Ad: Tickets gifted in exchange for honest review
Photo credit: Danny Kaan
If ever there was a musical to describe the Overstudies’ relationship, it’s this one – so what if we, two podcasters, wrote a review all about a Big Fancy Musical? Wouldn’t that be cool? And we could draw on our own lives and experiences throughout it – although, we’ll be honest, we’re not going to throw in too many Oliver! references…
Since seeing the workshop of Why Am I So Single? in autumn 2023 it’s safe to say that this has been a show that we’ve been hotly anticipating. From Six creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss and starring Leesa Tulley and Jo Foster as leads Nancy and Oliver, WAISS? is the latest in the ‘coming of age’ musical genre currently sweeping across Theatreland but is arguably the most complete of the form. Aimed at the older millennial, the show explores the relationship between two best friends via their (lack of) dating life as they also deal with grief, existing in a heteronormative world along with the standard millennial existential dread. It’s a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously whilst putting across some quite important messages.
Indeed, this approach is apparent right from the off, with a slightly meta and self-referential introduction overlaid with cartoon-like 3D illustrations for costumes and props alike. The absurd continues into the first number, with the ensemble all taking on the roles of various household items such as a clothes rail, fridge and a pair of curtains, resulting in plenty of laughs from the audience. An easy sounding score accompanies the first number, introducing the lead characters and helping to set the scene for the next couple of hours.
If there’s one word to describe the pacing of this musical though, it’s whiplash – and that’s not a bad thing. No sooner have we settled into the rhythm an intense pace change happens with a pop-heavy number, accompanied by slick choreography effortlessly brought to life by the ensemble. Indeed, Ellen Kane’s choreography is integral to the show, contemporary yet traditional at the same time and fusing together almost as many different styles as the music itself. Yes – there’s even the completely unnecessary tap number that we’re such a huge fan of here at Overstudies.
Now, we couldn’t write this review and not single out the countless Oliver! references that appear throughout the show. We’re both huge fans of the source material, and – whilst we won’t spoil all of them – it truly is a credit to the creativity of the writers and the commitment to the bit to bring us Agent Fay Gynn, Food Glorious Food delivery and Charles Dickhead, amongst many, many others – it’s almost like there needs to be a drinking game…
The set design also sticks with the millennial theme, with the basic living room set up being the epitome of ‘flat share Ikea starter pack’ – it’s another simple yet effective choice where less is more, and is suitably tweaked to provide the perfect stage (pun intended) for the performances of Nancy and Oliver to play out.
Our main concern with the show is its appeal beyond the confines of a musical theatre world. As fun as the many theatre references are, at times they do start to feel a bit strained, and not all may necessarily translate well to a non-stagey audience. Indeed, this is also true of perhaps the most powerful number in the show, Disco Ball. Best described as Land of Lola meets Wall In My Head meets Holding Out For A Hero, this powerful number describes Oliver’s (Jo Foster) struggles with gender identity and fitting into society, and how we can be conditioned to view ourselves in certain ways because of what we see and learn. Unfortunately, the repetitive nature of the song (which is important) goes on for a little too long, leaving you somewhat disengaged by the time it reaches the important and compelling climax. It certainly doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment but is a pointer that the show certainly needs a few more tweaks and revisions here and there – a natural part of the life of any body of work.
The show’s climax could easily have been plucked straight out of SIX with the words slightly changed, with a similar ‘gotcha’ plot twist moment as though it was all set up from the start. It’s clearly becoming a signature move of Marlow and Moss, and genuinely feels like the perfect ending to the show. The regular breaking down of the fourth wall and snapping between the ‘characters’ in the play being written and the characters of the authors writing the play (we promise it’s not that confusing in reality!), aided by subtle lighting changes to simulate working lights, really helps to frame the ending, with the point hammered home by the two leads coming down into the audience for a reflective look back at a slightly altered version of the start. We love a show that starts at the end and ends at the start.
Why Am I So Single? probably won’t be the worldwide smash hit success that SIX is, but it’s a strong sophomore show firmly rooting Marlow and Moss’ style within the theatrescape. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the Garrick and we can’t wait to see what comes next from the duo.
Why Am I So Single? is playing at the Garrick Theatre until 13th February 2025. Tickets are available from whyamisosingle.com
Tune in to the upcoming Overstudies podcast season to hear more of our thoughts on the show and others of the genre!
