Our House: My Favourite Jukebox Musical

By Jack Stone 

Our House: My Favourite Jukebox Musical

Madness is a band widely remembered for their outlandish music videos and very high level of popularity in the 70’s and early 80’s. In fact, I would make the wager that everyone knows someone who has listened to Madness. Personally, I love their music. I find it incredibly entertaining. If there’s one thing I love more than their music alone, however, it’s their West End musical.

Right, time for a short history lesson. The original West End production was staged at the Cambridge theatre for a period of 10 months between 2002 and 2003. The script was written by Tim Firth (don’t worry, I’ll sing his praises later in this article), who is, in fact, a Madness fan. Over time, the show has been on at least 3 UK tours, put on a Gala Production in aid of ‘Help for Heroes’ in 2012, international performances in Australia and Japan, and it was even performed by my local am-dram group not too long ago.

Now, I’m not always drawn to Jukebox musicals, but I am so incredibly glad I looked at this one. So, I’m going to get on with it and talk about why I think this show is fantastic!

Let’s start with a point I’ve raised already. The script and overall story for this show are incredible in every way I can think of. I won’t spoil the plot since you can go and watch it on YouTube right now (please do) but the way the show is written is so wonderfully… British. Obviously, it isn’t forced down your throat the entire time but there are points where the Britishness of certain situations is utterly hilarious with how true they are. The script also has the spectacular ability to make you laugh then instantly shift focus without missing the comedy beat. Now, one thing I will say is that the plot follows two storylines simultaneously. Therefore, the characters can be very different in each depending on the circumstances. However, the characters are written with their own subtleties and nuances, so you never feel like you’re watching a totally different character. You know who they are and can relate to and empathize with them on such a high level. The other difficulty that poses itself with this kind of structure is that of juggling two storylines that need to go through their own arcs and reach their conclusions at the same time. Does the musical go wrong at any point in dealing with this concept? No! It does not! The musical switches storylines at exactly the point where you start thinking “That was incredible! I wonder what’s going on in the other situation?” You never feel like you’re waiting for the other half to continue.

Michael Jibson (Now a highly respected actor on both stage and screen) was in his early 20’s when he played the main role of Joe Casey in the original West End production. He is most definitely a huge reason this show is as good as it is. He successfully plays two versions of himself that increasingly differ from each other as the show moves forward with its plot with such detail and separation that it’s difficult to watch the show and not marvel at his ability. That isn’t even touching on the fact that he has some of the most insane quick changes and stage trickery to pull off that I have ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, those who know theatre will be able to see how they’re done but surely that just heightens the appreciation. This collection of points, in addition to his singing and dancing prowess, is certainly deserving of the Olivier “Best Actor in a Musical” nomination he received for his portrayal of Joe in 2003. He is fantastic. The best and most crucial success in his performance, however, is that he can get you to wonder which version of his character you should be routing for throughout the show. This is partially down to the writing but the way he acts and the way he speaks to the other characters can change your opinion on different versions of Joe. You can be routing for one and then a few scenes later you will be severely questioning the actions of that character. It keeps the show tense and interesting until the final stretch takes place and you’re fully aware of which one is the good guy, and which one is a not-so-good guy.

The staging in this show is simply wonderful. This comes into full effect when you see both timelines of the musical on stage at the same time. The Act 1 finale is an excellent example. On the main stage, you have the circumstance of one Joe in his storyline and, on a flown-in bridge above them, you see the Joe from the other storyline in his situation and they blend so perfectly. As well as the fact that both songs being sung by each version of Joe mix seamlessly. It’s just immensely satisfying to the viewer to see staging that isn’t too complicated or over the top, it’s just enough to make the specific moment work. One more aspect of the staging I’m going to tell you about is the use of a conveyor belt system across the stage. It allows the show to do an awful lot of things. Scenery is effortlessly taken offstage at the exact same moment that some more comes on from the other side, ready for the next scene and it looks so fluent and clean. Whilst we’re on the subject, the scenery, in many instances, is re-used in imaginative ways through various means. In one instance, a shop door with a projection on its accompanying wall can become the office of a business executive a few scenes later.

One final point to touch on is the execution of the huge musical numbers. Some of the big ones are ‘Baggy Trousers’, ‘The Sun and The Rain’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Just Another Day’. The choreography is amazing and each one has its distinctive traits. For example, ‘The Sun and The Rain’ is set in a traditional London Market and the stall owners (After comedically advertising their wares) join Joe in an upbeat, umbrella-filled dance number that contains the unbelievable quick change I mentioned earlier. On the other hand, the much smaller songs are just as well-handled by all those involved. For example, the song ‘Simple Equation’ (which is reprised many times throughout the show) is so simply constructed and sometimes just consists of the singer being alone onstage as the action beforehand exits past him. However, because of the pre-contextualisation of that moment, the actor can engage the audience with his commentary through the song itself.

So, there we go, another edition of ‘Reasons this show is absolutely phenomenal’. If any of what I’ve said here has convinced you to watch this show, please go and find the 12-part recording on YouTube of the West End production. Seriously, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favour. I love this show with a passion and I will instantly grab a seat to see the show next time it’s on tour (Or, if I’m lucky enough, it may return to the West End one of these days).

Thanks for reading, I’ll see you all soon,

Jack