Our House

Don McKay - November 2022 - Priory Centre

The Olivier award-winning Madness musical, Our House, is coming to St Neots this November and St Neots-based theatre group VAMPS is inviting you to join them for this fun, energy-filled show.

The story follows Camden lad Joe Casey who, on the night of his 16th birthday, makes a decision that will change his life. Trying to impress Sarah, the girl of his dreams, Joe breaks into a building development overlooking his home on Casey Street. But things take a turn for the worse as the police turn up. Joe’s life splits into two; the Good Joe who stays and gives himself up, and Bad Joe who flees and leaves Sarah to run from the police.

Our House follows the two paths that Joe’s life could take after that fateful night; one path means a criminal record and social exclusion, while the other will lose him the girl that he loves. Over a period of seven years and two alternative lives, Joe deals with the consequences of that night. Whilst one Joe fights to keep Sarah, the other is marrying her in a glitzy Vegas wedding and, ultimately, while Good Joe fights to save his house on Casey Street, Bad Joe is determined to demolish it with tragic consequences. All this is watched over by Joe’s deceased father, who pulls the two stories together.

Our House was written by playwright Tim Firth, taking the music of Madness (plus their cover of It Must Be Love by Labi Siffre) and combining it with a story influenced by Blood Brothers and Sliding Doors, and regarded by some critics as the British answer to Rent. Our House was first staged at Cambridge Theatre in the West End from 28th October 2002 – 16th August 2003, earning a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical 2003. Since then it has received three UK Tours (2008 – 2009, 2013, 2017), a Fringe production (2015), a Gala performance at the Savoy Theatre (2012) – with Suggs cast as Joe’s Dad, and a recording of the original 2002/3 production premiered on BBC Three in 2003 and released on DVD in 2004.

According to writer Tim Firth’s website, Our House has two Guinness Book of Records. It earned Fastest Theatrical Production in 2012 when MRL Productions produced the show in just 22 hours at the Princes Theatre in Clacton-on-Sea. It also earned Greatest Number of Costume Changes for any Single Character during a show.

_{OUR HOUSE by Tim Firth Music and lyrics by Madness}

_{OUR HOUSE was first produced at the Cambridge Theatre, London on 28th October 2002. Producers were Tiger Aspect Productions, Rupert Lord, Andre Ptaszynski and Phil McIntyre in association with Madness} 

_{This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI}