The House of Fun was a full house but the delay of 30 minutes in starting was sheer 'madness'. The essence of the Fringe is that audiences have multiple bookings and the kind of upset to the schedule can cause tension among the audience. No explanation or information to the queue outside which bizarrely was moved South to North to create an illusion of progress.
The cast of this production had to work hard to get back into my good books and to be fair they worked their socks off to win the audience over.
The story starts with a group of school leavers, their lives and loves, and the choices they make.
The 'hero' Joe lives with his mother in a house gifted in perpetuity through his granddad, but his father was a criminal and the question is which path will he choose.
The story develops in parallel, one following in his father's footsteps the other more positive.
The music of 'Madness' ensures that there is plenty of life as the audience enjoy a revival of ska music.
High intensity delivery of the songs, matched by energetic choreography, makes this a more-than-acceptable production.
Sarah, the girl of his dreams is an accomplished performer and handles her solos very well. The rest of the cast change parts throughout and do it very convincingly. Joe is also very good and has a passing resemblance to Ewan Mcgregor, which must be a bonus for some of the audience.
Runs til Saturday, 20 August, 8.05pm. Suitable for 12+
Tickets £10 (£8)