Savannah Lowery stepped in at the last moment as the Prince's Bride, lending the role a degree of all-American freshness.
In policy-based agricultural lending, the role of the social scientist is mostly upstream.
But Scott Thomas, prowling round Mark Thompson's circular stage in front of the palace at Mycenae, lends the role colour and variety.
And although Edgar's argument that he fails to reveal himself to Gloucester to save his father from despair strikes me as nonsensical, Harry Melling lends the role a believable integrity.
The quirky charisma he lends each role, once seen as genius character acting, has become tired and redundant, perhaps regurgitated at peak force with that Mad Hatter dance from "Alice in Wonderland".
Though Sumpter lends her role the requisite controlled, inner strength and Jamie Lee Curtis utilizes her trademark fierce resolve to good effect as an intimidating commander in chief (fearlessly navigating such haughty dialogue as, "Doesn't it bother you that the idea of American exceptionalism is an anachronism?"), the politics prove as tenuous as the nonexistent thrill factor.
It's hard to imagine a production of "Rice Boy" without the ethnic authenticity these performers lend their roles, though it's even harder to imagine one without their talent.
Burgess has written the lobbyists to be cracklingly smart and persuasively spoken, and Jules Willcox and Paige Lindsey White lend the roles considerable grit and conviction, but it's not enough to make these broadly drawn types quite human.
"We recognise that payday lending has a role in society," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Other than lending mystery, his role seemed minimal in this incarnation of the piece, which he also directed.
