Jay Johnson is just out of prison and determined to make a fresh start. But back on his east London turf, going straight is a tricky business: his old girlfriend, Shanice, doesn’t want to know, and the best job he can find is sweeping the streets. Enter local hard-man Leroy, with an offer of cash that will come at a high price.
So runs the premise of this sparky new musical, a co-production between the Big House, a charity working, through theatre, to broaden the horizons of young people who’ve been in care, and a professional company, Big Broad Productions. Each Big House show is the culmination of an intensive research and development process in which the young participants, many of whom have never performed on stage, are encouraged to draw on their own experiences. This is remarkable enough, but the scale and professionalism of this, their third production, makes the charity’s work even more so.
The book, by Maureen Chadwick and David Watson, could do with some finessing, and Kath Gotts’s clever, catchy score is let down by some hammy musical arrangements. But director Maggie Norris’s staging – the show takes place in the round, with Mic Pool’s video design cleverly evoking each new setting – is never less than ambitious, and the 14-strong cast, a mix of professionals and Big House participants, bring a commitment and infectious energy to surpass many West End productions.
