The question that first came to my mind when I heard about Why Am I So Single?, and covered its launch for Broadway World was “Can it live up to SIX. the previous musical from creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss?”. Well, the answer is …
Let’s start with the leading players. Jo Foster is an absolute star. A bubbly personality, a singing and dancing diamond (or, as they sing in a sparkling yet serious song in act two, a “Disco Ball”).
Personifying the first leading non-binary character in a major musical, they add authenticity and heart to every moment. And all with a Bolton accent. I’d love to see them headline their own show.
Leesa Tulley was introduced at that launch earlier in the year, and really pushes herself through a score that challenges her comfort zone vocally and asks her to be both silly and reflective. She’s sweet and complicated, her act one ballad “Just In Case” adding a soft core to an earthy set.
Then there’s Noah Thomas, woefully underused as Artie but a wonderful presence whenever he appears. With a great voice and personality ported over from his stint in the lead of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, he’s another future star to keep an eye on.
And there’s the ensemble. Whether asked to dress up as items of furniture or get involved in a huge tap-dance number, they are up for it, and each and every performer has a chance to catch the eye. Jamel Matthias, Rhys Wilkinson, and Natasha Leaver are the ones I particularly watched out for throughout the show.
Why Am I So Single? seeks to subvert the expectation of ‘a big fancy musical’ by taking aim at the concept, the audiences, and the stereotypes. However, in its current form it tries to hard to do too many things and sometimes clumsily fails to connect.
A song about Friends and specifically Ross and Rachel’s on-off romance is grungy but ultimately tedious, while the act one closer about bees is just simply “bee-zare” and left me feeling slightly embarrassed to be in the room.
There are clever moments – Foster’s Marilyn Monroe pastiche is instantly recognisable and a show-stopper – but there is no plot to speak of other than a collection of platitudes about identity and friendship.
The dialogue (and many of the lyrics) are liberally peppered with the f-word, which simply irritates, and although I bow to anyone who can rhyme the word “asshole” with “alcohol” the writing isn’t a patch on the score Marlow and Moss wrote for their previous megahit SIX.
Running at 150 minutes, including interval, this show still feels as if it could run straight through, trim 30 minutes, and be much sharper and better. A funny in-joke about “writing a show” feel forced, and the constant breaking of the fourth wall, literally winking at the audience to hammer home jokes shouldn’t be needed if the material is self-referencial and funny enough.
There’s also a running reference to the musical Oliver!, which is the favourite show of our writer/performer leads, here calling themselves Oliver and Nancy but recognisably Toby and Lucy in (perhaps) slightly exagerated form. So look out for “Bumble”, “Werkhouse”, a tedious online dater called Bill, and Artie ‘s groan-worthy surname.
Ultimately, Why Am I So Single? can’t quite get beyond the fact a very thin book stops the show dead between the musical numbers, despite everyone’s best efforts. The show needs a significant trim and tighter focus. Perhaps it needs to be less meta – I’d personally not miss the framing device or the curious appearance of the theatre agent on video call in act one.
The lighting by Jai Morjaria is excellent, as are the costumes by Max Johns. Moi Tran’s set is deceptively simple, using windows as phone screens and, as previously mentioned, the ensemble as props from fridges to dustbins. The small band, led by musical director Chris Ma, tackles a diverse and changing reportoire with style and is in view throughout above the stage.
Go and watch this sophomore production from Marlow/Moss to catch Foster’s absolutely brilliant performance, to support diversity and inclusion, and to, most importantly, make your own mind up.
If this becomes another international smash, I’ll be happy to admit I’m wrong … if it doesn’t, well, there’s scope in here to shape it into something as big and fancy as the West End needs right now.
**.5
Why Am I So Single? is directed by Lucy Moss and continues at the Garrick Theatre. Details and ticket links here.
Image credit: Matt Crockett