Feel there is a lot to learn from this. Regardless of your own personal opinions on the show. It was a ballsy move to open straight to the West End. In one of the biggest houses. It really should be becoming more common to run out of town tryouts for stuff like this. The Edinburgh fringe would’ve been ideal. ALW’s Cinderella ran into the same problem. Let’s fix some of the teething issues shows have out of town, before they can make their truly glittering West End debut. There’s tons of potential here. Which is sad. But it just wasn’t realised to its full potential. Something like this, getting to play and change the show to audiences feedback for a slightly longer time, would’ve surely helped. If not the fringe, this would’ve been a huge hit somewhere like The Other Palace. At least for a limited 12 week run.
six originally ran at the edinburgh fringe as well, as a student-produced musical when lucy and toby were at cambridge uni, i totally agree a smaller run would have been much more appropriate
EVERYTHING YOU SAID!!! I feel like the accelerated development in the major market is killing shows. I can't help but contrast this to the lengthy development journey of Hadestown, which grew and changed as it moved around, and it had the freedom to evolve. SpongeBob had an extensive workshop period then ran in Chicago before hitting Broadway, right? I think this show happened too fast.
@@minirth.maggie I think this is absolutely key. Producers (mainly, let’s call a spade a spade!) but directors too. Seem to be ashamed to start off anywhere but the West End. With a clean slate. But if you look at the success of shows like Six or Mincemeat, that hasn’t been detrimental to their success. If anything, it’s bolstered it. Allowing them to debut on the West End as the best version of themselves they can be. Using non-west end audiences as their guinea pigs. This is especially true for comedy. It can work great in the writers room. It can play well for workshops. But you’ve gotta start seeing how larger audiences respond to it. And shape your material in tune to them. Why am I so single, feels are its core like the kind of show Marlow and Moss enjoy. And find funny. And that’s the peril of directing your own material. There’s no one in the room to say “Hey! Is this only funny, cause we’re in on the joke together? Or is this joke *actually* funny?”. It’s the kind of questions you can only answer with a tryout, or a smaller off west end starting point. We need to stop being ashamed of this. It actually helps shows out in the long run!
Show aside, as someone who lives outside of a London (who still is desperate to see this show) a trip to London these days is so expensive. Trains, travel, hotels, food and theatre tickets all amount to the cost close to a holiday abroad these days. It’s a price I can’t justify. It’s nothing to do with the shows for a lot of us, it’s to do with everything else around it. However, local theatre (Birmingham Hippodrome) is thriving. Shows are sold out months in advance, tickets are more reasonable that that of London theatres and it’s removes all the costs of travelling. If this show was to tour (as well as Cake) I think it would see great success. UK touring productions are thriving and I think newer productions should invest in them more maybe….
This is a really good point, I'm much more likely to take a risk on a new or niche show with a £30 ticket at The Alexandra when I can get there for less than a tenner.
Sadly, I’m not surprised. It was fun but the whole thing is very niche and seems more like a short-run show for fun than a piece with longevity. I’m happy it happened but bring on the next project!
I’m a millennial and I have to say I LOVED it! It gave me and my friends coming around for Prosecco and talking crap about our lives and what we want to do! I’m devastated it isn’t staying! When I went people in the bar and after were raving about it and found it so funny! I was screaming Olivier awards when I left I’m so so so shocked 😳
This reminds me a lot of how debut albums vs. sophomore albums are received because people have their whole lives to make a debut and then the sophomore album has the pressure and time constraints.
I was waiting for "Literally Bye" and "Discoball" to come out so badly to send it to everyone. Especially "Discoball" with the touching monologue in the middle - that would appeal to many on more levels than the songs released so far.. So sad, the show touched and entertained me - all the best to everyone who was involved!
Honestly... I never looked into this show because of the title and the branding. It didn't look like something I'd enjoy. Listening to you now - I wish I'd seen it, though am also oddly annoyed that the marketing left me out!
I don't know why, but the marketing had me thinking this was only really aimed at the younger demographic, but I really loved this show. Clever and such a talented cast.
True. I’m 42 and see most things, but this didn’t really appeal on the surface marketing so I didn’t bother. Plus in the West End, at a larger theatre you NEED to entice the tourists in town for a few days. They’re inevitably going to choose something else if given multiple choices.
I assumed that from the title alone, with the millennial use of the word "so". Its very expensive seeing shows so you don't need many reasons to not see one, whether justified or not.
Went to see it on Sunday. I live in North Lincolnshire and travelled down by train with my 22 year old granddaughter. Faultless production. Brilliant cast, very funny story line (no doubt with some truth behind it). Superb songs, brillaint band, excellent lighting design and flawless well balanced sound (and its not often I say that as a FOH sound tech myself !) ps. I'm 72 and get it completely. If I could, I would give it 10 stars.
I had no idea what it is about. Even at musicalcon the photo op of a sofa made me think of it being two people just chatting. All I knew was it was by the people that wrote six. One difference between why am I so single and hadestown photo ops at musicalcon, was Hades town gave out not only a flyer but my flower has a qr code on it that takes you to the website. Why am I so single picture and nothing given. I would see it if it does a uk tour, for me I struggle to get to London with my disability, musicalcon was tiring enough for 2 days. So uk tours is how I see the shows. My daughter loves six and we have seen the uk tour twice, with it being audition times for college for her we havent yet booked tickets for the new tour.
I agree it would've been a really big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and that could've helped them develop it. What's the "etiquette" with these things; could it come to the Fringe despite already being a West End show?
The marketing wasn't great. I think you said in your full review as well that you couldn't explain the concept in a short phrase, and I think it's accurate and a problem. How do you grasp a wider audience when you can't properly explain to them what your show is about and how it might relate to them? In new content, that is vital. If people don't know or understand the concept, they won't be willing to spend their money on something just for the kicks of it. It really looked to be bright and full of potential, but, honestly, it was rather too bold a move to go straight to a gigantic and expensive venue in the heart of West End at their first go with it. They should have experimented with that a bit more. I hope they can find a way around it.
I definitely think this show was crying out for a pre-West End tryout, there's a lot of great ideas and great material in there but it all ended up coming out a little messy and I think if they'd taken more time to work on it somewhere smaller, put it in front of more audiences and seen what worked and what didn't, been able to establish its identity a bit more and built up a bit more of a following before coming into the West End then it might have had a better chance of sticking around a little longer. I really feel for the incredibly talented cast and crew and everyone who worked on the show who will now be out of a job sooner than expected. I really hope it does have a future somewhere and that they are able to polish the material more in future runs!
Agree that the name really hurt it - it was really awkward to invite single friends to the show😅 eg Maxie we think you should see why am I so single , why is it cause I’m single ?? 😅😅😅
Really enjoyed this show but as many have said, it felt very much like a first draft. I also found it struggled at the Garrick being a big venue because with the focus being on two friends in their living room, it didn’t create much intimacy. When I saw it it looked like the top two tiers of the theatre weren’t even open
Can't watch the video yet as I'm at work but omg! I've been heartbroken since lunch when I saw it on Instagram 😞😞 can't wait to watch the video later... Also. Will be booking tickets to see it one last time.
