THIS bittersweet play looks back at the life of May, an ageing Northern woman about to swap her little house for an apartment in Spain.

She looks back on the 45 years she spent in the house with her husband Ted and their writer son Jack.

The characters relive the ups and downs of family life.

But Our House also depicts the slow decline of this unnamed West Yorkshire mining town.

In the beginning Ted and May live in a community, with people popping in for cups of tea.

But by the end of their time in the house, the pit has closed and the area has gone to the dogs. The elderly couple are denied a quiet retirement by their anti-social neighbours who listen to rap music all day and all night.

The cast of six did well to depict the characters at different stages of their life – the actor playing Jack had to pass for 18 or 40 depending on the scene.

After the interval, with the characters established, the play hit its stride and the laughs came from an appreciative audience at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.

Ted in particular, with his brand of Yorkshire bluntness, has some great lines.

The actors were rightly given a rousing reception at the end.

Our House is performed at the Lawrence Batley Theatre tonight, Thursday and Friday at 7:30pm. For ticket information call 01484 430 528 or visit www.lawrencebatleytheatre.co.uk .