British Musicals: ‘Why Am I So Single ?’ (2024)

 British Musicals: ‘Why Am

 I So Single ?’  (2024)

 

Book, Lyrics & Music by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss

 

History

After their success with the record-breaking, ‘Six’. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, who met in the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society (CUMTS) faced the ‘difficult second album’. This prompted them to attend a writer's retreat in Connecticut with the kernel of an idea for a musical about diva worship.  However, as they began working on ideas, they were drawn to talk about their own dating lives and those of their friends, and realised that they wanted to write a musical with an “almost boringly normal” setting: two friends sitting on a sofa, drinking prosecco and dissecting their relatably chaotic lives. They also wanted to portray a relationship between a woman and a queer person that felt more authentic than the tired old “gay best friend” trope of the 1990s. As a result, Marlow and Moss began writing a musical loosely based on their own experiences, focusing on the friendship between a female and a character who (like Marlow) is non-binary.

In 2023, a developmental workshop was held at the Lilian Baylis Studio Theatre at Sadler's Wells, including a semi-staged public workshop presentation performed for a ticketed audience. On 14th  February 2024, a launch event was held to announce plans for the musical's premiere, with it originally being billed as ‘A Big Fancy Musical’. It was then announced that ‘Why Am I So Single ?’ would play in the West End at the Garrick Theatre from August 2024. Jo Foster and Leesa Tulley (a veteran of ‘Six’) were cast in the lead roles, with Foster reprising their role from the workshop. Preview performances began on 27th August 2024. The production is directed by Moss, with choreography by Ellen Kane, and a set design by Moi Tran.

 

Story

Loosely based on the lives of its authors, ‘Why Am I So Single ?’ follows two musical theatre writers and best friends, one female (Nancy) and one non-binary (Oliver), who are struggling to navigate the frustrations of being constantly single while also trying to write a musical. It is set in Oliver’s flat with regular flashbacks, and as with its predecessor features songs in a variety of styles.

 

In A Nutshell

‘We’re not leaving this flat until we’ve worked out why we are so single !’

 

Production

I caught what turned out to be Press Night. I was in the back row of the Circle at the Garrick Theatre, but had a wonderful view. Following a prologue, we found ourselves in Oliver’s flat, and were introduced to our protagonists, ‘Friends’ and Musical Theatre enthusiasts Oliver (Foster) and Nancy (Tulley), renamed after characters from their favourite musical, following another disastrous dating experience for Nancy. Over multiple glasses of wine, they decide to work out quite why their dating life is so disastrous. The ensemble were swiftly put to work firstly as furniture in the flat, and then in a rapid rush through Oliver’s last eight terrible dates. In fact, save Noah Thomas playing their mutual friend, Artie, none of them had a regular part, each playing a multitude of clubgoers, potential suitors etc.

The script was very funny, and given the concept, very meta with the fourth-wall being regularly broken. There were also a few musical theatre parodies, including a brief callback to Marlow & Moss’ previous success. The songs also came thick and fast, with the clever lyrics that made ‘Six’ such a success, meaning that I almost wished for surtitles as some of them were rattled out. (Also if the song title ‘I Got Off The Plane’ means anything to you, this musical is for you) The choreography, particularly from the ensemble was also wonderful. The plot as was the writers’ intention was wafer-thin, but that didn’t matter, with very little happening, despite them now having twice the time to fill. The set was understated, but very clever, and I was particularly amused by a pun written backwards on a café window in one flashback.

Both leads were amazing, particularly when they were telling each other home truths, when Foster went into full diva/nightclub singer mode, and Tulley’s emotional moments, particularly her song relating to loss. The whole cast received a massive ovation during the bows and this would seem to be perfect for any fans of ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ or ‘Six’.

 Definitely recommended.

 

Why Am I So Single ? runs at the Garrick Theatre, London until at least 13^th February 2025.

 

Favourite Song

It has to be – ‘C U Never’ – Artie’s big number (with its amazing choreography), closely followed by ‘Interlude in B Minor’, ‘Disco Ball’ and the title song ‘Why Am I So Single ?’

 

Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?

I will, when it is released.  