I have to remind myself too that even The devil wears prada which you know has fricking Elton Johns name attached to it, so you’d think would be like a massive shoe in to just go straight in to the west end, went to Southampton for weeks before even transferring. But at least the WAISS producer like you said in the video has had the hindsight to say yeah maybe we should have done an off west end run first. I hope this isn’t the end of them. Maybe it can be scaled down, and put in a smaller venue for the future. 😊
For me personally (and maybe this is too harsh, I'm happy to be disproven) I hope the writers get more ambitious with the subject matter in their next piece. As you say, part of Six's success was its narrow scope and laser focus on one, high concept-- which makes sense for a student/ Fringe show and translates well internationally. It was also formally radical and I think that combination sold it. But I feel that WAISS is a small story that belongs to a shorter show, and writing something so autobiographical (which writers can tend to do in their second work) comes across as a little nervous and risks seeming trivial in marketing. What I mean is: this second musical by M&M is bigger in some ways (venue, length, # of cast members) but it also feels smaller, and like its subject matter can't fill the space. I just think they're talented enough to take on a more ground-breaking story with more gravitas/ stakes. And I kind of think that's what the West End demands of new material.
I've heard so many people say they left in interval, and others they stayed but hated it. So I'm really not surprised. Six is one of my faves and I've seen it twice. I also loved A Strange Loop, but I don't think it's one that would manage a long run. Also musicals always get standing ovations, I go to a lot of plays and they rarely do. But I never view it as meaning anything for a musical, it just seems a tradition now.
Thought the show was "too cute" and into itself. Not surprised that it's closing early. Feel it would appeal to a limited audience. Definitely for a younger crowd.
Completely agree with everything you said. I almost feel it didn't even need Edinburgh but just an off west end run would have really helped fine tune. I hope to see it again before it goes and im just longing for a full cast recording so I can enjoy singing along even more.
The Nuffield theatre had a new-build theatre in the Southampton cultural quarter, but it went bust in 2020 because of the pandemic. The Mayflower then bought the theatre and rebranded it to MAST Mayflower Studios, where it runs smaller and more indie shows as well as local amateur groups
Sad to see it close, I definitely think a off west end run would have helped why am I so single to grow word of mouth and for material to have perfected, the show deserves more life after this run
I feel like this show and its creators relied too heavily on the fact that it has a diverse cast and almost everyone is either not straight or queer in some way or another. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pro diversity too, of course, as we all should be; however, that, in and of itself, is not intrinsically interesting or a selling point. A show isn’t automatically good simply because every character is gay and diverse. I feel like the creators lost sight of that and thought that just hammering the fact of how diverse and queer the show is would automatically bring audiences in and forgot to actually develop a good show with good enough storytelling and compelling characters (diverse or not).
I saw WAISS? two weeks ago and was rather bemused by the show. It is a charming and emotionally moving musical with an exceptional cast, but it is far too long, and frustratingly both underdeveloped and over cooked. While I found it rather cute that the ensemble cast were playing furniture, it didn't really make any sense when they had such a lavish set design. It is only now that I know that they did this in the workshops out of necessity (as they had no set) does it make any sense, but, they either should have kept with the minimalist set design, or dropped the idea all together. Also, I did not get the point of the Bee song at all. It felt rather out of place when compared to the rest of the show. The whole time I was watching, I could not help but think that this was a rough/first draft and that they needed more time to develop and refine what they were trying to say with the piece. The ending and the change of attitude of one of the leads felt rather rushed, while the other's development got rather repetitive. I truly hope that they will take the time to workshop the piece (which it clearly needs) before heading to Broadway or back to the West End, as there is something very special here. This fact was made clear to me when a 20 something sitting next to me told her friend that she had seen the show four times already before it started and by the end, her friend was just as enamoured with the show as she was.
I feel the current situation with musicals is lack of creativity/originality and there seems to be 2 paths new musicals seem to go down. A movie adaptation/remake or a quick concert type event that’s designed to appeal to social media and an audience with short attention that would enjoy it until the next shiny new trend comes along. The depth, originality, story, musicality and connection seem to be lost. Musicals have become short lived trends that appeal to a majority of younger audiences with a limited scope of storytelling. The creation of iconic characters, music, themes, story and actors has been lost over recent years 😔 just my opinion 😊
Really sad to see this go. Death, taxes, and more shows having their runs cut way too short. Nothing but solidarity to the company, orchestra, crew, and theatre staff.
Need to add another message to this I was talking about going up to see a show soon with friends and when they saw this show just from the marketing they said “oh no, that doesn’t interest me. Why would I be interested in a show just about people who can’t stay in a relationship” so I think here in life the problem with the show is it marketing and title
I live in LA but was lucky enough to catch this brilliant show a month ago. I agree with your critique of it but also found enough there to love love love - the performances by all, music, and killer choreography. Really hope there will be a cast recording. I hope it’s not looked at as a failure and would love to see a Broadway transfer (with some major tweaks - like those bookended mask scenes - meh!). I’m wondering from your perspective if investors would likely shy away from this because of its short West End run. Thoughts?
I think the problem is most people are either: A) in a relationship or B) single and happy about it A very small minority of the population will relate to the “why am I so single?!” title and I think that alone and the marketing puts many people off. Had I not watched your review, I would have thought this show was all about young people desperate to date! 🤷🏻♀️ and that doesn’t sound fun or interesting in any way. I wonder if they could’ve chosen a better name for the show?
People who are in a relationship know what it's like to be single though so it's still relatable. Also a musical doesn't need to be relatable to be enjoyable to watch.
I agree the soundtrack should be accessible. I booked my ticket after listening to "Just in case", and got frustrated after the musical to only listen to Just in case, 8 dates cancelled and Why am I so single - so many other great songs we might never hear again...
Whilst I agree with your sentiment totally, I think you are perhaps not considering that a cast probably only comes together approximately 2 months before a show starts and spends pretty much every working hour rehearsing the show, so shoehorning the recording of the whole soundtrack in too during this time is extremely difficult. Yes the songs are so good that it would be great if people could have heard them all earlier, but realistically releasing all the songs is extremely difficult, expensive and very rare so we should be lucky that they got some things out so early. That said, if they are considering other venues in the future for the show, I would definitely advise using the remaining time they have with this cast to get all or as much of it as possible recorded to help any future release. The music and lyrics are frankly streets ahead of almost anything available to audiences currently.
Has any musical ever toured student union's? This show feels like it would catch that demographhic, build word of mouth etc but also playing smaller spaces like a 300 seater auditorium. Even a short tour in big uni cities - manchester, liverpool, newcastle, Edinburgh etc..
Since it was briefly brought up in the video and is a new musical the curious case of Benjamin button is one of the best things I've seen and I highly recommend anyone going to see it
It's frustrating and sad as this show has so much potential and deals with such important issues (grief, early parental loss, attachment theory, LGBT shame etc.) and also contains a chorus tap number! I hope they can re-work it and sort out the marketing and maybe bring it back to a smaller venue - it felt a bit lost in the Garrick and would have been better suited to Arts, Other Palace...
The Nuffield unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore, it went into administration during Covid. Whilst the ‘campus’ theatre fully closed, the ‘city’ theatre that used to be the Nuffield is now run by our big touring venue the Mayflower as a producing theatre called the MAST (Mayflower Studios).
