To a casual observer, the idea of love and rejection in a musical may be seen as a bit of an overplayed concept. It is not everyone's cup of tea to have two and a half hours spent watching a couple go through the motions until they reach their ultimate will-they-won't-they moment, before either something goes tragically wrong, or they reach their happily ever after.
This is why the musical "Why Am I So Single?" is a breath of fresh air. It actually encapsulates a lot of people's internal struggles around the dating world. It asks a lot of difficult questions, such as "Is it me, or is my perception of the very notion of love just so skewed?", or "Am I pushing love away on purpose, or is it my own behaviour, my own attitude, that's pushing other people away from me?"
The story is centered around Nancy and Oliver, and was penned by the same writers as the hit musical, "Six", Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. They are two best friends who are trying to write a musical about love, but end up reminiscing about their own dating failures, which leads them to trying to work out just why is that they are both so single?
The production itself was cleverly staged, with the ensemble members not only doing a lot of performing and reacting, but also doubling up as props, which was just a delightful and quirky touch to an equally delightful and quirky show. The show numbers were on two extremes, one end being absolute bops that lifted the entire theatre with a sense of community and joy, and then on the other end being absolute heart wrenching ballads that touched your very soul. At one stage there was even a song that, on paper, sounded like it was all going to be happy and joyful, but then actually unleashed a powerful internal struggle of one of the characters, the unravelling of which made the entire audience just thunder with applause when it reached the end, because you knew the message of the song, and you knew it would resonate with people not only on stage but in the audience as well.
I was lucky to have seen a preview of the show at Musical Con 2024, with the leads Jo Foster and Leesa Tulley, who both did an amazing job showcasing the songs "Why Am I So Single?" and "Just In Case" but when I saw the show later on that day, it was a treat to see an understudy take on the role of Oliver, and this was Jordan Cambridge-Taylor, who absolutely nailed their part. I saw an amazing chemistry between both pairings, and in both cases it felt like they had cultivated off stage a beautiful friendship, as it certainly manifested itself so purely on stage.
What I liked especially about the show is that it was playful when it needed to be, but when it came to delving into serious topics, such as around how queer and non-binary people navigate the world of dating, in a world that is too often unkind and uncaring, it went for those hard hitting lines, both in the music and in spoken words, that I think actually helped me understand a little more the different ways a person can be rejected, and what defenses a person has to rely on and build up to help navigate the cruelty of the world. I actually found myself holding my breath at times until it felt like a safe place to release and relax.
I have always thought a good musical theatre show makes you forget about the world but a really good musical theatre show makes you remember what the world really is, and what good and bad can bleed from it.
This was a delightful piece of theatre and one I hope extends its run so it brings hope and laughter to more people. For now, I will sign off by saying I hope if there's one thing theatre teaches people, is that love and acceptance are the best things we can bring to the world as human beings, and with the right people in our lives, the question is no longer "Why Am I So Single?" but "Why Am I So Lucky?"
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