Curtain Call Chronicles

A Face in the Crowd is the latest production at London’s Young Vic, and the last during artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah’s tenure at the Theatre. The new musical follows the plot of the 1957 film, refreshed for a modern audience with an excellent score by Elvis Costello.

The play follows the story of Lonesome Rhodes (Ramin Karimloo), a drifter picked up from the local jailhouse by Marcia Jeffries (Anoushka Lucas), a radio host eager to give to a voice to those that usually go unheard. She invites Rhodes onto her radio show, who proves an expected hit with their Arkansas listeners with his on-air charisma and ability to connect with the people. The production’s first Act focuses on the relationship between the pair, whose individual performances were electric throughout.

Rhodes’ newfound popularity lands the pair an offer for their own TV show, and the play brilliantly captures Rhodes’ growth from small-town radio personality to national TV star. Clever staging led to a memorable scene where Rhodes and Jeffries took a train to Chicago, showing off the brilliant on-stage chemistry between the pair as their relationship develops.

The play takes a turn when Rhodes’ fame goes to his head. His philandering, increasingly extreme views, and foray into politics towards the end of the first Act leave no doubts about the show’s message, which the production makes no attempt to hide. The second Act follows the continued path of Rhodes onto the political campaign trail, as his rise to national celebrity from his ability to “say it how it is” is a less-than-subtle reference to the political heavyweights of today. Whilst even I would have to admit that the play lays in on a little too thick at times (Rhodes’ repetition of “you’re fired” to staff that displease him was a bit much), there is something refreshing about a production that is willing to hit you over the head with its message yet still manages to avoid coming across as preachy.

Despite tackling serious themes, the show never loses its sense of fun. One of the highlights of the play was a thumping military march “Blood and Hot Sauce”. Whilst clearly on-the-nose, the scene sees banner-waving activists singing in the audience as Rhodes sings of how Texans are the real Americans. Whilst the audience are clearly being hit over the head with the message of the scene, the score, performances and staging make this play truly fun to watch. The recurring title track “A Face in the Crowd” hammers home the play’s message of the great power of populism, and the great harm of providing a platform to those who seek to abuse it.

A Face in the Crowd is one of my favourite plays I’ve seen this year. It weaves a fantastic score, electric individual performances by Karimloo and Lucas, and an unapologetically political message to create a polemic that never loses its sense of fun, yet left me thinking about it for days. Some may find its messaging heavy-handed, but it wears this on its sleeve and is a show I would recommend to all.

Date visited: 16/09/2024