All of the great musicals I’ve seen have what I like to call “lift”. Call it a key change, increase in tempo, clever wordplay, or a simple crescendo, but it’s that you’ll-know-it-when-you-feel-it burst of energy almost willing you out of your seat. I knew Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the creators of Six, had the gift of lift as soon as I heard that show’s first big number, the Beyoncé-esque jam, “No Way”. A big key change, stomping beat and vocals pushed to their limits brought the crowd to its feet. It’s no wonder the show won the Tony for Best Original Score. How does one follow up such an international juggernaut as this?
Faced with that high pressure dilemma, Moss and Marlow went on a writing retreat in Connecticut and sat around discussing their personal lives, wondering like so many others, why they couldn’t find romantic partners. From this they birthed their self-described “big fancy musical”, Why Am I So Single?, which opened at the Garrick Theatre in London on September 12th, 2024 and is sadly closing early on January 19th, 2025. As someone lucky enough to have caught the show, I can’t recommend highly enough that you book a ticket ASAP for this perfectly imperfect but hugely entertaining show. The lift is real!
The most meta of meta-musicals and loosely based on the creators’ own lives, the show tells the story of Oliver (Jo Foster) and Nancy (Leesa Tulley), two best friends and playwrights hanging out one night lamenting their single status and feeling the pressure to craft a follow-up to their previously successful musical. They seek out advice from their friend Artie (Noah Thomas) as they face a large and talented ensemble, who play everything from bad dates and baristas, to actual pieces of their furniture. It’s no surprise that Oliver! is their favorite musical with characters named after those from it and certain numbers mirroring its story. Although having a more traditional structure and presentation than Six, which told the story of the wives of Henry VIII as if it were a pop concert/singing competition show, Why Am I So Single? feels so fresh and current. Utilizing texts, social media, and enough Millennial and Gen-Z lingo to make you exclaim, “This def slaps, no cap!”
And wow, those songs! Filled to the brim with bangers and heart-tugging ballads, Marlow and Moss have created one thrilling set piece after another. To date, four have been released, so watch them on YouTube or listen wherever you stream music. The title song, a more standard Broadway show tune, features the hilarious couplet, “We are well-read / Good at giving…advice”. “8 Dates”, a club banger of a patter song in which Oliver details a string of cancelled hookups and ends with a laugh-out-loud reference to Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango”, has the most in-your-face, hip-shaking move in musical theatre history. My favorite number, “C U Never” a raise the roof tap sequence, has Artie giving Nancy the tools needed to stop obsessing over her ex. With its syncopated stop/start rhythms, superb harmonies, and “Consider Yourself” energy, it instantly earwormed into my brain. In my own personal life, I have sent this song to any flake or ghost who crosses my path.
We also get a gorgeous 11 o’clock number, “Just In Case”, where Nancy says she’ll drop everything to be with the one that got away. Highly reminiscent of “As Long As He Needs Me” from Oliver!, Leesa Tulley got me ugly crying with her piercingly beautiful vocals and cute-as-hell Scottish accent. There are many more where these songs come from, with Foster embodying a disco ball, the ensemble chasing a bee in their flat, or them simply proclaiming that “Men R Trash”. There’s a song about Ross and Rachel from Friends (“I Got Off The Plane”) and a supermarket sequence cleverly titled, “Meet Market”, both of which created a perma-smile on my face.
Ellen Kane, who co-directs with Moss and choreographed the show, deserves special mention for the highly energetic and creative dancing from the gifted ensemble, the hardest working and most talented group I’ve seen in eons. Combining hip hop, ballroom, jazz, tap and more, the cast never seems to stop moving for the entire run of the show, each creating unique characters yet moving as a unit with extreme precision. “8 Dates” and “C U Never” particularly captivated me with the cast not only hitting their movements with such power, but also impressively embodying such things as text messages being sent or the typing or erasing of them acted out with finger and toe taps.
Leading them all, Foster and Tulley, two talents who previously impressed in & Juliet and Six respectively, provide galvanizing performances and unquestionable chemistry easily deserving of the same recognition currently bestowed upon Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Foster has perfect comic timing, a gift for speedy transitions, and a clear, soaring vocal ability. Tulley has such a unique flair for dancing, an undeniable belt, and a knack for drawing you in with her adorable, lonely, passionate Nancy. These are two of the best leading musical performances I’ve seen in a long, long time. Noah Thomas steals every scene he’s in with his sardonic, hyper-sarcastic Artie, who goes from super slick to flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. He had me at “Slide right out of my DMs / Hit me up again in your dre-ams!”
Costume designer Max Johns dresses the cast in the coolest, most eye-popping contemporary outfits, such as Tulley’s red cutoff sweater over a white dress shirt or Foster literally wearing their heart on their sleeves. The sets by Moi Tran, while simple, feel of the moment and clean. If I were to quibble with one aspect of the show, it’s the bookended scenes of our main characters represented by actors wearing masks and the overuse of the ensemble playing furniture. It sometimes feels like the show contains too many layers, and by pulling back on some of it, one can focus on the real emotionality at hand.
Ultimately, the show has a very simple, RuPaul-inspired message of loving yourself while also celebrating platonic friendships. Sure, us singletons out there would like someone to cuddle with or snog, but the love between friends can feel just as, if not more, satisfying. There’s no doubt Why Am I So Single? is a bit of a hot mess at times, but I’ll take a diamond in the rough over something too polished any day of the week. A bit of restructuring, editing and perhaps bigger stakes could result in musical perfection. With such great acting, singing, dancing, songwriting and a message that feels of the moment, I’m going to say a few holiday prayers for this show: please find a way to bring this back to the West End soon! Please release a full cast recording! Please bring this to Broadway!
By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic
Why Am I So Single? runs at the Garrick Theatre in London until Sunday, January 19th, 2025.
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