Theatre Review: Home

I had the pleasure of going along to see Home in the Neville Studio at the Nottingham Playhouse, and went in with no idea what to expect. I was simply blown away by the sheer brilliance and creativity that director Fiona Buffini and Next Door Dance’s Louise Gibbs, Laura Savage and Georgina Saunders brought to the stage to delve into the homes of Nottingham and find out what home really means to us.

The light up window in the backdrop was used throughout to mirror the room of the house or to bring the play back to Nottingham. It was not only feel-good, but also real in bringing hundreds of homes in Nottingham, both happy and sad, to the attention of the audience, making us laugh and cry all evening. 50 minutes whirled by in an emotional rollercoaster, from scenes that told of bring trapped in a flat, addicted to drugs, to tales of the bedroom being the favourite place with red silk panties flying about.

Next Door Dance were absolutely fabulous emotional vessels: without saying a single word, their faces were priceless. The music matched each scene perfectly, transitioning from family time to laughter, to friends, to arguments, and capturing how a home truly is everyone’s little bubble.

It was touching to hear accounts from people of all ages, too. It goes to show how much thought and research went into the piece. The voices of old people told of their happiest times at home, people welcome from overseas spoke of Nottingham being their old home as well as fondly remembering their old homes, students told of dingy student houses being temporary homes to them.

The play drew to an end by taking a step back and showing us how the world is home to everyone. It really was a flawless piece of theatre that had me in stitches and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone. Five stars all round!

Home was at Nottingham Playhouse from Thursday 20 July to Saturday 22 July 2017.

Next Door Dance website