Facehunters

Set amidst the trendy young arty types of east London, the ambitious musical Facehunters is a clever reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. But instead of a Victorian dandy remaining ever youthful while his image on a portrait in his attic grows horrifyingly older, it’s two young hipster girls who retain their place on the east London scene over passing decades while a Polaroid taken 30 years previously ages in their place.

It’s a neat updating from Leeds-based theatre company The Hungry Bitches, and the large-scale, energetic production—with a cast of almost 20 and a five-piece band which plays the show’s original music pretty much throughout—sets its sights very high. The choreography of the 15-strong chorus is particularly impressive, with tight moves and formations that gather and disperse with well-reheased slickness.

Many of the leads are strong: the angelic Sweetie has a fine voice, and her ex-boyfriend Bruce has a good stage presence. The ever-youthful duo of Katherine and Juliette are well-matched and naturally charismatic.
But there’s also the feeling that the company may have overstretched itself. Apart from a couple of exceptions, the songs are generally unmemorable, and their American soft-rock style feels somewhat at odds with the contemporary hipster setting. The energetic chorus is an almost constant presence on stage, leaving us begging for moments of quiet and calm – there’s little light and shade in the piece. And despite the good performances, the lead characters lack depth, and we feel little emotional connection with them. It’s an enjoyable show, but it could have been so much stronger.