Theatre Review: Single White Female @ The Regent

Review by Dave Stringer

The original Single White Female was a film from the 1990s that became a cult classic that has lived well beyond the sell-by date. Rebecca Reid has taken the concept of the original film and brought it right up to date.

Now set in the Uk, it tackles the difficulties faced by a single mum in a world of sexting, social media influence and even Ozempic.

Allie (Anna Ruben) is horrified to learn that her ex Sam (Jonny McGarrity) has met a much younger new partner while in rehab and is now expecting a child. He tells his former wife that the child maintenance will be halved – could he actually do that in real life??? – and this throws Allie into panic mode particularly as the couple’s daughter Bella (Amy Snudden) has all of the needs for designer clothing that the modern teenager craves so as not to be shamed by her peers.

Business colleague Graham (Andro) comes to the rescue with a plan. With a spare bedroom in the flimsily built new build, there is room for a lodger. It takes just a short while before what seems an ideal flatmate pops up on the website and Hedy (Kym Marsh) quickly becomes a part of the household.

Hedy is on the surface a kind and caring companion but she gradually sheds her layers of skin to reveal the deranged monster that lies within. Allie finds herself gradually absorbed by her new flatmate and ignores Graham’s warnings. Hedy gets inside her landlady’s skin by wearing her clothes, taking control of her daughter’s lifestyle and even seducing her former husband. Things are clearly not going to end well but will someone be able to ride to the rescue before Hedy’s plans see Allie pay the ultimate price for allowing the increasingly off-kilter Hedy to invade her space?

For the most part this is a tightly-knit psychological thriller and the tension is built up inexorably as Allie fails to understand what is happening to her and her family. The audience is generally kept rapt by the action and progress of the production and there are many opportunities provided by the lighting and sound from Designers Jason Taylor and Max Poppenheim to have the onlookers shuffling nervously in their seats or to react with nervy laughter.

However, Director Gordon Greenberg is quite prepared to meddle with the audience’s minds and veer away from a traditional thriller. The Director is happy for the action to become melodramatic and farcical at times and the audience reacted positively.

Marsh is to be congratulated for a barnstorming portrayal of a woman with a twisted mind and worked hard to develop an onstage chemistry with her co-stars. Snudden played a perfect part as the teenager unable to cope with life in the wild west of social media.

Sadly, the male characters have only cameos to play. Andro does well with the comedic parts of his script but I am confused with the part of Sam. I think that we were supposed to dislike him for being an alcoholic and vain person who thinks nothing of his ex but actually came across as a father who was doing his best to care for a daughter who was treading the wrong path. McGarrity did well with a script that gave him few opportunities to truly develop his character.

There were also production problems. The cast were almost inaudible in the opening act as there was obviously a problem with the sound system and the set – beautifully designed by Morgan Large – fitted the adjective flimsy to a T (watch out for the wobbly skyscape through the window).

Overall, though, the audience left the auditorium in delighted mood with the seduction scene choreographed by Kaitlin Howard particularly well received. Will this updated production become a n cult classic of its own? Maybe not but it does provide a good evening for those who like their drama to be full of tense twists and turns.

The play has a running time of approximately two hours including interval and continues its run until Saturday May 30^th. For ticket information contact atgtickets.com/stoke