Marlow & Moss' SIX follow-up, WHY AM I SO SINGLE? musical, heads to the West End

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 10:17am

‘Six’ Creators Announce Their Second Act - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow spent years working out how to follow their hit musical about Henry VIII’s wives. “Why Am I So Single?” is their answer.

Lucy Moss, left, and Toby Marlow, the creators of “Six,” said their new musical is “about friendship and love and loneliness and everything that goes with it.”

In January 2019, Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, the creators of the musical “Six,” were on a writer’s retreat in Connecticut, wondering how to follow up their celebrated first show.

That month, “Six” — in which Henry VIII’s wives tell their stories via pop songs — was starting a major West End run, and a Broadway transfer was on the horizon. The show had already been a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and a growing number of American fans were streaming the show’s soundtrack. More and more, people wanted to know what the pair would do next.

During the Connecticut retreat, they struggled to come up with new ideas, Marlow recalled in a recent interview, and instead gossiped about their love lives. Then, they had a breakthrough: “Maybe this is what we should write about,” Marlow said.

On Wednesday, Marlow, 29, and Moss, 30, announced that their second musical, “Why Am I So Single?,” will open at the Garrick Theater in London on Aug. 27.

The show, which has a 12-person cast, follows two friends struggling to write a musical and asking each other why they’re chronically single. That idea may sound similar to the creators’ time in Connecticut, but Moss, laughing nervously, said it was “definitely not a complete autobiography.”

Marlow said that the musical, which includes songs inspired by Dua Lipa hits and numbers from “Singin’ in the Rain,” was “about friendship and love and loneliness and everything that goes with it.”

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 12:47pm

I hope this is still running when I come back later this year!

[RW3]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 1:55pm

The song '8/Eight Dates' from today's press launch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2EiSZSlkQ

[susanphillips]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 11:42pm

RW3 said: "The song '8/Eight Dates' from today's press launch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2EiSZSlkQ minecraftle game"

Wow! It sounds so catchy. Love this!

 

[TalksAboutBruno]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 3:37am

Any words from the first previews? Really enjoyed the promo single they have been pushing.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 3:52am

TalksAboutBruno said: "Any words from the first previews? Really enjoyed the promo single they have been pushing."

I found the score to be very good overall and the two lead performances were strong. It’s funny, with laugh out loud moments all the way through. Act one goes at a nice pace and act two starts well but some real work needed to improve the pacing because act two drags and drags. They could do with cutting a good 10-15 minutes, some are either unnecessary or two long and they just couldn’t seem to find a way to finish it.

[binau]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 3:55am

I would say the early buzz seems mixed to negative sadly. 

[Neill Graham]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 9:58am

Guess I'll be waiting for Why Am I Still Single? next. Maybe that’ll have the answers we all need!

[BETTY22]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 10:31am

I am super excited about this...SIX was a joy!

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 10:44am

binau said: "I would say the early buzz seems mixed to negative sadly."

That’s what I’ve heard too. Which is a shame because I appreciate the gutsiness and originality of (semi)autobiographical musicals. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 11:42am

Haven't sen, but seems like they would benefit from a co-bookwriter and someone other than Moss directing. Different perspectives can be a good thing.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 11:50am

This officially opens tonight. 

[binau]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 1:23pm

Going to go on the weekend and will report back. Ticket very cheap and easy to come by - not a good sign. I will go in with an open mind as always, I did enjoy Six too. 

[Jmuep2]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 5:53pm

I saw this last night and the only two phrases I can use to accurately describe it are self-indulgent and long. Also, completely devoid of actual interesting drama. The whole thing felt like Marlow and Moss trying to do their version of A Strange Loop, but doing it very poorly. 

Part of what I think is so astounding about Six is it takes a flimsy premise and finds the perfect, concise way to tell the story without making it feel thin and it's the perfect length. This show is even flimsier and twice as long. And there was never a point where I actually cared about anything. Except it being over. 

There are only three named characters -- two leads and one supporting character. The supporting character, played by Noah Thomas, is the only one that stood out to me. Some of the music is good, but the lyrics were uninspired, with most songs just being some version of the f word over and over. 

I suspect this is going to be polarizing in terms of ages. The two young women beside me who seemed younger than 20 were 100% into it. The two women on the other side of me who seemed closer to 30 were less so.  The couple in front of me that were closer to 40 looked miserable.  

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 5:59pm

I'm going next month and have gone from excited to absolutely dreading it.

[inception]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 6:12pm

Sometimes it's good for hot shot young creatives to have epic failures & question whether they should go on with their careers.

