Press Release – Thursday 9 May 2024

Images available here

RAMIN KARIMLOO AND ANOUSHKA LUCAS TO LEAD THE

WORLD PREMIERE OF A FACE IN THE CROWD WITH

SONGS BY ELVIS COSTELLO

• A Face in the Crowd runs at the Young Vic Theatre from 10 September – 9

November. Tickets are available at www.youngvic.org

The Young Vic Theatre today announces Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom of the Opera, Les

Misérables) and Anoushka Lucas (Oklahoma!, Elephant) in the world premiere of A Face in

the Crowd, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah in his final production as Young Vic Artistic

Director, designed by Anna Fleischle. This brand new adaptation of the Hollywood classic,

a cautionary tale about the dangers of celebrity, power, and politics, features original songs by

Grammy Award-winner Elvis Costello and a Book by Sarah Ruhl (Eurydice, The Clean

will play Lonesone Rhodes. Actor, singer, songwriter and playwright Anoushka Lucas returns

to the Young Vic where she performed as Laurey in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and

in the West End transfer, earning an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

She will play Marcia Jeffries. Further casting will be announced in due course.

When local radio producer Marcia Jeffries interviews drunk drifter ‘Lonesome Rhodes’ in his

jail cell, she immediately sees his potential and gives him a slot on her show. But as

Lonesome's fans grow more clamorous and the politicians start taking notice, Marcia realises

Supervisor and Musical Director Phil Bateman, Sound Designer Emma Laxton,

Ramin Karimloo’s (Lonesome Rhodes) stage credits include: Songbird (Washington National

Opera), The Addams Family (London Palladium), Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl (August Wilson

Theatre, NYC), Rumi: The Musical (London Coliseum), Anatoly in Chess in Concert (Umeda

Arts Theatre, Osaka & Tokyo International Forum), Judas in Jesus Chris Superstar in Concert

(Theatre Orb, Tokyo), Che in Evita (Theatre Orb, Tokyo & Vancouver Opera), Gleb Vaganov in

Anastasia (Broadway),The Secret Garden (Lincoln Centre), Jean Valjean in Les Misérables

solo albums on Sony Records: From Now On, Human Heart and The Road to Find Out series.

Anoushka Lucas (Marcia Jeffries) returns to the Young Vic where she played Laurey in

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and in the West End transfer, earning an Olivier Award

nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She recently played Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible

at Sheffield Theatres. Anoushka’s debut play Elephant, which she wrote and performed in,

premiered at The Bush in 2022, and was reprised in 2023 to wide critical acclaim. She won a

Stage Debut Best Writer Award and was nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award.

She is currently recording her second studio album. Previous theatre credits include lead roles

in Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Henry V (Donmar Warehouse)

Sarah Ruhl is an award-winning playwright, author, essayist, and professor. She has received

the Tony Award nomination for Best Play and is a two-time Pulitzer Prize Finalist. Her many

plays include Eurydice, The Clean House, Stage Kiss, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play,

Stage Kiss, the Oldest Boy and Letters from Max.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is Artistic Director of the Young Vic Theatre and Artistic Advisor at

Manhattan Theatre Club. He was previously Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage and

Artistic Director of the Festival of Black Arts and Culture, Senegal. As a playwright, Kwame

was the first black Briton to have a play produced in the West End (Elmina’s Kitchen). His

Relaxed Performances: Sat 19 October, 2.30pm & Thu 24 October, 7.30pm

Sensory Adapted Performance: Thu 10 October, 7.30pm

Audio Described Performances: Tues 1 October, 7.30pm & Sat 26 October, 2.30pm

-ENDS-

Young Vic Press Contacts:

About the Young Vic Theatre

Founded in 1970 as a space for world-premiere productions and unexpected takes on classic

plays that speak urgently to our present, the Young Vic Theatre has been one of London’s

leading theatres for more than fifty years.

Welcoming more than 100,000 visitors a year to its London Waterloo location, the Young Vic

stands out in the city’s cultural landscape for balancing daring commercial drive, success and

artistic flair with genuine grassroots social impact change in our neighbourhood.We forge deep

connections in our neighbourhood through our Taking Part programme, where we engage with

over 15,000 people every year via a wide range of projects, from skills-based workshops to

that range from trainee and assistant director roles to a two-year residency through the

Genesis Fellow/Associate Director position. The Genesis Network provides an online

community to over 2,500 artists and producers. Each year, the recipient of the Genesis Future

Directors Award directs a show in the Clare Theatre with full support from the Young Vic team.

Built upon the principles of access, innovation, and community, the Young Vic is deepening its

roots nationally and internationally. Recent transfers include a Death of a Salesman and The

Collaboration on Broadway, and Best of Enemies and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

in the West End.

www.youngvic.org

The Young Vic’s annual activities are made possible with public funding from Arts

Council England.

We thank Lambeth Council and Southwark Council for their ongoing support.

Additional support is provided by The Black Heart Foundation and the Genesis

Foundation.

We gratefully acknowledge Ian Burford and Alec Cannell for generously supporting the