★★★★

“a beautiful piece of theatre”

Headlining the Edinburgh musical theatre scene this season is the musical adaptation of One Day making its world premier at The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. With a stellar cast led by Jamie Muscato and Sharon Rose, this new adaptation of David Nicholls’ book is directed by Max Webster and, like many new shows of its type, begs the question: does everything need to be made into a musical?

One Day is a story about Em and Dex set over, you guessed it, one day. Across many years, that is. We first meet Em and Dex the day they graduate from university in, fittingly, Edinburgh on St Swithin’s Day 1988. Over the next couple of hours we follow these two characters through the trials and tribulations of their lives up until 2007. The plot weaves a delicious ‘will they won’t they’ relationship with beautiful moments of friendship and missed chances peppered throughout. If you don’t know the ending already I shan’t spoil it for you, but suffice to say make sure you pack your tissues.

The first thing you notice as you walk into the Lyceum is that they’ve completely done away with the stalls to create a bespoke, in-the-round setting. Audiences sit on the stage, as well as in a new seating bank facing out into the traditional auditorium. The staging is genius, and in a show all about human connection and the importance of living our lives to the fullest, Max Webster’s direction and Rae Smith’s set do a perfect job of inviting us in to share this story. The design elements across the board are excellent. Bruno Poet’s lighting design is dazzling; it at times paints a beautifully intimate portrait of two tethered souls and at others reaches out to fill the entire auditorium and make us part of the story. The retro costumes, ranging from almost painfully nostalgic 80’s hairstyles to 90’s Backstreet Boys style ‘cool’, are expertly crafted by Rae Smith. Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s choreography perfectly balances its effectiveness with its necessity; the ensemble are strong, and their movements carefully designed to enhance the emotions of the lead characters.

Sharon Rose and Jamie Muscato (sounding and looking almost uncannily like Hugh Grant in his Notting Hill era) portray an effortless, enchanting chemistry which is the bedrock of this show. While both employ soaring vocals throughout, it is their honest and heartfelt acting that win us over. Miracle Chance provides an endlessly energetic portrayal of Em’s friend, Tilly and Dan Buckley is hilarious as Ian, Em’s comedian partner-turned-ex. Indeed, the whole show is punctuated with moments of hilarity, some clearly designed specifically to tickle the Scottish crowd. The cast are all helped along by the fact that the book for this show is excellent. David Greig, who is Edinburgh born himself, does a fantastic job of pulling apart the complexities of these characters and winding a narrative that justifies the heartbreak and catharsis we experience at the end of their story.

The problem for this musical, unfortunately, lies in its music and lyrics (Abner & Amanda Ramirez and Jeremy Sams). The lyrics often feel weak compared to the strength of the book writing. The music seems to sit at an unnaturally high pitch for some of the actors and feels disjointed from the tone of the rest of the show. There are moments of gold, of course, but for major musical adaptation one couldn’t help but feel let down that the music itself did not support many of the major emotional moments of the show.

One Day is a beautiful piece of theatre which is bound to offer a sense of connection to anyone who watches it. With stunning design and performances, it is a debut not to be missed. It has, however, rendered itself a musical whose strength does not lie in its music.

OUTLYING ISLANDS

Jermyn Street Theatre

★★★★

“The subject matter never quite chills our bones, but the context is often unsettling”

The atmosphere hits you like a bracing offshore wind as you descend into the depths of the small basement on Jermyn Street. Anna Lewis’ set: a semi-submerged, semi-derelict stone chapel, creates the mood. Tragic and sepulchral, yet some sort of haven from the cruel elements that sweep the remote Hebridean shoreline outside. Its owner, Kirk, is just as rough-edged. Living alone with Ellen, his niece, they live in quiet captivity until two young, hapless ornithologists burst through the door – literally knocking it off its hinges. The impulsive, emotionally detached Robert, along with the more moral but anxious John have arrived to study the local bird life. It is the eve of World War II, so there is understandably a more sinister motive behind the survey that leaves them stranded on the isle for a month. Less understandable is the fact that the two young men seem somewhat unaware of the pretext. Whereas the isolated, cantankerous Kirk has all the gen. Fully aware that his outlying outcrop is scheduled to be the subject of a biological weapon experiment, he sees the dollar-signs stockpiling in his compensation package.

David Greig’s lyrical play draws you in to this small world. It is claustrophobic but the confines are torn, allowing us to see the wider issues. Little, though, is made of the encroaching anthrax experiment and instead we are watching the social and romantic entanglements as avidly as birdwatchers study our feathered friends’ behaviour. Humans are much more complicated. Greig knows this only too well and the poetry of his language teases out the characters’ serpentine layers with rich dialogue and haunting monologues. The standout performance is Whitney Kehinde’s Ellen. Timid and repressed she swiftly replaces her dour mantle with swathes of lust, as a new-found freedom from her uncle’s tyranny is tragically chanced upon. Kevin McMonagle is wonderfully charismatic as Kirk. Acerbic and unashamedly direct, he tries to keep Ellen like a caged bird but cannot control her mind. The stage lights up every time McMonagle fires his lines with a wry sense of humour and a Chekhovian dramatic irony.

Bruce Langley and Fred Woodley Evans, as Robert and John respectively, also manage to spin out the humour that runs alongside the poignancy. Deliberate echoes of Laurel and Hardy break the solemnity in a play that is difficult to categorise. The comedy is subtle, like the Mona Lisa smile. It disappears when you look directly at it. The ambiguity is sometimes overdone, though, and confusion starts to set in as the show coasts towards its climax in a tangle of charged eroticism. Despite the shifts in mood, Jessica Lazar’s assured direction evenly paces the action. Clever use of the intimate space sets clear indicators for the interior and exterior scenes, enhanced by David Doyle’s suggestive lighting which evokes the bleakness, and ignites warmth when needed. The subject matter never quite chills our bones, but the context is often unsettling.

Politically and philosophically the play throws up some interesting questions while rooting itself in a story about human relationships. Desire is a complex beast. The male characters are more at sea than Ellen. We wonder whether she is playing the two outsiders or whether her passions are genuine. We are certainly given time to contemplate – the play does stretch itself out. Not every character makes it to the end. But, thanks to the writing and the wonderful performances from the strong quartet of actors, the audience is kept in thrall right up to the closing moments.

Tag Archives: David Greig

ONE DAY THE MUSICAL

★★★★

Royal Lyceum Theatre

ONE DAY THE MUSICAL

Royal Lyceum Theatre

★★★★

“a beautiful piece of theatre”

ONE DAY THE MUSICAL

Royal Lyceum Theatre

Reviewed on 11th March 2026

by Kathryn McQueen

Photography by Mihaela Bodlovic

ONE DAY

ONE DAY

ONE DAY

OUTLYING ISLANDS

★★★★

Jermyn Street Theatre

OUTLYING ISLANDS

Jermyn Street Theatre

★★★★

“The subject matter never quite chills our bones, but the context is often unsettling”