Those with actual talent bounce back. 

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 7:08pm

London critic reviewed it for the New York Times (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/12/theater/why-am-i-so-single-review-london.html

"Crowd-pleasing — though ultimately somewhat vacuous"

"The performers carry the show with their exuberant stage presence and strong vocals...but they are ill served by the script. While the depictions of dating woe are relatable and fun, the story has nowhere to go. The show fades fast after the intermission, when the focus of the characters turns inward."

"The writers have tried to make a virtue of the show’s shortcomings, riffing on the musical’s conceptual flimsiness at various points. This might be cute in another context, but when you’re playing a hallowed venue like the Garrick, people expect a bit more polish."

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 7:51pm

I'm not feeling the chintzy title which sounds like one of those off-broadway kitsch musicals that ran in the aughts.  

[Bobster159]

Posted: 9/12/24 at 7:58pm

That NY Times review makes me want to see it more. Barekat doesn't seem to enjoy fun theater... He trashed Starlight Express and Stranger Things, both of which I found to be a lot of fun. A quick google would suggest plenty of critics with positive things to say. Frankly, this sounds a bit random to me, but the two songs they've released are good and I'm looking forward to seeing it on my next trip over.

[binau]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 2:38pm

Maybe having low expectations helps but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The score is catchy and fun, there are a number of clever lyrics. The second act is too long and maybe falls apart a little but not terrible. There is a really nice leading performance from Jo Foster. In a weird way the show is starting to feel a little old fashioned because I wonder if queer culture has been explored to death in recent years. I guess you have to get past the somewhat cringe idea of the whole thing and just try and enjoy it for what it is. 

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 6:21pm

I went and saw this tonight. I had a free evening and figured I’d see a show. I didn’t realize that the West End Sunday is Broadway Monday so it was slim pickings for an evening show. For 35£ I got a ticket in the balcony. I went into this totally blind but had enjoyed Six so figured I’d give it a try. 
 

This is very much a West End show. Most of the jokes are very West End/British centric and unlike Six I don’t see them translating for Broadway (if that is even a goal). I know with Six they changed some of the lyrics to make it work in the US but this might be tough as the British humour is embedded in the songs. 
 

Overall I thought the two leads were very good. The did great work with the material and played off of eachother very well. They have a chemistry which is vital for these roles. Jo Foster is very funny. Their comedic timing made the clever material even funnier. 
 

As for the music, it was kind of all over the place with genres which I could have done without.  I think the musical theatre type songs were actually pretty good but I could have done without a song about Disco balls (I get it wasn’t actually about a disco ball but I feel like they could have got the point in the show across in a different way). 
 

I agree with others in that some of the show was a little long. For me it was actually Act 1. I kind of wish they would have explored some of the themes from Act 2 a little bit more. It felt very surface level in that they didn’t really delve into anything and I kept thinking to myself when are they going to get the actually show going. 
 

I can’t really say much about the ensemble because to be honest I thought they were a bit detached from the show. They kind of felt like set pieces that danced every now and then. They are incredible dancers but I just wish there was more for them to do other than being curtains. 
 

overall it was a fun night at the theatre. Will I see it again? Doubtful but I’m glad I went. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 5:59pm

This has moved up its closing to January 19, following middling reviews. It will have run about six months.

It was originally announced to run through Feb 12 (and I'm sure they were hoping to continue extending).

[binau]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 3:12am

I will see it again before it goes - maybe it's not brilliant or innovative but I do like the score and enjoy the show. I would prefer it 100x over the disaster that was 'Opening Night" or sadly even prefer it over "A Face in the Crowd". 

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 2:47pm

I just saw this and while I won't say I hated it, I didn't exactly like it, either. The bones of a decent show are there but this just needed so much more work before being put out for the public. For a show custom made for Gen Z (I'm guessing) there's a lot in there that can resonate with anyone but you have to get through a bunch of pointless stuff to find it. I can't fault any of the shows problems with the performances, Leesa Tulley and Jo Foster are extremely talented and do their best with the material they're given but it can only take them so far. 

You can absolutely hear "Six" in this score which was frustrating to me because it just made me wish that's what I was watching. I truly hope what Marlow & Moss take from this is to "Edit, Edit, Edit". To paraphrase Coco Chanel, "Before you put on a musical, look in the mirror and take off one (or 4 songs)."

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 2:58pm

Me and my family found this the weakest out of all of the West End Live performances we saw this summer and decided to skip it as a result of that performance. My family loved SIX... but you could hear it all over this soundtrack. Like, melodies directly lifted. I agree, it made me wish I was watching SIX...