Nathan Clarke as Richie and Allison McKenzie as The Voice in The Billionaire Inside Your Head. Photo by Rich LakosDarwin (Ashley Margolis) is amiable but idle and only employed because his mother owns the company. His friend Ritchie (Nathan Clark), is far sharper and hungrier, arriving each morning dressed for success and dancing to James Brown. However, despite the show of confidence, his ambitions never quite form, and his drive is undermined by compulsive rituals more redolent of inner fear. Clark captures Ritchie’s mix of charm and anxiety, while Margolis contrasts this with Darwin’s languid ease, cushioned by family money.
The third cast member Alison McKenzie, is listed in the programme as playing The Voice but for anyone watching without this information, she seems to be Darwin’s mother, the boss, a crass motivational speaker and the focus of Ritchie’s attention. As the play tips into surrealism, she becomes ever more symbolic. To portray such a part is a big ask for any actor, so it is both understandable and perhaps unsurprising that McKenzie looks less comfortable on stage than the boys, resorting to portraying everything in a kind of tightly wound malevolence that gets a bit repetitive after awhile. I’ve no doubt her performance will settle-in though and she’ll find much more interesting shades as the run continues.
Director Anna Ledwich and designer Janet Bird make imaginative use of the small space, with piles of office furniture transforming into doorways and platforms as the action gradually leaves realism behind.
Will Lord’s play is strongest in the early, naturalistic scenes, which sharply capture the rhythms of friendship, frustration and compulsion. The later deviation towards symbolism and melodrama feels more a device used to close the play than to deepen it. However, the writing shows an ear for dialogue and a feel for emotional detail. It’s a confident first step, and stronger work will undoubtedly follow once Lord pares back the flourishes and trusts that instinct.
THE BILLIONAIRE INSIDE YOUR HEAD has a running time of 1 hour 40 mins (performed without interval) and continues downstairs at the Hampstead Theatre until 25th October.
