‘Bringing down the “HAOS” with Hawick amateur dramatists’

Tim Firth’s tale of two halves featuring the music of ‘Madness’, graces the stage of Hawick Town Hall this coming week. Performed with incredible talent from the HAOS crew, ‘Our House’ tells the story of ‘Joe Casey’ who faces down a life-changing choice between right and wrong on a fateful night trying to impress a girl on his 16th birthday. The aftermath of which challenges Joe to find the right path to walk in his father’s footsteps. Joe is affably played by Alexander Edwards, who handles the complex dual-role of ‘Good Joe’ and ‘Bad Joe’ with serious aplomb, walking the tightrope of the drama and comedy with real quality. On the other half of the stage from Joe is the girl of his dreams Sarah, played by the ever-excellent Sophie Hyslop who shines with her renditions of ‘My Girl’ and a particularly stunning ‘N.W.5’. We get to see how Sarah’s life would have changed depending on which version of Joe she got, and how that affects how those near to her perceive her. There are none more ready to share their opinions than loud-mouthed and hilarious pals ‘Billie’ and ‘Angie’ played by Suzanne Neilson and Ashley Wolf.

The culprit of corruption for Joe is ‘Reecey’ who is played by the perfectly-cast Charlie Marshall, who brings genuine swagger to the role and should be immensely proud of his performance.

Throughout the show Joe’s parents, played by the reunited Iain Scott and Louise Szoneberg, regularly show us the impact of Joe’s choices. Iain as the ghost of Joe’s Dad regularly reminds Joe of the ‘Simple Equation’ of his decisions while his Mum bears the brunt.

‘Our House’ a very complex show with challenging production and indeed has been a tricky production period for the crew, nonetheless, the team put on an astounding performance. This is particularly true in the rousing-rendition of ‘Baggy Trousers’ and expertly-timed ‘My Girl’. Beyond the main duo, supporting characters highlights include Joe’s mates ‘Emmo’ and ‘Lewis’ played by Andrew McGillivray and Lyle Murray carry the comedy with mischievous glee. A special dedication goes to Emmo and Lewis’s matching tracksuits! The supporting ensemble bring high-energy and real class to the intricate dance and group songs. No mean-feat considering that dynamic-choreography-duo Andrew Shields and Emma Coltman have only been in the job for 8 weeks. The whole team can be enormously proud of the dedication and passion they have for this show.

The show hits the stage this Monday 11th to Saturday 16th with curtains up at 7:30pm and a 2pm Matinee on Saturday 16th. Tickets are available through ILF Imaging or on the door when available.

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