 

Links

Production Website: https://whyamisosingle.com/

Videos:  Why Am I So Single? - YouTube

Sherlockian Sojourns #68: As Seen on Screen - 'Leave It To Belvoir'

Another day, another sojourn. After a leisurely early morning, myself and my friend jumped in his car for the forty-five minute drive to our first port of call, Belvoir Castle (pronounced ‘Beaver Castle’), home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, about seven miles west of Grantham in Leicestershire. A castle was first built on the site immediately after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and has since been rebuilt at least three times. The final building is a Grade I listed mock castle, dating from the early 19th century. In ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ (1985), when Holmes (Nicholas Rowe) and Watson (Alan Cox) look up to see Waxflatter (Nigel Stock) demonstrating his flying machine, the crenellated towers of 'Brompton School' are those of the Castle. However, these scenes were filmed in two halves with Waxflatter being here, and the others being in the quad of Eton College (visited on a previous sojourn), with them all never appearing together in the same shot.  [I have also visited two other locations used for Brompton School – Brasenose College Oxford & Radley College]. The Castle also provided the castellated home of Chester Cragwitch (Freddie Jones).

On arrival it became clear that as with Chatsworth the previous day, an event was going on, namely a Garden Show. It was therefore initially difficult to find a parking space, and we managed to confuse one of the parking attendants due to not noticing an overflow car park and therefore claiming to him that all car parks were full. Making our way to the entrance, we paid slightly increased entry prices (for the Gardens only as no filming took place in the Castle interior).

It was then up a steep path to the top of the hill where the Castle and Gardens were situated. On the way there were shield-shaped signs outlining the Castle’s history from 1066.

‘Do you think that there’ll be a 1985 one at the top mentioning the filming ?’, I joked to my friend.

On reaching the top, the final shield was labelled ‘Today’, initially causing me to express mock annoyance, until my friend pointed out that this did indeed mention the ‘YSH’ filming.

 

 

We then made our way around the Castle, comparing screenshots, initially without success. My friend still recovering from the climb, I popped through a gate to see the back of the Castle, but ended up finding it difficult to find my way back. In the meantime, my friend had followed me, but found on his return that the gate had been locked behind him. I had managed to find my way out and even found the part of the Castle used in the film. I then managed to get to my friend and we made our way back to the front of the Castle.

 

   

Pausing for an ice-lolly and can of Coke for my friend to top-up his blood sugar levels, we then made our way to the side of the Castle used in the film, taking multiple photos.

     

Retracing our steps, we made our way back down to the car park, and having not gone into the Castle itself, I went into the next-door ‘Engine Yard Retail Village’ looking for souvenirs. In ‘The Duchess Gallery’, I purchased a thimble and key-fob with a painting of the Castle on (they didn’t have any postcards), getting the cost of the parking deducted from my total.

Having eaten our lunch in the car park, we drove on to our next port of call, Flintham Hall, in the village of Flintham just outside Newark, which was the location chosen to portray the lair of Charles Augustus Milverton (Robert Hardy) in Granada’s ‘The Master Blackmailer’.

The Manor of Flintham dates back to the 10th Century and by the late 13th Century it was owned by Sir John de Hose (Throsby 1790). His descendants, the Hoses, then the Husseys, owned Flintham until it was purchased by Richard Hacker in the 17th Century. The Hall in its present form is as remodelled by Thomas C Hine of Nottingham, in 1853/7 in an Italianate style, encasing earlier buildings on three sides and built of brick, partly rendered, and ashlar with hipped and gabled roofs. The lake was put in at this time and the lime avenue planted. The Hall is on the site of an older medieval and Jacobean house which was rebuilt in 1798, and faced in 1853/7 in Ancaster stone. The east front, a two-storey service wing incorporating part of the 17th Century house, has an off-centre late 20th Century Doric portico which now faces a blank wall which is the western boundary of the churchyard. The north front, c1798 with mid-19th Century embellishments, abuts part of the service wing and faces the stable yard.

Having finally found somewhere to park, we followed the directions of a local. Although it is not possible to visit the Hall itself, it is visible from nearby parkland. After a short walk down a track, we decided that we had gone wrong and returned to the main road through the village, making our way to a nearby church which abutted the wall enclosing the Hall. However, there was no way through, and so having checked if there was a way through higher up a side-road which there was not, we retraced our steps, and on my own this time, I made my way along the track again. Having continued for a further two minutes, the track turned a corner, and the Hall was visible to the right. Photos taken, I rejoined my friend.

    

Returning back to my friend’s home via Newark itself to look for bargains, we spent the evening of National Cinema Day watching Sherlockian films – starting with a Douglas Wilmer TV episode of ‘The Devil’s Foot’ (co-starring Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton), followed by ‘Basil The Great Mouse Detective’, and finally ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ with the flying machine scenes being a particular study.

The next day, I made my way home via London Anime & Gaming Con to meet Elsie Lovelock who voices Mary Morstan in the Anime of ‘Moriarty The Patriot’.

Sherlockian Sojourns #67: ‘The Cold, Bracing Atmosphere of the Peak Country’ (Part 2)

 

‘It is a peculiarly desolate plain’ – Sherlock Holmes   [PRIO].

