why am i so single? @ the garrick
Why Am I So Single? is an exciting new musical with a book, music and lyrics by the highly-praised duo; Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. After the undeniable success of Six, Marlow and Moss were on a mission to write their next big thing. That is when Why Am I So Single was born, a show about two musical theatre writers and best friends trying to write a musical. Instead, they side-track to the most important struggle and eternal question of being single.
CAST:
Leesa Tulley - Nancy
Jo Foster - Oliver
Noah Thomas - Artie
Ensemble: Jemima Brown, Josh Butler, Natasha Leaver, Ran Marner, Jamel Matthias, Olivia O’Connor, Joshian Angelo Omana, Natasha Wilde, Rhys Wilkinson
Jordan Cambridge Taylor - Alternate Lead
Collette Guitart - Alternate Lead
Swings: Callum Bell, Owen McHugh, Caitlin Redpath
Resident Choreographer and Emergency Swing: Ebony Clarke
CREATIVE TEAM:
Book, Music and Lyrics: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
Director: Lucy Moss
Choreographer and Co-Director: Ellen Kane
Orchestrator, Vocal Arranger and Musical Supervisor: Joe Beighton
Set Designer: Moi Tran
Costume Designer: Max Johns
Lighting Designer: Jai Morjaria
Sound Designer: Paul Gatehouse
Associate Director: Sarah Aniqah Mailk and Molly Stacey
Associate Choreographer: Michael Naylor
Costume Supervisor: Jackie Orton
Intimacy Director: Yarit Dor
Musical Director: Chris Ma
Act 1
Why Am I So Single? might be the most meaningful piece of queer musical theatre since the likes of Fun Home. Beyond any notes, suggestions and constructive criticism that any critic or reviewer will have to mention, let’s not forget how big this is on a much deeper level. The show is bursting with pride and is making history with a non-binary Lead Character. I left the theatre in tears of authentic representation on stage, which is unfortunately not a given nor seen often. The history of the show consists of the unbreakable duo of Marlow and Moss, on a mission to write their next big hit during a writers’ retreat in Connecticut. After a post-lockdown workshop of the show with LAMDA students, an official workshop was arranged in 2023 at Sadler’s Wells. The material was incredibly promising, leaving initial audiences buzzing about the future of this project.
Fast forward to 2024, after a very fitting Valentine’s Day launch event, the show announces its official West End debut at the Garrick Theatre. The show had a limited run from September 12th, until the earlier than planned date of January 19th. With plenty of speculation in regard to the future of the show, I am certain there will be more time for us all to sit down and discuss on Oliver’s couch; why are we so single? And now onto the fun part! What did I think of the show?
The show does not shy away from exposing potential fears and doubts the writers may have had before bringing the show to life. That could be a coping mechanism to save themselves from audience theories, and so from the get-go, we are told that the show is about two writers who have no clue what their next show should be about. Sondheim quotes ‘Write what you know’, which is certainly applied to the core of this show. Marlow and Moss cleverly cover all fronts by masking themselves (quite literally) as the disguised narrators. Although the show frames itself as autobiographical, the writers state that there are elements of themselves and their loved ones across all characters. For the most part, there is no fourth wall in the show; though I wonder if, in this unique instance, there actually is a fourth wall because the characters are imagining being in a theatre with an imaginary audience, as they are envisioning the future of their show…
Nancy and Oliver are named after the writers’ favourite musical, you guessed it, Oliver!
It is small details like this that add to the authenticity of the show and really shine through. I only wonder if ‘Oli’ would be a better approach, as it is a more gender-neutral option. We see Oliver’s character on a journey throughout the show, particularly whilst navigating their identity as non-binary and questioning what pronoun suits them best. It is really wonderful to see Nancy, who is an ally, respect their decisions and check in with pronoun association. Very often, people who use multiple pronouns are misgendered, neglected and disregarded for ‘not just picking one’ - sometimes even more so than non-binary folk who solely go by they/them pronouns. It would be lovely to dive into that discussion of pronouns even more, really bridging the gap for different pronouns, clothes and words that can make one feel seen, in different layers of their non-binarism.
The ensemble in this show is more than strong. They are really offering us a ‘big, fancy musical’ and go on and beyond choreographically and artistically. Ellen Kane’s work speaks volumes, fusing elements from queer styles such as voguing and waacking, as well as allowing every single member of the company to be seen and victoriously celebrated. However, the actual role of the ensemble is not as clear as they are all included in the posters; creating the misconception that they have a more individual character arc. We see them as objects at the flat which is hilarious and so clever, but there are already some of those very tangible objects inside Oliver’s flat, so it doesn't always add up to have them there. I wonder if, in the future of the show, they could be the imaginary ensemble of the musical Nancy and Oliver are writing (ie. they are both drunk and start hallucinating this big Chorus Line-esque piece and the ensemble is brought into the flesh). I would just like to give a shoutout to ensemble members Rhys Wilkinson and Natasha Leaver, who stood out in their respective performances and wonderful stage presence.
