Why Am I So Single? is riotous and raucous and somewhat random too, now playing at the Garrick Theatre
“That was a bit much”
Too much of the focus of Why Am I So Single? will inevitably be on the fact that this is the “difficult second album” for Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the follow-up show to the behemoth that Six The Musical has become. In some ways it is unfair to make the comparison, this new show – boldly being opened cold into the West End – needs its own air to breathe and find its feet; at the same time, expectations have been raised.
Amusingly, they’ve chosen to turn the light on themselves as Why Am I So Single? is about two writers trying to pen a successful hit musical and unable to get away from the shitshow that is their love lives. Throw in musical theatre references by the bucketful, a rogue bee, anthropomorphic furniture and a conveyor belt of shit dates with shit men and you get a smidgen of the randomness of this sparkily, self-confident show with friendship at its heart.
It is bonkers and it knows it is bonkers. Directed by Moss, with co-direction Ellen Kane who also choreographs, it almost has the feel of a revue, Marlow and Moss pulling from an inordinately wide range of musical influences and pretty much nailing each one. There’s heartfelt balladry and out-and-out show tunes but there’s club bangers and rap too, variety and versatility on display from a hugely talented and wryly observed ensemble.
They’re led well by Jo Foster (Oliver ) and Leesa Tulley (Nancy) in the hallucinatory strangeness of Moi Tran’s set design. Hints of plot depth come through Oliver’s struggle to define their identity and Nancy’s difficult break-up and Foster and Tulley balance this well with, well, just having a laugh, particularly when bestie Artie comes to visit now and then to deliver wise words (Noah Thomas in brilliant form) and root all the randomness in a recognisably contemporary milieu of these often confusing modern times.
