It would be Madness to miss White Rock's summer youth show
Review: Our House, White Rock Theatre
Someone at the White Rock Theatre is a liar - it's the only explanation.
To claim they have taken 130 children, of all ages and all performing abilities, and produced a show this good in just two weeks defies logic.
But they have and make no mistake, by any standards this is a brilliant evening out; a fun-filled, foot-stomping, musical with all your favourite Madness songs.
The story centres on Joe Casey (Kane Verall) faced with a choice one fateful night that will change his life, and those of his loved ones, forever.
In Sliding Doors style we follow a 'good' Joe and a 'bad' Joe to see how that one decision affects him. The two halves of the story are made clear with clever costume and set changes, but the story is far from a simple morality tale, and it is testament to the lead performers that those nuances are explored to the full.
Verall is quite simply a star in the making, his mature, layered performance outstanding even among a cast as talented as this. He flits from cheeky swagger to vulnerable and reflective with ease and is a captivatingly charming stage presence.
Daisy Estall's performance as the girl he loves is similarly impressive, with her devotion to him tested to the limit she captures how frustrating relationships can be, topped off with the best singing voice on show.
Their chemistry is hugely believable and when they duet on It Must Be Love I saw more than one couple in the audience share a cheeky kiss.
Jack Ripley and Matt Hunt show fantastic comic timing as Joe's mates, mirrored by the gleefully catty Angie and Bille (Kelly O'Shaughnessy and Chelsea Bradley).
Amy Sladden is pitch-perfect as Joe's put-upon mum (and her Irish accent is faultless), Kenny Giles is a brooding moral compass that strides through proceedings with style and Ryan Amstad keeps his Reecey menacing without being cartoonish.
But these are just the tips of the iceberg, and when all 130 performers are on stage at once the full scale of this achievement becomes clear - huge credit to director Drew Baker and choreographer Elizabeth Blake for using so many talented youngsters so well.
The staging is inventive and full of surprises - the scenes with school desks and the full sized car need to be seen to be believed while there is a brilliant Camden Market homage to the Who Will Buy? scene in Oliver.
If you've got a ticket you're in for a treat and if you haven't? Well that's just Madness.
Have you seen the show? Leave your comments below.
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Monday 13 February 2012
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