I physically gasped when I saw this title. Thank you for telling me otherwise i would have no clue. This is so sad I really hope we get a cast recording though. I expected a full run for at least two years and even a broadway transfer. This would have won oliviers though . Poor Toby and Lucy 😢
Happened to be in London and IMMEDIATELY booked tickets after hearing of its closing. I thought it was absolutely phenomenal but, as others have noted, very niche and almost too witty to draw in large audiences over a sustained period of time.
Just watched it and it basically promises the viewer in the first few minutes in its 4th wall break that it's kinda going to suck as it is made up on the fly - unfortunately, it delivered on that promise. It felt like a big budget production to a high school theatre kid script
I'm going to the matinee on the 19th but I only decided I wanted to see it after Musical Con. Before that I had a different idea about what it was and wasn’t sure enough to travel to London so definitely think it was an issue with it being difficult to market for such a big theatre
I think basing a show on relatability and then honestly focussing in on a pretty slim section of society was pretty wrong headed. From the marketing outside the Garrick it looks to be a queer show for queer people only, and that's fine (I just thought to myself, hey it's not made for me, I know some people who probably will like it) but it will reduce the total audience, as evidenced. Also seemed to skew very young, so it's a filter through a filter of a potential audience. That's why a smaller theatre would have been better. Pack in the people it's aimed at. Maybe a small theatre in a pink part of town, then those going clubbing could make it the first part of a night out. Market it that way. The makers were very much in danger of being high on their own supply for them to call a show relatable and base it on themselves too. I think the show at best will only work really as a cult show for that specific audience (and there's nothing wrong with things being cult, do not misread me on that) where as SIX works for all sorts of people, who like pop, history, comedy, all sorts of ages and genders (much like & Juliet). I think that's why SIX kicked all kinds of ass and Why am I so Single has not.
Maybe you are right and clearly there is a disconnect, which needs to be explored, but then there is Rocky Horror Picture Show or Rent, both huge but similarly niche too....
@@grebsilluap9132 I wouldn't say quite as niche in marketing though. I think Rocky horror endured is somehow being a cult hit growing into the mainstream partly by virtue of penetrating as a midnight movie, popular rock and roll (everyone has heard the timewarp somewhere) and the iconography too. The name implies a good time. Rent, I honestly think it's the songs there. You rarely hear anyone say how likeable the characters are (to the point one is a dog killer) and outwardly the identification aspect isn't such and issue, it's more sold on the show as a whole. That I can tell anyway. Where as you see the posters outside the theatre of Why am I so single, and a lot of people aren't really going to care. Not that low stakes alone are a problem, but it just looks like a sugar headache if you're not on board with the idea in the first place, all sparkles and mugging to camera.
I saw this show recently. I had an amazing time at the show and enjoyed it more than I expected and everyone on stage was great. It’s a great show, I think it just struggles to find a hardcore fan base.
The marketing made it seem like its just a show about dating culture and like their target audience is 16-23 year olds. They really hurt their own success imo
I go to a lot of shows - way more than I could afford to go to if I were paying top dollar for my tickets - so I am a little selective about what I pay higher prices for. I fancied this but a good seat was a pretty expensive punt for a cold opened show. I was waiting to see how it went. I'd still go but I am not sure I'd want to pay 80 quid for a seat for it, to be quite honest. I get that it is expansive to put a show on in the west end - maybe they could have taken a leaf out of the Benjamin Button book and given it an off west end run first and gained a bit of a following. That worked for Six too of course.
Such a shame to see this go so soon! I really enjoyed the show, the cast were all amazing, and such a banging soundtrack. I do agree that it would have benefitted from some more workshopping before going straight to the West End, and it could have been tightened up a bit, but it’s still a real loss for it to end so suddenly
Pretty sure I wasn't the target audience but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the music was just so catchy. Would have loved to catch it again before it closes.
The 1st act was decent although some songs where genuinely boring however the 2nd act was so dull I tuned out and just wanted it to end... "Tremendous word of mouth" I've literally told everyone I know that loves theatre to not go see this and go see Mincemeat instead 🤷
I think this show could benefit from a US run similar to Six. Starting in Chicago or even LA would be great for the show to tweak it before a potential Broadway run.
It's a shame it's closing as I would have loved to have seen it (was planning our first visit to London in 2027). To be fair I wasn't expecting it to still be playing then, but an early close is disappointing. I agree that maybe they overestimated the lightning-in-a-bottle success of Six, and that it took a different path/build-up. Hopefully it has a future playing shorter runs in smaller theatres. And I hope a smaller producer picks it up here in Australia so I can see it - maybe like a Hayes Theatre in Sydney.
I saw Six in a 2300 capacity theater in Oklahoma and it was amazing. I don't understand why M&M wouldn't follow that model with this musical. Six not only toured around the UK, it did the cruise ships, and i think the availability of videos from different sources was the best thing that could have happened for Six. I've never seen a musical where I've had access to SO MANY PERFORMERS playing the same parts, and the unique genius of Six allowing each performer and setting to bring their own interpretation to the character was so welcome. It's so odd to see the same creators just breeze through all that development and refinement time. I don't know why they did it, if it was confidence or cockiness or maybe just too good a chance to turn down, but it seems the show wasn't ready. I so hope they learn from this and come back strong with a new project with a lengthy development schedule. ❤
I think the project was made for them not for everyone else kinda like a passion project and since they are now very rich from six they dont have to create something that has to be successful
Was a very niche show and a hard sell with peoples hard earned cash, you want to know what you are going to get and I don't think this looked like its story was strong enough from the outside looking in, you could tell they were struggling by the amount of promo that was being done during the run so this isn't a shock tbh
Any chance youll do a video on BTTF early closing on Broadway? I know you've talked about west end and Broadway relationships to ip based shows but it'd be an interesting video to go more in depth on it. The difference between the two is fascinating.
Why didn't they change the title to better reflect the musical elements of the main protagonists, perhaps with a non-photographically based poster, e.g., sillouette/cut-out forms to demonstrate the professional writing roles of the main characters, alongside hints of being personally single? This would lend a touch of mystery and hark back to classic musical days, while being notable amongst today's marquees and would solve the issue of lesser-known performers. BTW, does every performance of a musical now get a standing ovation each night? (In the past, this was the exception.) If so, it is hardly an indicator of an outstanding experience.
Most of them will get at least a partial one, so I guess it depends on how you define it. From my (fairly limited) perspective, all or most of the audience standing is still somewhat rare
@@londongirl2768 Thank you for your observation. I think this situation should be the norm, with a full standing ovation rightly reserved only for truly outstanding performances.
It felt like it was marketed at teenagers, same demographic as Heartstopper, who don't tend to have the cash to spend on going to the theatre. A show like this would have done really well somewhere like the Clapham Grand instead of straight to the West End. I personally wasn't keen on seeing it because I didn't enjoy Jo's performance in & Juliet.
I think also the show’s title might be a bit off putting. A huge portion of the market is couples on date night, and it doesn’t seem like something they’d be on board with without prior knowledge (unfortunately)
It’s sad that the show didn’t have a long run. I didn’t see it as it didn’t really connect with me. However it would be good to have Giant do a West End run. It’s gotten great reviews but it’s sold out at the Royal Court 😢
I haven’t seen it, I probably won’t have a chance before it closes unfortunately but having seen your review video for it before, do you think the fact that it went straight into a theatre without having a progression like six did, ie a smaller venue to work out kinks, maybe an off west end etc might have caused its demise? Or do you think it’s other factors?