Furthermore, some of the transitions feel unjustified, making the pace of the show sticky at times. After researching plenty of reviews and articles for this show, it seems unanimous that there is a good 20-25 minutes of the show that could be trimmed, to make a more cohesive, polished result.
Additionally, I wanted to touch on the innovatively and beautiful but rare choice of the cast fully embracing their own, natural accents. It gives the show a sense of truth, of unfiltered beauty in less ‘aesthetically pleasing’ and ‘preppy’ ways of theatre-making. There is no performative mask and overall, it offers more heart to the piece. There are also quite a few stagey references beyond Oliver! (24601, Defying Gravity ending note etc.) which I think could be avoided. I know not everyone will agree to this but I find that a show with no fourth wall is already up to a big challenge; To involve other musical theatre references in combination with the fourth wall’s absence, can create a very distanced understanding that breaks the magic of each musical being an entity of its own, completely unaware of other worlds. It can, if I may, remind the audiences that they are in a theatre watching a musical inside a musical, when -in my opinion- they should be getting sucked in that world and escaping from reality. Having said that, I think this show does a fantastic job of making the audience feel like they are part of the story with them, which is why I think something like a random Les Mis reference might take away from that intimacy.
Moving on, I would love to talk about the ground-breaking queer representation of the show, which I am extremely proud of, on a personal level as well. Oliver’s character arc might well be one for the books. To have a non-binary character on centre stage, a disco ball, to say the least, is a gift in contemporary musical theatre. Phrases like ‘You went to pride as an ally? Sorry, I left my gold medals at home’, which I believe is one of Artie’s lines right before C U Never, has been a long-time coming dig. I am so immensely proud to be seeing queerness done right on stage. The meat market, one of the greatest laughs of the show, comically reflects on the sad truth that straight people have a plethora of options on dating apps (like Nancy), while queer folk (like Oliver), and especially non-binary folk, have little to no luck. And the sole reason for that isolation and lack of options is because of minor representation and honesty in queer relationships to be seen just as seriously as heteronormative ones.
My favourite number of Act 1 has to be C U Never, with top-tier tap choreography disguised as typing sounds. Tap is often misconceived as ‘cheesy’ and this modern take on modern metal-tap sneakers on a brunch place’s tables, under a bop like C U Never, is the epitome of camp, edgy and fabulous. Noah Thomas leads the number with showmanship and a contagious charm, making every second that he is on stage, only his.
Just In Case is Nancy’s emotional ballad solo, towards the end of Act 1 and then again reprised in Act 2. The song is beautiful, giving a mix of Heart of Stone and All You Wanna Do. However, it comes on quite abruptly, making it difficult to relate to her as an audience. We haven’t really seen Nancy being truly vulnerable by that point in the show, with so much comic material, it is proving challenging to be emotionally invested in their journey. Furthermore, it feels like the song should be called Abandon it All instead, as it is the primary lyric. It sort of comes out of nowhere, which would make complete sense had there been a little bit more build-up. For Nancy to be letting it all out, to have had enough of keeping things under the surface, this could be a great turning point for her character. Leesa Tulley is belting the house down, offering an incredibly strong, powerful take on her leading lady Nancy. She is hilarious, she is natural and ridiculously lovable to the audience. Her friendship with Oliver is effortless, their chemistry is undeniable, making it feel like they have been best friends for years.
Jo Foster as Oliver, is something I do not quite have the words to express. They deserve all their flowers; they embody the role, and they are the role. I just hope they know how much their portrayal means to the community, beaming with pride. Disco Ball (my favourite number of Act 2), is more than a glamorous number. I wonder if it symbolises the loneliness yet intimidating nature of a Disco ball; Something everyone wants to be around, but never too close. The Disco ball will never stop shining, it will never leave the centre of the room and there are so many layers to it. It is a very common thread for a queer person who has undergone such trauma to rely on comic relief; ANother reason why the hosting monologue mid-Disco Ball is so tragically beautiful.
Approaching the end of the show, a lot seems to be suddenly happening in the last 20 minutes, after feeling like the pace of the show was dragging slightly. The side story of Nancy almost following her ex to Paris feels rushed and out of character. For her to do something like that after such a big emotional journey, seems like an excuse for the two best friends to reconcile and conclude the story. Their agent occasionally rings them to remind them of the musical they are meant to be writing, from which we have slightly digressed. However, the show is attempting to address issues that are very rarely discussed in the industry and that alone, is something to be incredibly proud of. We may never find out about the reception of the show Oliver and Nancy wrote, but we certainly know of one Toby and Lucy did. And oh my god, what a gift it has been to witness.
I sincerely hope this raw, whole-hearted story has a big, fancy future in musical theatre.
