UNICORN

Garrick Theatre

★★★★

“Walker and Mangan are both wonderful in their roles, giving a natural performance that allows us to believe in everything they say”

The trigger warning in the publicity for Mike Bartlett’s new play, “Unicorn”, states that it ‘contains explicit content and scenes of a sexual nature, which some audience members may find intriguing’. A description that could be applied to the whole play. For it is, indeed, an intriguing and curious affair. Whether it’s an affair of the heart is debatable. ‘Debatable’ being the operative word – the flames of desire are often dowsed by too much discussion. Which is the crux. Bartlett is the master of dialogue and “Unicorn” mixes sharp humour with weighty matters; sometimes dark but lit up by its dazzling one-liners that are timed perfectly, even if the aim is a bit unsure of its target.

Polly (Nicola Walker) is having a drink with one of her writing students, Kate (Erin Doherty). The mutual attraction transcends the age gap and looks set to leap over the lecturer/student divide. The trouble is though, Polly is happily married to Nick (Stephen Mangan), and they share everything. Aha! Why not share the ‘girlfriend’ too. Kate is up for it. Cut to scene two in which Polly broaches the subject with Nick. The spark is supposed to have gone from their marriage, although it is hard to believe as the chemistry and affection between the couple are more than evident in their conversation and body language. Walker and Mangan are both wonderful in their roles, giving a natural performance that allows us to believe in everything they say. Nick is more reticent about the idea of a threesome but is spurred on by Polly’s persuasiveness, which is a neat segue into scene three – one of the highlights in which Nick meets Kate for the first time. Mangan’s beautifully portrayed awkwardness clashes with Doherty’s cheeky, Essex-accented bluntness. Our sympathies lie with the former.

The short scenes are punctuated with riffs of the old music hall song ‘Daisy Daisy (Bicycle Made for Two)’; a neat, tongue in cheek touch. Initially they are light and jazzy, slowly morphing into a more masculine, cockney version until a final punk arrangement points us in the direction of darker territory. Miriam Buether’s simple and stark sets place the action under an umbrella-like, fabric semi-dome. Yet it is the words that always speak louder than the action (a reverse of the old adage). There is very little action and by interval we are starting to wonder where it is all going.

The second act provides the answer, and some unexpected twists too. And with a more pronounced political metaphor leaking into the language the humour takes a bit of a back step. Time has moved forward, and the relationships have taken on a different dynamic. We find ourselves further losing sympathy with the character of Kate – the motif ‘bicycle made for two’ taking on more resonance. Doherty’s intricate portrayal captures this dichotomy excellently; torn between her arrogant, self-imposed right to be considered part of the family but up against decades of intimacy that the couple previously shared without her. It’s hard to fix a third saddle onto the bike.

Bartlett is tackling material that is not necessarily ground-breaking or new. But he does throw a couple of surprises at us. Cleverly constructed with ever-shortening scenes that shrink towards a quite poignant finale, it is nevertheless the execution (with credit to James Macdonald’s able direction) that truly carries the weight. A starry cast, yes, but stellar performances. They make a powerful and seductive threesome that we’d all like to jump into bed with. Metaphorically, of course!

UNICORN

Garrick Theatre

Reviewed on 13th February 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

WHY AM I SO SINGLE? | ★★★★ | September 2024

BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF | ★★★ | June 2024

FOR BLACK BOYS … | ★★★★ | March 2024

HAMNET | ★★★ | October 2023

THE CROWN JEWELS | ★★★ | August 2023

ORLANDO | ★★★★ | December 2022

MYRA DUBOIS: DEAD FUNNY | ★★★★ | September 2021

UNICORN

★★★★

“an incredibly fun, comedic and beautifully heart-warming show that everyone can enjoy”

Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s ‘Why am I So Single?’ debuts in the West End, following the writers’ extremely successful ‘Six’. This new musical cleverly follows a meta portrayal of the pair exploring the issues of their love life and by proxy their own personal issues. The two best friends – under the pseudonyms ‘Nancy’ and ‘Oliver’ – sit in Oliver’s flat after being given the task of writing their next big fancy musical, and after various discussions of their failed dates decide that’s what the musical should be about. Through the medium of many a big fancy musical number, the conclusion of their failed love lives is far more heart-warming than one would expect.

The show opens with its meta framing of the narrative, with the writers talking to us directly through the characters. They state that all stories in the show are based on true events but with all people given different names. Set designer Moi Tran and costume designer Max Johns deserve so much credit for the way the stage moves from having literal set pieces and then ensemble actors seemingly transition to replace them. This was extremely enjoyable to watch and added a lot of fantastic comedic elements – my favourite being whenever the leads interacted with the human rubbish bin. The whole design of the show makes you feel like you’re at a party throughout – with the lighting (Jai Morjaria) primarily being a mix of pink and purple washes that change in time with the music.

The performances throughout the show are stellar and every single cast member is extremely committed. The ensemble shine throughout in both their musical and comedic performances. A mention has to go to Noah Thomas who plays Artie – an extremely strong performance that showed care and empathy for the leads while also telling them the truth when they need to hear it. One of his numbers is also a fantastic tap routine and a great tap routine is always a pleasure to watch. But, of course, the stars of the show are Jo Foster as Oliver and Leesa Tulley as Nancy. Both are incredibly powerful artists and were a pleasure to watch on stage. Foster particularly shines in the number ‘Disco Ball’, where they really are giving the audience everything and it’s such a privilege to be able to see such beautiful vulnerability on stage. Tulley’s performance also shows off her incredible vocal range and talent, and her solo ‘Lost’ brought many people in the audience to tears.

One of my favourite numbers was ‘Meet Market’ – not only a great song with fantastic routines on stage, but also great commentary on the dehumanising nature of dating apps. There were some songs that I felt weren’t necessary and took focus away from the main plotline. The main one I took issue with was a song about a bee, which seemingly is only in the show for the sake of one word play based joke. Unfortunate because two and a half hours already feels quite long for this show, so when the number played at the end of Act 1, I did begin to get quite restless.

‘Why am I So Single?’ is an incredibly fun, comedic and beautifully heart-warming show that everyone can enjoy. Musical theatre millennial fans will particularly enjoy the many show references and referrals to Friends. And with the West End musical scene sticking with its theme of even more movie musicals, it’s great to see something new and fresh bringing heart and soul into the theatre.

Tag Archives: Garrick Theatre

UNICORN

★★★★

Garrick Theatre

UNICORN

Garrick Theatre

★★★★

“Walker and Mangan are both wonderful in their roles, giving a natural performance that allows us to believe in everything they say”

UNICORN

Garrick Theatre

Reviewed on 13th February 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner