Interview: 'I'm So Glad We Took The Time Over It': MY DAD WROTE A PORNO's James Cooper on LOVESTUCK: A NEW COMEDY MUSICAL
'It feels like the whole theatre is working towards this project.'
By: Kat Mokrynski Jun. 17, 2025
Lovestuck: A New Comedy Musical is a musical that was inspired by the true story of a woman getting stuck in her date’s toilet window. Why did she get stuck, you might ask? She was trying to retrieve poo trapped between two windows, which she had attempted to throw out the window after the toilet wouldn’t flush. Quite the first date story and a very unexpected start for a musical, but writer James Cooper has created exactly that, with the show opening at Stratford East.
We had the opportunity to chat with James Cooper, who wrote the book and lyrics for Lovestuck. We discussed what it’s been like to work in the theatre industry for the first time, what it’s been like to create for a variety of mediums and what he hopes audiences take away from this new musical.
So starting with a bit of a general question, how did you first get started in the world of theatre?
Well, I've done a bit of everything over the years! I was a TV producer for ten years, and then Jamie [Morton], Alice [Levine] and I did a podcast called My Dad Wrote A Porno. I've always been a bit of a self-starter, creatively. Porno was very much a project that we got off the ground on our own, and it was more like the seed of the idea that led me down this path.
There was this viral news story in 2018 about a woman who went on a first date. It was going really well. She went back to the guy's house, she needed the toilet. She went, did her thing. Toilet wouldn't flush, she panicked, she threw it out the window. There was a second window, because it was really old school double glazing, and she went to retrieve it, and she got stuck with her own poo. The story just sat with me! There was just something about it, almost like Cinderella. You're on a date and you're trying to present a really great version of you, but then the clock hits midnight, the pretty dress falls away, and you're back. I was like, “This is interesting!”
The more I developed it and thought about it, it felt like a musical might be the best medium for it, weirdly, and I could really clearly see that moment as a song. That was the starting point, so I was led by the idea and what I thought the show should be. And that's brought me into theatre, because this is my debut writing project! And then I brought on board my friend Bryn Christopher, who's a songwriter and writes incredible pop melodies. Not necessarily the most orthodox way to go, but perhaps we could do something new and fresh - that might be interesting. So then I was writing the book and finding the moments for the songs. I'd take a song to Bryn with a brief. I'd be like, “This is the moment I want the song to happen. Here's how I think it should sound.” He'd come back to me with some melodies, and then we'd figure it out together. We'd write the lyrics together and workshop it.
We were self-funding, because this is the thing about this country - there's some great initiatives, but there's actually really few opportunities to develop work. And there are pots of money, but it's not easy. So we were self-funding for a while. We did a couple of workshops along the way. Then a producer came to workshops and liked it, and we've ended up at Stratford East, which is a stunning theatre and an amazing place to start!
I actually didn't really know it existed until we were approached about this opportunity. So it's been a lot of learning along the way, but it was one of the reasons I wanted to do it. I love working in this medium, especially musicals. They're so collaborative! You really get a sense everyone is making this show better with their contribution.
And what was the creative process like for you?
I've always wanted to write - I've just never had the space in my life, or the opportunity. I was just like, “I'm just going to make this opportunity for myself.” It's been really fun! It's been interesting. I've had to learn to keep my ego in check. There’ve been about ten trillion notes, but as long as the notes resonate, it's not even necessarily implementing that note specifically. It's about, “What's that note getting at, and how can I, in my way, bring that into the script?” So notes early on were a bit jarring, but now I hear every thought and opinion about the show, and if it resonates, I'll do it. That's been massive learning for me!
It's been a real project with friends as well. I worked with friends when I did My Dad Wrote A Porno. I keep working with friends, which is great in a lot of ways, because I'm very lucky to have a lot of talented friends! So it's been a really fun process. It's taken six years, but a lot of that is because we've been trying to find time in between doing paid work and things like that, getting those moments where we could work on it. But actually, taking the time over the years and being able to sit away a bit and come back to it has really helped. I'm such an impatient person - I wrote the first draft and was like, “This is ready for Broadway!” But, six years later, I'm so glad we took the time over it, because it’s much better and stronger for it. So it's been learning in that respect. But it's just been such a joy, such an education.
You previously collaborated with Jamie Morton, the director of Lovestuck, in creating the podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno. What is it like to be collaborating in a different medium?
It's great! When I started writing it, Jamie was interested, and we decided he could come on board as director. I thought it was a good idea because we have two sensibilities that really complement each other. We meet in the middle a lot, so it works really well. We're very honest with each other - there's no conversation we won't have! If Jamie doesn't like something or I don't like something, we will tell each other, and it's never personal.
That shorthand only ever comes when you've known someone a long time - it's really hard to find those creative partners that you can trust. I've known Jamie twenty years, and I find it a very fruitful and healthy collaboration that seems to work. So while I didn't necessarily consider it at the beginning, it's been the best decision, and it's been so fun finding this together.