 

Having previously visited a number of sites relating to ‘The Priory School’ in ‘Hallamshire’, it was time to try and visit the remaining ones. Therefore, ten months on from my previous sojourn, I met up with the same friend to attempt to do so. Having spent the night in Leeds having completed a mega-sojourn and seen an operatic version of ‘The Sign of Four’, I caught a train to Chesterfield. Having met up with my friend, we stopped briefly for breakfast, then made for our first location, Chatsworth House, the favoured location for the home of the Duke of Holdernesse, a twenty-minute drive away. It was also used in the 1984 Granada TV ‘The Priory School’, as the exterior of Holdernesse Hall, and also features in ‘The Master Blackmailer’ (1992) as the Earl of Dovercourt’s country house.  

Chatsworth is also thought to have been Jane Austen’s inspiration for Pemberley (Darcy’s home), and it has appeared as such in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (2005) and ‘Death Comes to Pemberley’ (2013), as well as having appearances in ‘Peaky Blinders’ (2014) and ‘The Duchess’ (2008).

As on our last visit, a special event (a Country Fair this time) was in full swing. However, we managed to park in the event car park, and get photos of the house and the bridge that appears in publicity photos from outside the event area.

    

‘At eleven o’clock next morning my friend and I were walking up the famous yew avenue of Holdernesse Hall. We were ushered through the magnificent Elizabethan doorway and into his Grace’s study’.   [PRIO] 

 

The next planned stop was Robin Hood’s Stride, a rock formation close to the village of Elton. It’s also known as Grain Tor or the Mock Beggars Mansion, as from a distance it looks like it has two chimneys. It was here in the Granada dramatisation of ‘The Priory School’ that Holmes and Watson find the body of the German Master, Herr Heidiger, and Holmes comments to Watson, "My dear fellow, you must be starving ! "  However, after another twenty minute drive we could not find a parking spot for the Limestone Way, the waymarked route across the Peak District National Park that has this rock formation on it.

We therefore moved onto our next stops, in the village of Ashover, where the School itself is believed to have been. After fifteen minutes we reached Gladwin's Mark Farm, attributed by the late Bernard Davies as the former site of the Priory School, where Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable was Headmaster and Lord Saltire a pupil. There not being an appropriate stopping place, we had to go further up the road to a point where we could turn round, then pulled up on a grass verge whilst I took my photos.

‘That evening found us in the cold, bracing atmosphere of the Peak country, in which Dr. Huxtable’s famous school is situated’.    [PRIO] 

 

Just behind the farm was Harewood Moor, which bears a striking resemblance to Lower Gill Moor where the German Master was murdered, as described in Watson’s account.

   

‘”Here there lies a grove of trees, marked as the ‘Ragged Shaw,’ and on the farther side stretches a great rolling moor,  Lower Gill Moor, extending for ten miles and sloping gradually upwards…. A few moor farmers have small holdings, where they rear sheep and cattle. Except these, the plover and the curlew are the only inhabitants until you come to the Chesterfield High Road”’  - Sherlock Holmes  [PRIO].

 

‘Suddenly, as I looked ahead, the gleam of metal caught my eye from amid the thick gorse bushes. Out of them we dragged a bicycle, Palmer-tyred, one pedal bent, and the whole front of it horribly smeared and slobbered with blood. On the other side of the bushes a shoe was projecting. We ran round, and there lay the unfortunate rider’.  [PRIO]

 

Continuing along the road, we reached Screetham House Farm, attributed by Bernard Davies as location of ‘The Red Bull Inn’, which he used to position The Priory School. The farm is on a corner, and we had to pull up a side road before finding a place that we could stop briefly, whilst I ran back to take photos.

    

‘”There is an inn here, the Red Bull, the landlady of which was ill. She had sent to Mackleton for a doctor, but he did not arrive until morning. The people at the inn were alert all night, awaiting his coming, and one or other of them seems to have continually had an eye upon the road”’ – Sherlock Holmes. [PRIO]

 

Back in the car, we made our way to Matlock, visiting a couple of cult TV shops, and two Harry Potter-themed shops, the first also having a Dalek and TARDIS on display.

We then drove the hour-and-a-half into Lincoln, where we visited a few more shops before making our way to our evening’s entertainment – Escape Lincoln’s ‘Sherlock: The Initiation’ Escape Room.

The room was in partial darkness which impacted on our reading of some of the clues and checking that we had completed locks correctly, but we managed to solve most of the riddles, gaining access to the 221b study, before running out of time with two riddles left. We then posed with cards decrying our failure.

Returning to my friend’s home, we had a reasonably early night as we had another sojourn planned for the next day.