Music and Lyrics: Elvis Costello
Book: Sarah Ruhl
Director: Kwame Kwei-Armah
Elvis Costello’s new musical is as far from Oliver’s Army and I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down as you can get. Instead, he’s written some bluesy jazz songs that fit neatly with the time period of the 1950s when TV was giving radio a run for its money. But while these songs are beautifully performed by the small cast, A Face in the Crowd, based on the 1957 film, feels very old-fashioned and initially seems to have little relevance for today: an odd choice for the final show by the Young Vic’s artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah.
The plot, charting the rise and fall of radio star Lonesome Rhodes, is paper-thin. Beloved for his straight-talking on an early morning Arkansas radio show called A Face in the Crowd, Lonesome is quickly picked up by a TV show in Chicago. He becomes a household name in the States, with over 50 million people watching his programmes. But when he begins to take an interest in politics, his power as a TV star leads him into megalomania.
Of course, there are easy-to-see parallels with today’s populist politics, especially as we begin to enter the final weeks of the 2024 American election, but Sarah Ruhl’s book is just not scathing enough to be a satire (unlike Budd Schulberg’s screenplay), and there are few surprises along the way. Fortunately, some of these cracks when it comes to the story are masked by Ramin Karimloo’s’ incredible voice, which fills the Young Vic’s auditorium. He has charisma, too, and it’s not hard to see why American viewers hang on to every word Lonesome says, even when his politics are so clearly right-wing. He calls for the end of the welfare system and has a few words to say about immigrants.
But all of these political topics come in the second half, meaning that Lonesome’s rise to fame all takes place in the first act when it’s always more interesting to see someone’s fall from grace rather than their ascent. Apart from the zesty Vitajax, a ditty about some caffeine-filled pick-me-ups that Lonesome endorses, Costello leaves all his best songs until the second half. The rousing Blood and Hot Sauce is comparable to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat from Guys and Dolls. And the reprise of the title number sung by the impressive Anoushka Lucas who plays Lonesome’s producer, is sheer musical theatre heaven.
A Face in the Crowd makes for a gentle experience, but it lacks the ambition we’ve come to expect from the Young Vic. The film’s story about an accidental politician is ripe for an update, but any barbed comments about right-wing populism are drowned out by the musical’s sappiness.
Runs until 9 November 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
No bite
