Faces in the Crowd

Faces in the Crowd by Leo Butler was first performed at the Royal Court theatre in London in 2008. The original cast had Amanda Drew and Con O'Neill directed by Clare Lizzimore. It has been called a 'credit-crunch generation Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. It was one of the first pieces of theatre to examine the credit crunch and focused on an estranged husband and wife. The original performance was particularly notable for the staging where the play was performed in the round and the audience sat above the flat in which the play was set and looked down on the action. Overview Dave and Joanna were married but he left their Sheffield flat under too much pressure. The action starts 10 years later when Joanna comes to visit him wanting a baby, they fight and argue viciously and sleep together as secrets come out about their past. Reviews Lyn Gardner of The Guardian described the play as "awash with alcohol, vitriol and violence" and "a Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for the credit-crunch generation." She also praised "the most full-frontally brave performances in London from Con O'Neill and Amanda Drew as the toxic ex-partners". She went on to say that "there are times when it is so raw and bloody, you want to avert your gaze".