I feel like because six was a cultural shift in musical theatre, it was going to be hard to make another show like that, why am I so single was not set up for success like six was. also this show is not anything new, that’s why it was never going to have its longevity.
i was a tourist in london recently and i saw a couple shows, i chose not to see this one. the only song i had heard was about people complaining about online dating, and listening to people complain about online dating in real life is sooo annoying and stressful so i figured it would be an equally annoying and stressful show. i also hate plays about plays and i think a lot of people feel the same way
I’ve just seen it and I have very mixed feelings. As someone who adores Six (it was sold out for pretty much 4 weeks when it came to Sheffield and the early access sale had over 100 people in the queue as soon as the tickets dropped), I thought this was nowhere near good. The songs are not catchy and some have rather poor rhyming, and the pacing really dips in the second act with a lot of stagnation and going over and over the same things (I got very very bored in the last 20 or so minutes). They have tried to Fleabag through the show but neither breaking the 4th wall nor sad single 30 year olds make for an original story. The saving grace was the outstanding performance of the cast, they have done their absolute best with the material they were given.
I think every show is going to be improved by multiple workshops/smaller runs where they can find their footing and make improvements. That’s how good shows become great shows. I agree they definitely went too big too fast.
I think the marketing did it in because it just seems going by the promotion and music, I’ve heard like X complaining about X relationships with female best friend. And as Mickey says the poster and the name makes it seem like some form of reality TV show. If it wasn’t for Mickey’s, review, I wouldn’t even know it was about them writing a play.
Ditto. I still don't feel that I understand what the heck it was (I'm in the US). It bring full of Friends references is extremely off-putting (I hate that show) but I wonder if playing that up in the marketing would have helped give the show an identity.
I vividly remember looking at a poster on teh tube and outright dismissing that i would be interested in it. Judging from this video thought it’s an entirely different show from what i thought
Hopefully this is just Marlow & Moss's "sophomore slump". It looks like a great show, but from the bits I've seen online and the description it seems almost autobiographical for the creators and more specific and perhaps less generally appealing than the source material of SIX. This is totally a show written for regional and college theaters so I imagine it will do well there. SIX is similarly structured as a tiny show and as as MickeyJo describes was "workshopped" and polished a whole lot more so it might have been a bit of a fluke with vitality on it side that it blew up so much and this new show is still a diamond in the rough.
This always seemed like it would be a disaster. I think so much of it speaks of the disconnect between 'theatre people' and the general public buying tickets. This was a sixth form/fringe show gone way too far. Far too knowing and far too self indulgent.
tbh it looked to me like everything i hated about Six, with none of the good points. I think Six was the right musical and the right time to get far more popular and successful than it otherwise might have, and expecting that success again was such a misstep, particularly with a way more boring concept. finding out it went straight to the West End is insanity, and i'm not surprised it closed - a smaller start and time to improve the show probably would have worked better for them imo...
Was really disappointed in this show ,said at the time it wouldn't run for long,its got no chance against mincemeat, Benjamin Button, ect so many better shows out there
The marketing, the logo images, were sh*t. It needed acute editing, but it was very well directed, these people can write songs. It was a good show. A slight bit of navel-gazing, yes. But should have grabbed a younger audience.
I think the show had a very millennial and progressive musical that audiences tend to be slightly older and maybe it didn’t hit that demographic that same way shamefully
@@wildorangesI’m 20, in London, queer, and very into theatre and the marketing still didn’t make me want to see it, because it felt to stereotypical and commercial. I think they really messed up the marketing for this one
So I’m in Melbourne Australia and we’ve just had SIX play here and everyone I know was telling me to go see it and how much I’d love it… well I did… and I didn’t .. I understand how people would love it… but It just wasn’t something I enjoyed.. 80 minutes.. I believe it should have been advertised as a music experience… but I don’t believe it’s a musical… just my 2cents… I hate hearing about any show closing sooner than anticipated…. Very sad
Because why am I single is closed the west end, I think it's the cost of the money or a tough decision so the next west end musical after why am I single show woud be burlesque the musical at the garrick theatre london after Manchester
Just my personal opinion, but I would imagine I’m in the target audience for this show, and from the very first clip I saw on TikTok, I thought it looked really cringe. Just the way that the song was being sung, the lyrics and lack of ‘wow’. I feel like the marketing should have been way different and people would have been more engaged with it. If the score is really good, highlight that! Plus, it feels too niche. Shows like Six and ETAJ resonate with young, queer people (especially ETAJ), but it’s still appealing to a wider range of people and has become a bit of a staple for a ‘theatre day out’ across a wide range of demographics.
The show was engineered for a specific demographic (young and diverse), by people of that demographic, was sold to that demographic in its advertising style, and is beloved by that demographic. It's appeal is NOT diverse, in fact it even appears to exclude so many that usually fill seats, it looks ageist. A fancy big musical it may be but I did not fancy the tone of its message nor the casting, talented though they were. It's a nice little fringe show, overblown, overstuffed with too many goodies for the kids. Six was entirely different, its subject had wide appeal, its presentation impressed all generations. Single is just too single-minded, a home party for the young ones while their parents eat out elsewhere. It's a musical whinge, whinging on behalf of those who want to see themselves represented on stage. So many of the songs are great, are fun, but they welcome only a limited audience who are least likely to afford tickets. The night I saw the show, the audience were hysterical, but this is the West End and there are more of me than there are them so the financial future does not look great. Take Single back to the fringe, cut it by a half, win more friends (as you can and will) but never take them for granted.
Feel there is a lot to learn from this. Regardless of your own personal opinions on the show. It was a ballsy move to open straight to the West End. In one of the biggest houses. It really should be becoming more common to run out of town tryouts for stuff like this. The Edinburgh fringe would’ve been ideal. ALW’s Cinderella ran into the same problem. Let’s fix some of the teething issues shows have out of town, before they can make their truly glittering West End debut. There’s tons of potential here. Which is sad. But it just wasn’t realised to its full potential. Something like this, getting to play and change the show to audiences feedback for a slightly longer time, would’ve surely helped. If not the fringe, this would’ve been a huge hit somewhere like The Other Palace. At least for a limited 12 week run.
six originally ran at the edinburgh fringe as well, as a student-produced musical when lucy and toby were at cambridge uni, i totally agree a smaller run would have been much more appropriate
EVERYTHING YOU SAID!!! I feel like the accelerated development in the major market is killing shows. I can't help but contrast this to the lengthy development journey of Hadestown, which grew and changed as it moved around, and it had the freedom to evolve. SpongeBob had an extensive workshop period then ran in Chicago before hitting Broadway, right? I think this show happened too fast.
@@Voiliciayes yes yes!
@@minirth.maggie I think this is absolutely key. Producers (mainly, let’s call a spade a spade!) but directors too. Seem to be ashamed to start off anywhere but the West End. With a clean slate. But if you look at the success of shows like Six or Mincemeat, that hasn’t been detrimental to their success. If anything, it’s bolstered it. Allowing them to debut on the West End as the best version of themselves they can be. Using non-west end audiences as their guinea pigs. This is especially true for comedy. It can work great in the writers room. It can play well for workshops. But you’ve gotta start seeing how larger audiences respond to it. And shape your material in tune to them. Why am I so single, feels are its core like the kind of show Marlow and Moss enjoy. And find funny. And that’s the peril of directing your own material. There’s no one in the room to say “Hey! Is this only funny, cause we’re in on the joke together? Or is this joke *actually* funny?”. It’s the kind of questions you can only answer with a tryout, or a smaller off west end starting point. We need to stop being ashamed of this. It actually helps shows out in the long run!
