Why Am I So Single?: a 'sweet, silly and deceptively smart' show
Follow-up to the megahit Six is packed with 'powerhouse' tunes

How do you follow a megahit like "Six"? That's been the question facing Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss since their musical – a retelling of the fate of Henry VIII's wives, presented in the style of a pop concert – "took the world by storm" six years ago. Their answer, said Sarah Crompton on What's on Stage, is that you write about what you know. "Why Am I So Single?" is about two young writers – best friends and plainly based on Marlow and Moss – who are trying to write a musical while agonising about their unhappy love lives.
A warm, generous "hymn" to the joys of friendship, the show overflows with ideas. Not all of them land, and it lacks the broad appeal of "Six", but "it feels like a hit".
I was dubious about the meta-ness of the concept, and for the first few minutes "I wanted to bolt", said Nancy Durrant in The Observer. But "by the end of the titular opening number, I was all in". This is a "sweet, silly, deceptively smart and surprisingly moving show". It tackles its themes with "intelligence and wit", and is beautifully performed by Leesa Tulley, "exuding warmth" as Nancy, and Jo Foster as her non-binary friend Oliver.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The production is aimed squarely at "the girls, gays and theys", said Alice Saville in The Independent. "If that phrase sets your teeth on edge for any reason, this show definitely won't be your (appropriately bedazzled) bag." It's fun, but extremely lightweight, and it rather overstays its welcome; the endless callbacks and in-jokes are really "no substitute for a satisfying storyline".
"Why Am I So Single?" is not in the same league as "Six", agreed Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph. It certainly confirms the writers' talent, but "only fitfully attains the same charge".
What elevates the production is the score, said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian, which ranges from rap and disco to rock and musical ballad – via a "fabulous" tap number. "Every song is a powerhouse", even the "preposterous" Interlude in B Minor, about a bee in the pair's flat. But overall, one yearns for "less archness and greater momentum".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The new Gwada negative blood type
Under The Radar Rare discovery means a woman is the only person on the planet who's compatible solely with herself
-
June 29 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the AI genie, Iran saving face, and bad language bombs
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Feel the groove with these music-centric getaways across the globe
Let the rhythm move you
-
5 high-concept animated science fiction shows for grown-ups
The Week Recommends How filmmakers are using a different medium to bring visionary science fiction to life
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash
-
Lost Boys: a 'sobering' journey to the heart of the manosphere
The Week Recommends James Bloodworth examines the 'cranks and hucksters' making money through 'masculine discontent'