Review: LOVESTUCK: A NEW COMEDY MUSICAL, Stratford East

Days are getting longer, nights are warmer, and we have a brand new musical romantic comedy premiering in East London. Written by the creators of the phenomenon that was the podcast My Dad Wrote A Porno, Jamie Morton and James Cooper, with music by Bryn Christopher and Martin Batchelar, Lovestuck is a relatable, cute musical guide for modern dating with only one flaw. Why did Lucy end up stuck upside down in a window after her date with Peter? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

Raised on Disney and rom-coms, Lucy and Peter are infallibly single. The show runs us through the dangers of self-sabotage and toxic definitions of masculinity with catchy pop tunes populated with amusing lyrical turns. They normalise a normal life while trying to define what happiness looks like. Cheesy and cringy where necessary, it’s a high-energy and realistic representation of life for many: the hate scrolling, the irrational envy, the bad advice…it’s hilarious.

There’s so much humour you may not realise that you’re forgiving and forgetting a lot of veiled misogyny until another wave hits you. It’s a shame. Lucy’s self-loathing is a glorious plot point on the surface, but it hides layers of societal strife. We can argue that Peter doesn’t have it much better, with his nerdy interests and a finance bro friend who tells him that the key to facing struggle is “Thick skin, big grin”. Still, he’s not the one haunted by his self-esteem and lengthy numbers about the inadequacy of his existence. Satire should disturb, not reinforce.

With this acknowledged, the production is outstanding. Directed by Morton, as far as new writing goes, this may be the best, most well-rounded musical we’ve seen in a while. The songs are exciting, complementing the tone flawlessly with a choreography (Chi-San Howard) that fits seamlessly within. The one-liners and clap-backs are well spaced and entertaining. The quick pace is attuned to the needs of a story like this – one that, realistically speaking, doesn’t have anything special to it. There’s no joke overload, no relentless poking fun. The idea is nuanced, and the execution is frankly disarming.

Shane O’Riordan and Ambra Caserotti (who heroically took over after Jessica Boshier, the original Lucy who's still on the posters and all marketing, got injured in rehearsals) are wonderful, sweet, with powerhouse voices to match. They’re joined by a stunning, mostly cohesive, company led by Bridgette Amofah, who stands out as Miseraie, the materialisation of Lucy’s insecurities.

Tom Rogers’s designs are built on steady colour palettes that go from millennial pink to ultraviolet to create impressive visuals. All in all, the narrative is rather predictable, but well thought out in its stereotypical view of women. Leaving the misogyny aside, it’s an endearing, positive comedy about loving yourself for who you are. It’s full of eloquent tracks that don’t easily slip into lyrical clichés and the score is a strong mix of bopping pop. Uplifting and genuinely funny, everything considered, it’s an excellent choice to end a sunny day at the theatre.

Read our interview with James Cooper about the show here.

Lovestuck runs at Stratford East until 12 July.

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