@@lewispowell6015I agree with all of this!
Show aside, as someone who lives outside of a London (who still is desperate to see this show) a trip to London these days is so expensive. Trains, travel, hotels, food and theatre tickets all amount to the cost close to a holiday abroad these days. It’s a price I can’t justify. It’s nothing to do with the shows for a lot of us, it’s to do with everything else around it.
However, local theatre (Birmingham Hippodrome) is thriving. Shows are sold out months in advance, tickets are more reasonable that that of London theatres and it’s removes all the costs of travelling.
If this show was to tour (as well as Cake) I think it would see great success. UK touring productions are thriving and I think newer productions should invest in them more maybe….
This is a really good point, I'm much more likely to take a risk on a new or niche show with a £30 ticket at The Alexandra when I can get there for less than a tenner.
Sadly, I’m not surprised. It was fun but the whole thing is very niche and seems more like a short-run show for fun than a piece with longevity. I’m happy it happened but bring on the next project!
I’m a millennial and I have to say I LOVED it!
It gave me and my friends coming around for Prosecco and talking crap about our lives and what we want to do! I’m devastated it isn’t staying!
When I went people in the bar and after were raving about it and found it so funny!
I was screaming Olivier awards when I left I’m so so so shocked 😳
This reminds me a lot of how debut albums vs. sophomore albums are received because people have their whole lives to make a debut and then the sophomore album has the pressure and time constraints.
I was waiting for "Literally Bye" and "Discoball" to come out so badly to send it to everyone. Especially "Discoball" with the touching monologue in the middle - that would appeal to many on more levels than the songs released so far.. So sad, the show touched and entertained me - all the best to everyone who was involved!
Honestly... I never looked into this show because of the title and the branding. It didn't look like something I'd enjoy. Listening to you now - I wish I'd seen it, though am also oddly annoyed that the marketing left me out!
I don't know why, but the marketing had me thinking this was only really aimed at the younger demographic, but I really loved this show. Clever and such a talented cast.
True the marketing does look like for a younger demographic. I doubt an older generation going to London for the day would resonate with it.
Im turning 30 and the marketing made it seem like its aimed at 16-23 heartstopper crowd so i didnt go to see it.
True. I’m 42 and see most things, but this didn’t really appeal on the surface marketing so I didn’t bother. Plus in the West End, at a larger theatre you NEED to entice the tourists in town for a few days. They’re inevitably going to choose something else if given multiple choices.
I assumed that from the title alone, with the millennial use of the word "so". Its very expensive seeing shows so you don't need many reasons to not see one, whether justified or not.
Went to see it on Sunday. I live in North Lincolnshire and travelled down by train with my 22 year old granddaughter.
Faultless production. Brilliant cast, very funny story line (no doubt with some truth behind it). Superb songs, brillaint band, excellent lighting design and flawless well balanced sound (and its not often I say that as a FOH sound tech myself !)
ps. I'm 72 and get it completely. If I could, I would give it 10 stars.
Noooo!!! 😢 I absolutely loved it. Waiting for the full playlist to be put on Spotify. The cast were all amazing
I had no idea what it is about. Even at musicalcon the photo op of a sofa made me think of it being two people just chatting. All I knew was it was by the people that wrote six.
One difference between why am I so single and hadestown photo ops at musicalcon, was Hades town gave out not only a flyer but my flower has a qr code on it that takes you to the website. Why am I so single picture and nothing given.
I would see it if it does a uk tour, for me I struggle to get to London with my disability, musicalcon was tiring enough for 2 days. So uk tours is how I see the shows. My daughter loves six and we have seen the uk tour twice, with it being audition times for college for her we havent yet booked tickets for the new tour.
I agree it would've been a really big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and that could've helped them develop it. What's the "etiquette" with these things; could it come to the Fringe despite already being a West End show?
The marketing wasn't great. I think you said in your full review as well that you couldn't explain the concept in a short phrase, and I think it's accurate and a problem. How do you grasp a wider audience when you can't properly explain to them what your show is about and how it might relate to them? In new content, that is vital. If people don't know or understand the concept, they won't be willing to spend their money on something just for the kicks of it. It really looked to be bright and full of potential, but, honestly, it was rather too bold a move to go straight to a gigantic and expensive venue in the heart of West End at their first go with it. They should have experimented with that a bit more. I hope they can find a way around it.
I definitely think this show was crying out for a pre-West End tryout, there's a lot of great ideas and great material in there but it all ended up coming out a little messy and I think if they'd taken more time to work on it somewhere smaller, put it in front of more audiences and seen what worked and what didn't, been able to establish its identity a bit more and built up a bit more of a following before coming into the West End then it might have had a better chance of sticking around a little longer. I really feel for the incredibly talented cast and crew and everyone who worked on the show who will now be out of a job sooner than expected. I really hope it does have a future somewhere and that they are able to polish the material more in future runs!
Agree that the name really hurt it - it was really awkward to invite single friends to the show😅 eg Maxie we think you should see why am I so single , why is it cause I’m single ?? 😅😅😅
Really enjoyed this show but as many have said, it felt very much like a first draft. I also found it struggled at the Garrick being a big venue because with the focus being on two friends in their living room, it didn’t create much intimacy. When I saw it it looked like the top two tiers of the theatre weren’t even open
Can't watch the video yet as I'm at work but omg! I've been heartbroken since lunch when I saw it on Instagram 😞😞 can't wait to watch the video later... Also. Will be booking tickets to see it one last time.
I have to remind myself too that even The devil wears prada which you know has fricking Elton Johns name attached to it, so you’d think would be like a massive shoe in to just go straight in to the west end, went to Southampton for weeks before even transferring. But at least the WAISS producer like you said in the video has had the hindsight to say yeah maybe we should have done an off west end run first.
I hope this isn’t the end of them. Maybe it can be scaled down, and put in a smaller venue for the future. 😊
For me personally (and maybe this is too harsh, I'm happy to be disproven) I hope the writers get more ambitious with the subject matter in their next piece. As you say, part of Six's success was its narrow scope and laser focus on one, high concept-- which makes sense for a student/ Fringe show and translates well internationally. It was also formally radical and I think that combination sold it. But I feel that WAISS is a small story that belongs to a shorter show, and writing something so autobiographical (which writers can tend to do in their second work) comes across as a little nervous and risks seeming trivial in marketing. What I mean is: this second musical by M&M is bigger in some ways (venue, length, # of cast members) but it also feels smaller, and like its subject matter can't fill the space. I just think they're talented enough to take on a more ground-breaking story with more gravitas/ stakes. And I kind of think that's what the West End demands of new material.
Chris klegg actually done so well with that logo and I love how it’s simplistic but not just boring
I've heard so many people say they left in interval, and others they stayed but hated it. So I'm really not surprised.
Six is one of my faves and I've seen it twice.
I also loved A Strange Loop, but I don't think it's one that would manage a long run.
