Why Am I So Single? | Live Show Review – TOP 20 MUSICALS 2024: NO 12

Jonathan Whiting
Wednesday, November 27, 2024

SIX creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss's brand new musical hits the West End

Jo Foster as Oliver centre stage in 'Disco Ball' (Images credit: Danny Kaan)

Since its inception just seven years ago at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, SIX has conquered all. From the West End and Broadway to the teen edition performed in schools across the world, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s 80-minute pop musical – turning the wives of Henry VIII into kick-ass pop stars – has become entrenched in the Musical Theatre pantheon as a modern classic.

So what now? What comes after SIX? This question forms the very basis of the duo’s follow-up, Why Am I So Single? As the curtain rises we are greeted by Oliver (Jo Foster) and Nancy (Leesa Tulley), two best friends who met at uni, wrote a short one-act musical together and are now in the throes of trying to come up with ideas, plot points and songs for their upcoming full-length musical. Sound familiar? Marlow and Moss have placed themselves at the centre of what is a rather unique take on a semi-autobiographical backstage musical. Oliver and Nancy (geddit? There’s much more where that came from!) quickly agree that they should write a musical about their own dating-life struggles. Oliver is always quick to reject the advances of eligible singles and – in contrast – Nancy can’t
let go of exes who have walked all over her. What follows is two-and-a-half hours of, for many of us, almost-too-relatable theatre.

The opening title number – a strong, catchy tune that repeats throughout the show – sets the tone brilliantly. We know exactly what this musical wants to be. We learn of the two central characters’ singleton woes, but what really stands out is the comedic element: the ensemble performers are literally integrated into the scene as various household objects – a bin, curtains,
a coat rack, a sofa throw. This irreverent staging (directed by co-writer Moss with co-direction from choreographer Ellen Kane) is a welcome surprise and creates anticipation for what might come next. (And, in fact, most of the ideas thrown relentlessly at the wall do stick.)

Foster’s Oliver and Tulley’s Nancy welcome us, the audience, into their living room with a slice of pizza and a glass of Prosecco as if we’re old friends. For a show that doesn’t give the fourth wall a chance to recover, the charisma and stage presence of these two characters (the chemistry between them is palpable) allow for a mostly comfortable and natural interaction with the audience. At least one of them is onstage throughout the show (more or less), and both have several large-scale numbers. My personal standouts include ‘SHHH!!!!’, a big classic Broadway torch song in which Oliver dons
a Madonna ‘Material Girl’ (or Marilyn Monroe ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ – whichever way you’re inclined) pink dress surrounded by sexy pizza delivery men in tuxedos. Later in
Act Two, Oliver – blinged up in a sparkly fringed dress – is raised high, centre stage, for ‘Disco Ball’, one of the catchiest tunes of the night. The bright quality of Foster’s voice, infused with
an infectious energy, effortlessly cuts through the band and chorus.

In contrast to Oliver, Nancy – a familiar ‘girl next door’ character given qualities of warmth and vulnerability by Tulley – gets more of the ballad-style numbers. It’s surely only a matter of time before ‘Just in Case’ will regularly feature in audition rooms and on student show reels. While not groundbreaking musically, this song is sobering and relatable in its depiction of post-breakup depression; the lyrics about reaching out over text message and getting nothing back (‘staring at a blank screen and just seeing yourself’) are particularly resonant.

Overall, the songs, while incredibly catchy, sound a bit like something you feel you’ve heard before. (At times this is clearly intentional; at other times, I’m not so sure.) But SIX fans won’t be disappointed, and the duo’s capacity for wit is writ large in the musical numbers (often making the dialogue-only sections feel slow and like a means to an end in comparison). There are also direct quotations from well-known musicals such as Wicked, marking a welcome departure from the pop-centric world of SIX.

The eight-piece band, raised up at the back of the stage and led by Chris Ma at the keys, is on top form, revelling in innovative orchestrations by Joe Beighton (who also orchestrated SIX) which help bring the music to life.

Production values are consistently high: the choreography by Kane, flawlessly performed by the ensemble (which also creates a beautiful wall of sound in the chorus numbers), is contemporary in style but recognisably Musical Theatre, and always has a surprise in store. The set design by Moi Tran sees windows doubling up as phone screens, and scenes morphing into a cafe or Oliver’s slightly deranged dream world within seconds – all integrated seamlessly with Jai Morjaria’s lighting design.

For a show that prizes relatability above all else, there’s perhaps a danger that audiences outside the key demographic (and even within it) may find jokes going over their heads.
‘Meet Market’ is a wonderful send-up of truly awful dating profiles on dating apps, and there are also references to TV sitcom Friends and a noughties club night. For the thirty-something theatregoer who has done tours of Bumble, Hinge, Tinder and maybe even Grindr (we’ve all been there!), and can quote a worrying number of one-liners from Friends, this is a musical that speaks directly to the heart – irreverently (and brilliantly) channelling Musical Theatre along the way. For everyone else, it remains an impressive showcase both of homegrown writing and of a host of talented young actors who will surely go on to even greater things.