Review Roundup: 50 FIRST DATES: THE MUSICAL at the Other Palace

The new London musical 50 First Dates, is now playing at The Other Palace until 16 November 2025.   The new musical stars Georgina Castle as Lucy Whitmore, an artist with short-term memory loss and Josh St. Clair as Henry Roth, the commitment-phobe who falls in love with her, in the lead roles made famous by Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the 2004 beloved romantic comedy film of the same name.

He’s falling for her every day—she’s forgetting him every night. When notorious bachelor Henry meets art teacher Lucy, he thinks he’s finally found “the one”. Until the next morning when she wakes up with no memory of their first date…

Based upon the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture, 50 First Dates, with screenplay by George Wing; 50 First Dates: The Musical has book, music and lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen and is directed by multi-Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw. The production has set and costume design by Fly Davis, lighting design by Aideen Malone, projection design by George Reeve, sound design by Adam Fisher, wig, hair and make-up design by Cynthia De La Rosa, orchestrations and arrangements by Matthew Jackson and musical supervision and musical director is Richard Beadle. See what the critics are saying here...

Louise Penn, BroadwayWorld: This musical of 50 First Dates tones down a lot of the crude humour found in the film, and produces a very safe piece of entertainment. It's an accomplished work on the whole which should attract fans of the rom-com genre or feel-good musicals in general.

Chris Wiegand, The Guardian: But while the Curious Case musical dug deep into the mysteries of time, 50 First Dates is more confined by its concept and never packs enough emotional punch. That’s partly because the book by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen can be bland and their songs breezily enjoyable, without a heart-wrenching number that does justice to the pain at the story’s centre. Nevertheless, there are two genial leads with fine voices: Georgina Castle lights up the stage as always and Josh St Clair convincingly handles Henry’s switch from obnoxious playboy to caring partner.

ZiWen Gong, Theatre & Tonic: Overall, while the production does contain emotions that audiences can connect with, the pacing feels a bit rushed, as if a string of content has been crammed into a 1 hour and 40 minute runtime, missing out on many opportunities to add depth and authenticity. That’s not to say there aren’t merits to this work, but it’s a bit of a pity. With such a great film as its foundation, and a bit more refinement, it could have become a much more emotionally resonant story.

Katelyn Mensah, RadioTimes: Perfectly weaved throughout the musical is the love each and every character has for one another, whether it be romantic or platonic, or sometimes misconstrued when it comes to Henry's manager, Delilah, played hilariously by Natasha O'Brien (Mamma Mia!). The Other Palace makes the perfect location for 50 First Dates, with the staging and projections adding to the warm and cosy feeling the story omits.

Average Rating: 65.0%