Also musicals always get standing ovations, I go to a lot of plays and they rarely do. But I never view it as meaning anything for a musical, it just seems a tradition now.
Wouldn’t be surprise if it’s Here & Now the Steps Musical that have there west end debut at the Garrick in February
Thought the show was "too cute" and into itself. Not surprised that it's closing early. Feel it would appeal to a limited audience. Definitely for a younger crowd.
Just because you have money doesn’t mean you should open at a large theatre on the west end…
Completely agree with everything you said. I almost feel it didn't even need Edinburgh but just an off west end run would have really helped fine tune.
I hope to see it again before it goes and im just longing for a full cast recording so I can enjoy singing along even more.
I'll definitely be seeing this when I go to London in December.
Hope you enjoy!
Admittedly just skimmed the title while scrolling and was like, “is Mickey ok? Does… is this a dating advice video… OH RIGHT 😂”
The Nuffield theatre had a new-build theatre in the Southampton cultural quarter, but it went bust in 2020 because of the pandemic. The Mayflower then bought the theatre and rebranded it to MAST Mayflower Studios, where it runs smaller and more indie shows as well as local amateur groups
I've just bought tickets today to see it in a few weeks time after watching them at MusicalCon.
Sad to see it close, I definitely think a off west end run would have helped why am I so single to grow word of mouth and for material to have perfected, the show deserves more life after this run
I feel like this show and its creators relied too heavily on the fact that it has a diverse cast and almost everyone is either not straight or queer in some way or another. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pro diversity too, of course, as we all should be; however, that, in and of itself, is not intrinsically interesting or a selling point. A show isn’t automatically good simply because every character is gay and diverse. I feel like the creators lost sight of that and thought that just hammering the fact of how diverse and queer the show is would automatically bring audiences in and forgot to actually develop a good show with good enough storytelling and compelling characters (diverse or not).
This is such a shame. I saw it last weekend and really enjoyed it. I have been listening to the few songs they've released since then none stop
Brilliant stuff! Love the idea of showing it at The Other Palace. Zizi Srallen to star, too!
I saw WAISS? two weeks ago and was rather bemused by the show. It is a charming and emotionally moving musical with an exceptional cast, but it is far too long, and frustratingly both underdeveloped and over cooked.
While I found it rather cute that the ensemble cast were playing furniture, it didn't really make any sense when they had such a lavish set design. It is only now that I know that they did this in the workshops out of necessity (as they had no set) does it make any sense, but, they either should have kept with the minimalist set design, or dropped the idea all together. Also, I did not get the point of the Bee song at all. It felt rather out of place when compared to the rest of the show.
The whole time I was watching, I could not help but think that this was a rough/first draft and that they needed more time to develop and refine what they were trying to say with the piece. The ending and the change of attitude of one of the leads felt rather rushed, while the other's development got rather repetitive.
I truly hope that they will take the time to workshop the piece (which it clearly needs) before heading to Broadway or back to the West End, as there is something very special here. This fact was made clear to me when a 20 something sitting next to me told her friend that she had seen the show four times already before it started and by the end, her friend was just as enamoured with the show as she was.
I feel the current situation with musicals is lack of creativity/originality and there seems to be 2 paths new musicals seem to go down. A movie adaptation/remake or a quick concert type event that’s designed to appeal to social media and an audience with short attention that would enjoy it until the next shiny new trend comes along. The depth, originality, story, musicality and connection seem to be lost. Musicals have become short lived trends that appeal to a majority of younger audiences with a limited scope of storytelling. The creation of iconic characters, music, themes, story and actors has been lost over recent years 😔 just my opinion 😊
Really sad to see this go. Death, taxes, and more shows having their runs cut way too short. Nothing but solidarity to the company, orchestra, crew, and theatre staff.
Need to add another message to this I was talking about going up to see a show soon with friends and when they saw this show just from the marketing they said “oh no, that doesn’t interest me. Why would I be interested in a show just about people who can’t stay in a relationship” so I think here in life the problem with the show is it marketing and title
I live in LA but was lucky enough to catch this brilliant show a month ago. I agree with your critique of it but also found enough there to love love love - the performances by all, music, and killer choreography. Really hope there will be a cast recording. I hope it’s not looked at as a failure and would love to see a Broadway transfer (with some major tweaks - like those bookended mask scenes - meh!). I’m wondering from your perspective if investors would likely shy away from this because of its short West End run. Thoughts?
I think the problem is most people are either:
A) in a relationship
or
B) single and happy about it
A very small minority of the population will relate to the “why am I so single?!” title and I think that alone and the marketing puts many people off.
Had I not watched your review, I would have thought this show was all about young people desperate to date! 🤷🏻♀️ and that doesn’t sound fun or interesting in any way.
I wonder if they could’ve chosen a better name for the show?
People who are in a relationship know what it's like to be single though so it's still relatable. Also a musical doesn't need to be relatable to be enjoyable to watch.
damn i was hoping it would last longer than february since i won't be able to get to london before that :( sad to see it close even sooner
I agree the soundtrack should be accessible. I booked my ticket after listening to "Just in case", and got frustrated after the musical to only listen to Just in case, 8 dates cancelled and Why am I so single - so many other great songs we might never hear again...
Whilst I agree with your sentiment totally, I think you are perhaps not considering that a cast probably only comes together approximately 2 months before a show starts and spends pretty much every working hour rehearsing the show, so shoehorning the recording of the whole soundtrack in too during this time is extremely difficult. Yes the songs are so good that it would be great if people could have heard them all earlier, but realistically releasing all the songs is extremely difficult, expensive and very rare so we should be lucky that they got some things out so early. That said, if they are considering other venues in the future for the show, I would definitely advise using the remaining time they have with this cast to get all or as much of it as possible recorded to help any future release. The music and lyrics are frankly streets ahead of almost anything available to audiences currently.
Has any musical ever toured student union's? This show feels like it would catch that demographhic, build word of mouth etc but also playing smaller spaces like a 300 seater auditorium. Even a short tour in big uni cities - manchester, liverpool, newcastle, Edinburgh etc..
Since it was briefly brought up in the video and is a new musical the curious case of Benjamin button is one of the best things I've seen and I highly recommend anyone going to see it
It's frustrating and sad as this show has so much potential and deals with such important issues (grief, early parental loss, attachment theory, LGBT shame etc.) and also contains a chorus tap number! I hope they can re-work it and sort out the marketing and maybe bring it back to a smaller venue - it felt a bit lost in the Garrick and would have been better suited to Arts, Other Palace...
The Nuffield unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore, it went into administration during Covid. Whilst the ‘campus’ theatre fully closed, the ‘city’ theatre that used to be the Nuffield is now run by our big touring venue the Mayflower as a producing theatre called the MAST (Mayflower Studios).
I physically gasped when I saw this title. Thank you for telling me otherwise i would have no clue. This is so sad I really hope we get a cast recording though. I expected a full run for at least two years and even a broadway transfer. This would have won oliviers though . Poor Toby and Lucy 😢
Oh no, I didn't realize they hadn't done a cast recording yet!
Happened to be in London and IMMEDIATELY booked tickets after hearing of its closing. I thought it was absolutely phenomenal but, as others have noted, very niche and almost too witty to draw in large audiences over a sustained period of time.
