has fallen into debt, at times parodying other musicals. The overall effect was of a wacky, slightly absurd band attempting to make fun of the recession whilst maintaining sympathy for their character’s drastic choice of action.

Sarah Thom as Vera, the cleaning lady of the tower block, played the caring, councillor to each family member with a strong Midlands accent, portraying an honest earnestness to help these desperate people with natural concern and a warm homeliness. Thom was the unifying element throughout, at times stepping out of the action to become the director, (which she actually is), breaking the fourth wall and making us aware of the self conscious theatricality of the play, perhaps detracting from the overall imaginative engagement with it.

In an almost all female cast, even thefather, Pippa, played by Graeme Rose, was dressed up in drag. Rose managed to hold his ground as he satirized the lengths people go to, such as having a sex change to escape debt and provided comical moments of expressive facial contortions. Jill Dowse, played the mother, Geraldine, with a zany bitterness and the relationship between the irresponsible parents was suitably childish and amusing.

The action took place on the top of a skyscraper which was created through sloping angular rostra with various trap doors popping open through which the actors appeared and disappeared. The inventive staging allowed for parts of the stage to become other objects, such as a boat in one scene.

A sense of being on the top of a skyscraper was conveyed effectively, particularly when the