What struck me most about the All Star Productions cast was how much each actor seemed to enjoy their time on stage, despite the show being set against the backdrop of the ‘Great Depression’.
Face The Music, originally written by Moss Hart with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, has been resurrected for a twenty-first century audience at the Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre in Walthamstow, but it maintains the character, costume and camaraderie of 1930’s America.
The play centres on the ‘make or break’ theatre show to be directed by Hal Reisman, but in an age of austerity, he struggles to find the financial backing to get the show on the road.
Spurred on by love’s young dream, Kit Baker (Joanna Hughes) and Pat Mason (Alessandro Lubrano), the three meet with bent copper Meshbesher and his eccentric wife Myrtle who are only too happy to splash the cash in a bid to avoid having their haul discovered by the government.
In fact the more the play’s a failure – they’re happy to sink 800,000 dollars into the production – the happier the couple are, as it will cover their dodgy money trail.
And so a round of auditions ensues which sees jazz hands, tap dancing and catchy sing-alongs such as ‘On a roof in Manhattan’, ‘My beautiful rhinestone girl’ and ‘If you believe’.
I particularly enjoyed the relationship between plain PC O’Rourke (James Holbrooke) and the sultry streetwalker (Joanne Clifton) as she woos him to avoid being sent to prison and instead is given the opportunity to join the cast.
However, the play is missing one big thing – sex. As they say, ‘sex sells’ and once the ladies start to strip off, the show is a success, even with the most critical of reviewers.
Ultimately, the show’s success is the cause of the Meshbesher’s failure, as they’re dragged to court to answer to the charge, of corruption, extortion and embezzlement.
Leading lady, Joanna Hughes, had a serene yet authoritative presence on the stage and James Holbrooke’s facial expressions capture each emotion portrayed by his character perfectly.
Directed by Brendan Matthews, Face The Music is a fun and enlightening production and a big round of applause should also go to the orchestra tucked away in the corner of the stage area.
Face The Music is on at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, Walthamstow until 3 July, tickets available from the box office on 020 8520 8674. Ps, you may want to arrive early to sample the pizza from the make shift hut just outside the pub…