A descendant, ever-so-classy, delectable mix of fine music, good wine and even better song, hosted by the ever-fabulous Dusty Limits and his wonderful wife.
If forced to pin it down, I would call Our House In Town an immersive cabaret. Everyone sits in loose gatherings, as at a drinks party, and a variety of performances take place around us. What makes it special, though, is that it is all held together by the conceit that this is just a very posh party hosted by Lord and Lady Limits. Having our two hosts/leads circulating, making small talk and occasionally interacting with the guests/audience gives the show a closeness that ties everything into a single, coherent experience.
The atmosphere of classy, light intimacy was helped in no small part by the shiny basement setting of the Piano Bar in the New Theatre. Low, but not too low lighting, jazz on arrival, a glittering bar and waistcoated waiting staff were perfect for the posh party experience. Though essentially a long, thin bar room, the space worked well to allow our performers to strut up and down, lean on the bar and get gently sozzled on bubbly wine.
Alongside the atmosphere, there were also the performances. These consisted of excellently performed jazz-bar songs, featuring smokey voices and amusing Noel Coward pieces. Being a party, no programme was given out, leaving me unable to sing praises to all our performers by name, except for our remarkable host, creator and narrator, Dusty Limits. Nevertheless, I should like to make special note of the wonderful Ella Fitzgerald-style performer, who captivated the audience and blew us away with her novel rendition of a familiar rock song (No I’m not going to tell you which ones - go see it and find out). There were also impressive jugglers, hunky acrobats and mysterious circulating magicians.
With plenty of breaks to get drinks, talk to fellow guests and go for a smoke, the evening lasted a good two or so hours. However, I was left perhaps wanting a little more. It’s probably just a compliment to the quality of the atmosphere and the performance, but as the last song ended I felt that such a decedent soirée could have lasted a just a touch longer.
Regardless of the length of the evening, I, and everyone I spoke to, had a marvellous time. My fellow guests had, like me, not quite known what to expect, and were all equally impressed and amused. On reflection, part of the success of the evening was that it did manage to bring people together, making it easy and natural to talk to those around you. Dusty Limits, you sure do know how to throw a good shindig, and I very much look forward to seeing you at one of your next gatherings.