Alessandro Lubrano and Joanna Hughes in Face the Music at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, London. Picture: David Ovenden
Face the Music continues at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, London until 3 July.
Star rating: 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
In an era when, for economic reasons, frequently revived musicals are narrowing down to about five titles sure to be known by the general public, it is so good that independent companies like All Star Productions choose to put on lesser-known pieces such as The Apple Tree and It’s a Bird… Its’s a Plane, It’s Superman which recently transferred to the West End.
My favourite so far at the Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre has been Little Me two seasons ago and now the same director, Brendan Matthew, has given us this little gem of a show. Face the Music is getting its UK premiere, first presented on Broadway in 1932 (running for a then respectable 165 performances), then resurrected by New York City Center Encores! in 2007.
Face the Music boosts a stellar score by Irving Berlin, containing no big standards apart from ‘Let’s Have Another Cup of Coffee’, but rich melodies such as ‘Soft Lights and Sweet Music’ and New York anthems like ‘Manhattan Madness’.
Though it might seem silly at first glance, the clever and satirical book by Moss Hart was clearly ahead of its time, foreshadowing 42nd Street and Mel Brooks’ The Producers, which it sometimes surpasses in sheer fun and hilarity. Some of the inside Broadway jokes are as fresh as those we can hear in the current hit show Something Rotten!
This is truly an ensemble piece so it is hard to single out anyone in this brilliant cast of mostly first-timers, but Joanne Clifton stands out in the ‘Torch Song’ number, while Joanna Hughes and Alessandro Lubrano make a handsome and romantic couple.
Ceris Hine and Lewis Dewar Foley are a showstopping tap dancing pair in ‘You Must Be Born With It’, but the real star of the evening is the inventive choreography from Sally Brooks, notably in the hilarious police of New York number.
Matthew’s direction is slick throughout and Aaron Clingham’s musical direction is, as always, spot on, as is Joana Dias’ set and costume design.
We surely do need such a feel-good musical and a transfer, however brief, would be most welcome for this Depression musical which deserves to be seen at any cost…
Patrick Honoré
Readers may also be interested in:
Face the Music – interviews with Sam Haughton and Joanne Clifton
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