Writers: Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
Director: Lucy Moss
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Obsessed!”
5 / 5
At some point everyone has wondered why they’ve been ghosted, whether they should send that risky text or how long they should wait before replying to not look too keen. Why Am I So Single? is every aspect of dating and relationships (romantic, platonic and familial) summed up in a brilliantly hilarious, sequin spangled production – and we’re definitely swiping right on it because we are OBSESSED!
Nancy and Oliver are fed up with being single and finally want to get to the bottom of their perpetual relationship failures, so they decide to take a deep dive into their past and figure out where things went wrong. This is all while trying to write their next hit musical – though they have no idea what it could be based on. As they unpack their various issues they start to realise that actually they’ve been surrounded by love the whole time – just not the kind they had first expected.
The creators of SIX – Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have created yet another fantastic musical that will undoubtably become an award winning, smash hit. They say write what you know – so they’ve done just that. Sitting around watching Netflix, drinking prosecco and chatting about their tragic love lives is a situation we can all relate to, and it’s this warm, no holds barred familiarity and simplicity that helps to completely engage the audience, but it’s the amplification, humour and creativity that keeps them utterly enthralled from beginning to end. Jo Foster (Oliver), Leesa Tulley (Nancy) and Noah Thomas (Artie) are absolute icons and deserve ALL the praise and compliments. They allow the characters to feel completely genuine and authentic – their thick Northern & Scottish accent, easy confidence and fun approach to their brilliantly written characters. The talented trio have a long future ahead of them.
The excellent creativity is woven through absolutely every single aspect of this production – even down to the character names who are all a nod to Oliver! being their favourite musical – their agent being named Faye Ginn is just groan inducing brilliance. It’s the type of show you could (and we will) watch twenty times and catch something new and brilliant every single time that you might have missed originally. The meta approach of weaving in them writing a ‘big fancy musical’ into the narrative is a great addition as a small side story. Often breaking the fourth wall, they humorously comment on the musical writing process. The innovative artistry is also showcased through the set (Moi Tran) and costumes (Max Johns) – featuring the ensemble dressed as coat hangers, fridges, and curtains to quite literally bring the set to life in a wonderfully imaginative way.
The music is an excellent mish mash of genres, all with big performances and witty lyrics. From the noughties teen rock style “I Got Of The Plane” that pokes fun at Rachel & Ross, with the tropes of almost every 90s TV relationship, to the dancier “Meet Market” that is basically a staged version of every Tinder message that you’ve had. There’s a bizarrely random song about a bee in the flat “Interlude in B Minor” to close out the first half that is basically a fever dream, which shouldn’t work, but fantastically does. Personal favourite is Noah Thomas’s “C U Never” which is poppy and upbeat, with an impeccably choreographed (Ellen Kane) tap-dancing routine that is integrated into the texts between characters.
While the first act is mainly fun and silly, the second act takes a slightly more sensitive approach – dedicating most of the second half to Oliver’s sexuality, Nancy’s grief, and the heart of their strong friendship. Although it isn’t as loud and playful as the first act, it still has the same humour and relatability running through each scene – often feeling like sitting with your mates rather than watching two strangers on stage. Foster’s energetically performed “Disco Ball” and Tulley’s incredible vocals on “Just In Case” manage to package up the emotion and messages of the show well. Adding in some of these more touching moments between the pair is an interesting and enjoyable change of pace, which leads to the heartwarming finale that leaves you beaming as you leave the theatre.
The best thing about this show (other than it ticking every single box 100 times over), is the fact that it can be for absolutely everyone – no matter who you are, you will find something in this that you can relate to, laugh along with, cry at or just sing along to the fantastically catchy songs.
Runs until 13th February 2025
RatedReviewed 