And so the show was inspired by a true event. How do you take something that's happened in real life and make it into a show?
Ultimately, what happened was the seed, the hook for a bigger idea and a bigger story I wanted to tell. It is in the show, but it's not what the show is completely about. As I was saying before, it was this moment for this woman in the window of, you're at your most real, raw. There's no hiding there who you are. So I've built it out into this story about perception and the way we present ourselves to the world, particularly in this day of social media and dating apps.
We have to present a brand of ourselves to the world, no matter what that brand is - you're super funny or you're super pretty and filtered, blah, blah, blah. It masks who we are underneath these chaotic, messy people, which it's fine to be - we're all human! So it's about two people who are trying to find love and navigating how they're perceived by the world and how they perceive themselves, coming to terms with who they really are and learning to love themselves so they can find authentic love with someone else.
What has it been like bringing Lovestuck to Stratford East?
It's been great! It feels like the whole theatre is working towards this project. It’s so nice to come into work every day, and it just feels like home. Everyone believes in the show, everyone is working towards the same goal. There's been ups, there's been drawbacks, but ultimately, every department is here, so we can all communicate. It's been fantastic! I just absolutely adore the space. To start a new show somewhere like this beautiful theatre is the dream scenario. We've been looking at all sorts of theatres along the way, but this is where we've ended up, and I feel very, very lucky that this is where we're starting.
Have there been any unexpected aspects of the theatre world like that coming from your background?
I've never been part of a big team like the team is. We did a picture on the first day when everyone arrived, and there were literally hundreds of people - it really takes a village! I knew it would be collaborative, but I didn't quite realise . . . You write the script, but that is only one part of a huge team of people who put this on, so many vital departments. It's been a real learning for me.
It’s one of the most stressful things I've ever done, but in a good way. It's never been bad - it's just stressful! There's a lot going on and there's a lot to manage. So that's been the biggest learning - the scale of these things, even for something new. I thought I'd written small, but everyone's like, “This is very ambitious!” I'm like, “Oh, I was trying to write something really easy and simple!” Putting on musicals is a mammoth task!
Do you think it's something you'll be doing more of in the future?
It depends - we'll see how this one goes! But I love the medium. I've always been a huge fan of musicals. It's why I wanted to write my own because I felt like there was a gap for something like this. I see a lot of theatre. I was like, “What we're writing, I haven't seen something like that in a while,” so hopefully it feels fresh in that respect. But it's idea based, because I'm a bit of a jack of all trades and a master of none, because I go where the idea takes me. I think I need to pick a lane and settle down, decide what I'm doing. If there's an idea I think is strong enough, I'd love to write more!
People forget the second phrase of that saying - “Jack of all trades master of none - though sometimes better than master of one!” So you're on the right path there! Do you have a favourite line that you've written from the show?
There's one song I'm very proud of called “Underneath.” Our lead, Peter [Shane O’Riordan], is buying a new flat in Luton and negotiating the property market, but trying to keep a very positive attitude. That's a fun number, so I'm very proud of that. There's little lyrics I'm very proud of in There's a song called Picture Perfect. Our lead, Lucy [Jessica Boshier], sings “Deep down, I know it's false, it's fake, and it's posed, and it's filtered and photoshopped. I still wish I looked that hot. They're so pretty and skinny and gorgeous, oh just piss off.” I'm just very proud of it. There's little bits where I'm like, “Oh, I'm proud I did that!” You forget! It's been such a long process. You feel so separate from it now.
And Bryn is brilliant! He's written such catchy songs, great melodies, and that's what we wanted. We wanted a real guiding light. The beginning was an album of songs that you could go back to and that lived in the show, in the moment they're in, but felt like a varied album. So it didn't necessarily feel like one sound, and you could listen to the album like a pop album. So that was our guiding light. Hopefully, that works!
What do you hope audiences take away from Lovestuck?
I hope they come out feeling really good about themselves. The problems in the world right now, in a lot of ways, are because we've lost perception. We view the world through such a warped lens, with social media and things like that. And it's not just affecting the world and how we interact with each other - it's affecting how we interact with ourselves, and it's making us all a bit mad.
So what I'd love audiences to come out from the show is a bit of a reset, and to be like, “Oh, actually, we're all human, we're all the same.” If we took a moment to step away from the screens and the outrage and the aims of perfection, and we just looked around at each other, we just realised we're all chaotic and messy. It's a funny concept, but it's got a bit more depth to it, and hopefully it's got something to say. I didn't want it to be a frivolous piece of fluff - I wanted to say something. So hopefully, that comes across!
And finally, how would you describe Lovestuck in one word?
Unique! As we've been going through this process, I was like, “I haven't seen anything like this before!” Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to the audience to decide. [Laughs] But you'll definitely see something you haven't seen before if you come and see the show!
Lovestuck: A New Comedy Musical runs until 12 July at Stratford East.
Photo Credit: Mark Senior
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