I went to see it, it was self indulgent in an uncharming way
that's the impression i got from the marketing - very offputting.
Just watched it and it basically promises the viewer in the first few minutes in its 4th wall break that it's kinda going to suck as it is made up on the fly - unfortunately, it delivered on that promise.
It felt like a big budget production to a high school theatre kid script
I'm going to the matinee on the 19th but I only decided I wanted to see it after Musical Con. Before that I had a different idea about what it was and wasn’t sure enough to travel to London so definitely think it was an issue with it being difficult to market for such a big theatre
I think basing a show on relatability and then honestly focussing in on a pretty slim section of society was pretty wrong headed.
From the marketing outside the Garrick it looks to be a queer show for queer people only, and that's fine (I just thought to myself, hey it's not made for me, I know some people who probably will like it) but it will reduce the total audience, as evidenced.
Also seemed to skew very young, so it's a filter through a filter of a potential audience. That's why a smaller theatre would have been better. Pack in the people it's aimed at. Maybe a small theatre in a pink part of town, then those going clubbing could make it the first part of a night out. Market it that way.
The makers were very much in danger of being high on their own supply for them to call a show relatable and base it on themselves too.
I think the show at best will only work really as a cult show for that specific audience (and there's nothing wrong with things being cult, do not misread me on that) where as SIX works for all sorts of people, who like pop, history, comedy, all sorts of ages and genders (much like & Juliet).
I think that's why SIX kicked all kinds of ass and Why am I so Single has not.
i won't lie, as a queer woman it didn't even look like it was for me either. One for straight women and queer men/enbies tbh.
Maybe you are right and clearly there is a disconnect, which needs to be explored, but then there is Rocky Horror Picture Show or Rent, both huge but similarly niche too....
@@grebsilluap9132 I wouldn't say quite as niche in marketing though. I think Rocky horror endured is somehow being a cult hit growing into the mainstream partly by virtue of penetrating as a midnight movie, popular rock and roll (everyone has heard the timewarp somewhere) and the iconography too. The name implies a good time.
Rent, I honestly think it's the songs there. You rarely hear anyone say how likeable the characters are (to the point one is a dog killer) and outwardly the identification aspect isn't such and issue, it's more sold on the show as a whole. That I can tell anyway.
Where as you see the posters outside the theatre of Why am I so single, and a lot of people aren't really going to care. Not that low stakes alone are a problem, but it just looks like a sugar headache if you're not on board with the idea in the first place, all sparkles and mugging to camera.
I saw this show recently. I had an amazing time at the show and enjoyed it more than I expected and everyone on stage was great. It’s a great show, I think it just struggles to find a hardcore fan base.
The marketing made it seem like its just a show about dating culture and like their target audience is 16-23 year olds. They really hurt their own success imo
I go to a lot of shows - way more than I could afford to go to if I were paying top dollar for my tickets - so I am a little selective about what I pay higher prices for. I fancied this but a good seat was a pretty expensive punt for a cold opened show. I was waiting to see how it went.
I'd still go but I am not sure I'd want to pay 80 quid for a seat for it, to be quite honest.
I get that it is expansive to put a show on in the west end - maybe they could have taken a leaf out of the Benjamin Button book and given it an off west end run first and gained a bit of a following.
That worked for Six too of course.
Ah, you have just made my last point in the video.
That's such a good point! Six was in that little theatre at Leicester Square, and was really cheap for the first couple of years.
I wish I could see more limited run shows but getting to London is so expensive I have to plan it like 3 months in advance and can only book 2-3 shows
Such a shame to see this go so soon! I really enjoyed the show, the cast were all amazing, and such a banging soundtrack. I do agree that it would have benefitted from some more workshopping before going straight to the West End, and it could have been tightened up a bit, but it’s still a real loss for it to end so suddenly
I’m seeing this show on Wednesday
Pretty sure I wasn't the target audience but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the music was just so catchy. Would have loved to catch it again before it closes.
The 1st act was decent although some songs where genuinely boring however the 2nd act was so dull I tuned out and just wanted it to end... "Tremendous word of mouth" I've literally told everyone I know that loves theatre to not go see this and go see Mincemeat instead 🤷
I think this show could benefit from a US run similar to Six. Starting in Chicago or even LA would be great for the show to tweak it before a potential Broadway run.
I need to see it before it closes
I agree with your opinion , it should not care about number or awards at the end of the day
It finishes the day after my birthday 😭 Might need to go again
I went to see this show a few weeks ago was amazingly good. So sad for they cast as they were so good
It's a shame it's closing as I would have loved to have seen it (was planning our first visit to London in 2027). To be fair I wasn't expecting it to still be playing then, but an early close is disappointing. I agree that maybe they overestimated the lightning-in-a-bottle success of Six, and that it took a different path/build-up.
Hopefully it has a future playing shorter runs in smaller theatres. And I hope a smaller producer picks it up here in Australia so I can see it - maybe like a Hayes Theatre in Sydney.
I saw Six in a 2300 capacity theater in Oklahoma and it was amazing. I don't understand why M&M wouldn't follow that model with this musical. Six not only toured around the UK, it did the cruise ships, and i think the availability of videos from different sources was the best thing that could have happened for Six. I've never seen a musical where I've had access to SO MANY PERFORMERS playing the same parts, and the unique genius of Six allowing each performer and setting to bring their own interpretation to the character was so welcome.
It's so odd to see the same creators just breeze through all that development and refinement time. I don't know why they did it, if it was confidence or cockiness or maybe just too good a chance to turn down, but it seems the show wasn't ready. I so hope they learn from this and come back strong with a new project with a lengthy development schedule. ❤
I think the project was made for them not for everyone else kinda like a passion project and since they are now very rich from six they dont have to create something that has to be successful
Was a very niche show and a hard sell with peoples hard earned cash, you want to know what you are going to get and I don't think this looked like its story was strong enough from the outside looking in, you could tell they were struggling by the amount of promo that was being done during the run so this isn't a shock tbh
I do hope 42 Balloons makes it into the West End - I think it could easily emulates SIXes success.
I love Six but there’s just something about Toby Marlow that I don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it but they just rub me the wrong way.
Any chance youll do a video on BTTF early closing on Broadway? I know you've talked about west end and Broadway relationships to ip based shows but it'd be an interesting video to go more in depth on it. The difference between the two is fascinating.
Ah Garrick, the theatre where what on earth the shows are, you just know 9 times out of 10 that show ends up exactly as you expect.
Please do a video on back to the future and why it’s closing on Broadway in January
Why didn't they change the title to better reflect the musical elements of the main protagonists, perhaps with a non-photographically based poster, e.g., sillouette/cut-out forms to demonstrate the professional writing roles of the main characters, alongside hints of being personally single? This would lend a touch of mystery and hark back to classic musical days, while being notable amongst today's marquees and would solve the issue of lesser-known performers. BTW, does every performance of a musical now get a standing ovation each night? (In the past, this was the exception.) If so, it is hardly an indicator of an outstanding experience.
Even ALW talks about the OSO (Obligatory Standing Ovation) back in the 70s, so it's not a new thing.
Most of them will get at least a partial one, so I guess it depends on how you define it. From my (fairly limited) perspective, all or most of the audience standing is still somewhat rare
@@londongirl2768 Thank you for your observation. I think this situation should be the norm, with a full standing ovation rightly reserved only for truly outstanding performances.
