celebrating his sixteenth birthday, Joe falls foul of the law. Should he run, or stay and accept his punishment? Ingeniously the plot explores both possible outcomes - over the next seven years two storylines forever interweaving - one leading to tragedy, the other to happiness.Being an old dinosaur, I had never heard of Madness, but enjoyed their music here - jaunty and witty, delivered with gusto. Michael Jibson and Julie Gay shine as the young lovers. Movingly with impact is Ian Reddington as Joe's dead dad, hoping against hope Joe does not repeat his own mistakes. The whole cast is great, especially Joe's dopey mates and Sarah's extrovert friends. Inventively staged (swift costume changes needed as the plot veers in two directions), the whole production proceeds at a pace. The house itself plays an important role, but what is our true home - a mere building or what we have created with friends and family?So - humour and fun, but serious thoughts also provoked.Welcome here an award winning musical with heart. Like so many, I emerged uplifted.

First saw this as an amateur stage show where our son played keyboard. We've now watched this so many times. It's a really uplifting evening whether you like the music of Madness or not. Def worth having a copy on the shelf.

Our House was a brilliant theatrical production and initially seemed to be on its way to following in the footsteps of classic musicals such as Return to the Forbidden Planet (sadly not available on video), Rocky Horror and other 'cult' musicals. The storyline was intricate but easy to follow (a la 'Sliding Doors') and the acting was superb. Then almost as quickly as it started on the London stage, it finished. There were rumours of a national tour but nothing happened. Some say that the setting in London's Camden was not accessible to the provinces. Rubbish - Blood Brothers worked in the opposite direction. But then, as if by magic, this DVD was published, showing the original cast performing to their superb and excellent best. It is an absolute joy to watch. You cannot go wrong in buying this DVD.