Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss’ new big fancy musical WHY AM I SO SINGLE? is heading to the West End Garrick Theatre from Tuesday 27th August 2024. From the multi-award-winning writers of SIX,Toby Marlow&Lucy Moss, comes their all-new, highly anticipated second musical,WHY AM I SO SINGLE?This Big Fancy Musical follows two besties through the ups, and mostly downs, of their dating lives in the era of Tinder (and Bumble and Grindr and Hinge and Feeld). This musical extravaganza about love, dating, friendship–and bees–explores the weird and wonderful hilariousness of being single.
A celebration of friendship and love, WHY AM I SO SINGLE?asks how two super interesting, super cool, super fun pals could possibly still be single?!? This extraordinary and totally unexplainable situation faced by our fabulous duo is made even more complicated by the fact that, on a completely unrelated note, they also need to find a really great topic for their next musical.
We interviewed Jordan Cambridge-Taylor, who is the alternate for Oliver, one of the leads of the show and here is everything you need to know.
What shall we expect to see in this new musical?
You should expect to see glitz, glam – the full nine yards. With countless bops and a really gorgeous story.
Do you have any similarities in real life with the character you are playing?
There are so many similarities between myself and the character I’m playing, as soon as I read the script it felt as if I were reading verbatim past conversations with my besties.
How do you describe the new musical “Why am I so single” and what does it mean to you?
I would describe WAISS as everything you could want in a musical. It’s giving fringe humor with flavours of Bridget Jones, Marilyn Monroe and Jason Derulo. Which I certainly everything I’d enjoy at the theatre!
How does it feel for you to work with the writers of SIX the Musical?Is the pressure high?
Working with Toby and Lucy is honestly a dream come true. As a huge fan of ‘SIX’ – I found it hard not to fangirl all the way through my audition process. They are so caring towards the whole company and it creates such a lovely space to work in. The pressure of putting on a brand new musical in the west end is going to be a given, but as both creatives and the company I feel like we are so grounded and it really helps relive any stress that there could be. The other actors in this show are some of the kindest and most open people I’ve worked with! And I can’t begin to explain how wonderful it is to be in such a multi-faceted company. As a Non-Binary performer, it is sometimes very easy to feel like there isn’t a place for you in this industry – especially Musical Theatre. So, to be in a company in which that is not just accepted, but celebrated is honestly a breath of fresh air.
What has been the most difficult part of this show for you?
The most difficult part of the show for me so far is definitely the sheer amount of text, songs and intricate details that are needed to make your way through the show smoothly. This score is like no other, honestly! The range that is needed is immense, from classic Broadway numbers to a 2000s club anthem and everything in between. So definitely that.
What have you enjoyed the most?
I have enjoyed getting to live my absolute fantasy. If you’d have asked me a few years ago what my dream role was (aside from Elphaba in Wicked) I wouldn’t have been able to give you an answer. Or I would simply say “It hasn’t been written yet,”. But this role has given me the opportunity to do more than I could have asked for in one part. It’s really amazing what Toby and Lucy have been able to achieve with my character in particular. I think a lot of people will resonate with them, especially LGBTQI+ audiences.
How is the story of this musical relevant to each one of us?
The story is relevant to all of us because this is a universal story of love, hilarity and friendship. It’s something I know my friends and I would love to watch together. Without giving too much away and also sounding too gushy! (Ew, emotions!). I have never felt more seen by one piece of art. Not just theatre. Art. And that is very special. Not just to be seen but to be the protagonist in a story on such a big scale is something we don’t get very often. Especially in the current political climate. To get this kind of representation is absolutely bloody brilliant – if I do say so myself!
YASS Magazine 