It felt like it was marketed at teenagers, same demographic as Heartstopper, who don't tend to have the cash to spend on going to the theatre. A show like this would have done really well somewhere like the Clapham Grand instead of straight to the West End. I personally wasn't keen on seeing it because I didn't enjoy Jo's performance in & Juliet.
I think also the show’s title might be a bit off putting. A huge portion of the market is couples on date night, and it doesn’t seem like something they’d be on board with without prior knowledge (unfortunately)
It’s sad that the show didn’t have a long run. I didn’t see it as it didn’t really connect with me. However it would be good to have Giant do a West End run. It’s gotten great reviews but it’s sold out at the Royal Court 😢
I haven’t seen it, I probably won’t have a chance before it closes unfortunately but having seen your review video for it before, do you think the fact that it went straight into a theatre without having a progression like six did, ie a smaller venue to work out kinks, maybe an off west end etc might have caused its demise? Or do you think it’s other factors?
@@FLAVEEARR that and other factors.
@@MickeyJoTheatre Yh I think you’re right. It’s such a shame.
I feel like because six was a cultural shift in musical theatre, it was going to be hard to make another show like that, why am I so single was not set up for success like six was. also this show is not anything new, that’s why it was never going to have its longevity.
i was a tourist in london recently and i saw a couple shows, i chose not to see this one. the only song i had heard was about people complaining about online dating, and listening to people complain about online dating in real life is sooo annoying and stressful so i figured it would be an equally annoying and stressful show. i also hate plays about plays and i think a lot of people feel the same way
I saw it and completely forgot after 15 minutes they were writing the story during the show
I’ve just seen it and I have very mixed feelings. As someone who adores Six (it was sold out for pretty much 4 weeks when it came to Sheffield and the early access sale had over 100 people in the queue as soon as the tickets dropped), I thought this was nowhere near good. The songs are not catchy and some have rather poor rhyming, and the pacing really dips in the second act with a lot of stagnation and going over and over the same things (I got very very bored in the last 20 or so minutes). They have tried to Fleabag through the show but neither breaking the 4th wall nor sad single 30 year olds make for an original story. The saving grace was the outstanding performance of the cast, they have done their absolute best with the material they were given.
I think every show is going to be improved by multiple workshops/smaller runs where they can find their footing and make improvements. That’s how good shows become great shows. I agree they definitely went too big too fast.
I know you liked it but i also know sooo many ppl who found it an absolute nothing burger, with nowhere near enough plot for how long it was
I think the marketing did it in because it just seems going by the promotion and music, I’ve heard like X complaining about X relationships with female best friend. And as Mickey says the poster and the name makes it seem like some form of reality TV show. If it wasn’t for Mickey’s, review, I wouldn’t even know it was about them writing a play.
Ditto. I still don't feel that I understand what the heck it was (I'm in the US). It bring full of Friends references is extremely off-putting (I hate that show) but I wonder if playing that up in the marketing would have helped give the show an identity.
I vividly remember looking at a poster on teh tube and outright dismissing that i would be interested in it. Judging from this video thought it’s an entirely different show from what i thought
It was / is a DREADFUL show!!! I left at the interval as did many others!!!
Hopefully this is just Marlow & Moss's "sophomore slump". It looks like a great show, but from the bits I've seen online and the description it seems almost autobiographical for the creators and more specific and perhaps less generally appealing than the source material of SIX. This is totally a show written for regional and college theaters so I imagine it will do well there. SIX is similarly structured as a tiny show and as as MickeyJo describes was "workshopped" and polished a whole lot more so it might have been a bit of a fluke with vitality on it side that it blew up so much and this new show is still a diamond in the rough.
This always seemed like it would be a disaster. I think so much of it speaks of the disconnect between 'theatre people' and the general public buying tickets. This was a sixth form/fringe show gone way too far. Far too knowing and far too self indulgent.
tbh it looked to me like everything i hated about Six, with none of the good points. I think Six was the right musical and the right time to get far more popular and successful than it otherwise might have, and expecting that success again was such a misstep, particularly with a way more boring concept.
finding out it went straight to the West End is insanity, and i'm not surprised it closed - a smaller start and time to improve the show probably would have worked better for them imo...
Sad to see this one go. It was a funny, queer and bubbly musical! Definitely need to go back before it closes.
So sad 😢
Was really disappointed in this show ,said at the time it wouldn't run for long,its got no chance against mincemeat, Benjamin Button, ect so many better shows out there
Gutted 😢
The marketing, the logo images, were sh*t. It needed acute editing, but it was very well directed, these people can write songs. It was a good show. A slight bit of navel-gazing, yes. But should have grabbed a younger audience.
I think the show had a very millennial and progressive musical that audiences tend to be slightly older and maybe it didn’t hit that demographic that same way shamefully
Im a 29yo and the marketingn made me think it was for the 16-23 yo crowd 😬
@@wildorangesI’m 20, in London, queer, and very into theatre and the marketing still didn’t make me want to see it, because it felt to stereotypical and commercial. I think they really messed up the marketing for this one
So I’m in Melbourne Australia and we’ve just had SIX play here and everyone I know was telling me to go see it and how much I’d love it… well I did… and I didn’t .. I understand how people would love it… but It just wasn’t something I enjoyed.. 80 minutes.. I believe it should have been advertised as a music experience… but I don’t believe it’s a musical… just my 2cents… I hate hearing about any show closing sooner than anticipated…. Very sad
Because why am I single is closed the west end, I think it's the cost of the money or a tough decision so the next west end musical after why am I single show woud be burlesque the musical at the garrick theatre london after Manchester
Marketing it with the Ross and Rachel song would already bring sooooo many millennials to the theater!
Just my personal opinion, but I would imagine I’m in the target audience for this show, and from the very first clip I saw on TikTok, I thought it looked really cringe. Just the way that the song was being sung, the lyrics and lack of ‘wow’. I feel like the marketing should have been way different and people would have been more engaged with it. If the score is really good, highlight that! Plus, it feels too niche. Shows like Six and ETAJ resonate with young, queer people (especially ETAJ), but it’s still appealing to a wider range of people and has become a bit of a staple for a ‘theatre day out’ across a wide range of demographics.
Maybe they should write memorable music for musicals instead of bland unmemorable songs
Your hair grows really fast. Impressing this unhappily bald short guy.
The show was engineered for a specific demographic (young and diverse), by people of that demographic, was sold to that demographic in its advertising style, and is beloved by that demographic. It's appeal is NOT diverse, in fact it even appears to exclude so many that usually fill seats, it looks ageist. A fancy big musical it may be but I did not fancy the tone of its message nor the casting, talented though they were. It's a nice little fringe show, overblown, overstuffed with too many goodies for the kids. Six was entirely different, its subject had wide appeal, its presentation impressed all generations. Single is just too single-minded, a home party for the young ones while their parents eat out elsewhere. It's a musical whinge, whinging on behalf of those who want to see themselves represented on stage. So many of the songs are great, are fun, but they welcome only a limited audience who are least likely to afford tickets. The night I saw the show, the audience were hysterical, but this is the West End and there are more of me than there are them so the financial future does not look great. Take Single back to the fringe, cut it by a half, win more friends (as you can and will) but never take them for granted.