Our House by In House ACT
Our House, performed by the Albany Company Theatre, directed by Alex Shinnick, at the Albany Theatre Coventry until Sunday 1 November 2026.
Review by Hilary Hopker.
“Just pick anything and get off the phone!” I said to my soon-to-be husband when he rang me up on the morning of our wedding to tell me that we needed to pick a first dance song. That’s how I found myself trying, and failing, to slow dance to ‘It must be love’ by Madness on my wedding day.
Madness have a fine back-catalogue of memorable tunes which each tell a powerful story, so it’s interesting to see those tunes woven together to make a modern musical. ‘Our House’, directed by Alex Shinnick, is the first musical performed by ACT – the Albany’s own community theatre. It was lovely to see the multi-generational cast gaining strong support from family and friends in the audience.
The musical opens as a love story when 16-year-old Joe and Sarah get together on a first date. Joe breaks into a housing estate and the police pursue them both. What follows is a ‘Sliding Doors’ style story following both the Joe that runs away from the cops and the one that stays to face the music.
James Winter plays lead character Joe and his passion for the role shines throughout. Apparently, James has been wanting to stage this musical since his university days so being onstage with a cast around him is clearly a dream come true.
He’s supported throughout the story by Rachel Allcock as Sarah and the pair stage fine duets, especially the infamous ‘It must be love’.
It’s a musical, so it’s the power and skill of the live musicians really make the show. The orchestra, directed by Raashi Amran Niranjan, play classic tunes with power and energy and keep the pace lively throughout.
The standout performance of the night goes to the song ‘NW5’ sung by Joe, his dad played by Duncan Fewins and his mum, Kath played by Natalie Blackaby. Blackaby has an amazing voice and stirs emotion when she sings.
This two-sided story is supported by an enthusiastic ensemble, with gymnastics from Molly Rose and a fun-filled performance from Mike Ramsey.
Once you get past a confusing start and the odd radio mic glitch, ‘Our House’ is a feel-good musical. See it, but don’t pick any of the songs for a first dance - or if you do at least practice it first.
For tickets please go to: https://www.albanytheatre.co.uk/shows/our-house
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