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Heavy meta: Why am I So Single? @sosinglemusical

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Being young and single never seemed so fun, full of energy, yet full of contradictions in this high-concept meta-musical, Why Am I So Single? The fourth wall is not so much broken as endlessly pummelled as the cast talks directly to the audience. Frequently. But essentially, it’s about young people with neuroses and smartphone addiction exploring why they can’t find love in present-day London. Told with a series of spectacular songs and dance scenes in this new musical from the creators of Six, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. But while we don’t necessarily get an answer that rings true to the question posed by this show, you are likely to be distracted mainly by the energy and the songs. It’s currently playing at the Garrick Theatre.  A new musical based on an original idea, the premise is that Oliver (Jo Foster) and Nancy (Leesa Tulley) - which are not their real names but names taken from their favourite musical, Oliver - have to write a new musical but are stuck for an idea. So, after e

Talking pictures: Reputation @TheOtherPalace

In the dog eat dog world of new musicals, a brand new one has arrived at the studio space of The Other Palace. It’s about the dog eat dog world of writers and plagiarism during the switch from silent pictures to talkies. A story about a small-time hoodlum who passes off scripts as his sounds like an excellent premise for a show. And some good parts make up the show. But probably not enough to take this show further in its current form.

The good parts include the cast, which often high kicks and dances across the small stage. There’s Maddy Banks who plays Michelle. A young girl at a finishing school in France who spends her time in between learning how to be a proper lady writing her first screenplay. And Jeremy Secomb playing Freddy Larceny. A small-time crook, who passes off scripts as his own to Hollywood studios. And there’s Ed Wade as Archie the lawyer trying to trap Freddy in between making eyes for Michelle. Each of them have their moments throughout the piece.


Alas, Freddy Larceny is no Max Bialystock from The Producers. It would have been much more fun if he owed his success to little old ladies and stories of dubious quality. Secomb seems wasted in this role, spending a lot of time with his back to the audience sitting in a chair.

Michelle hasn’t written Springtime For Hitler either but instead some “Oscar-worthy” script, so that’s not much fun either. The piece seems to miss the potential that during the switch between silent movies and talking pictures, the quality of the work dived. Afterall people found it more novel to hear people talking crap over the sophisticated dialogue-free stories that had been created up to that point.

The music is tuneful and catchy, but the songs don’t move the story forward. And there’s too much interest in the love story over the other elements of the piece. But this piece seems to be a labour of love has had a long gestation period by writer/composer Alick Glass. Perhaps there’s time to shape it further into something more substantial.

With direction, musical direction and arrangements by Warren Wills, Reputation the Musical concludes its run at The Other Palace on 14 November.

⭐️⭐️

Photos by Donato

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