Why am I so single? New Gen Z musical by composers of Six
Kenny Wax is bringing the talents of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss back with their musical in August
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
“The second I hit the floor Everything from before fades away cos I’m dancing from my window to the wall. Who cares about the guy, who left me high and dry It’s no big deal and won’t affect my self-esteem at all”
If you live with a Gen Z remember these lyrics. They are from the song Eight Dates and, from 27 August, will be memorised by the first to see Why Am I So Single?, the new musical by Six creators Toby Moss and Lucy Marlow.
For these gifted composers whose names could soon be spoken in the same breath as Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice, the pressure was on to deliver a sophomore effort as impressive as their debut. Kenny Wax believes they have succeeded.
That should read Kenny Wax MBE, as the day before we spoke, the West End producer and former president of SOWET (Society of West End Theatre) received a letter informing him that his significant contributions to London theatre had been noticed. Not just for producing acclaimed shows but also for fostering theatrical growth and accessibility, as Kenny has maintained affordable ticket prices.
“I do believe tickets for Six average at £49 – so it’s a great show and at a great price.” Kenny still loves Six and remembers his reaction to the show penned by then Cambridge students, Toby and Lucy. “It was fresh and innovative with incredible energy and I got the same reaction to Why Am I So Single? as I did all those years ago.”
In place of Henry VIII’s dates, this show gives us modern dating told from the perspective of two writers composing a West End musical, who are not Toby and Lucy. Kenny elaborates: “It’s genuinely not their life stories, but they have certainly drawn from, let’s say, experiences or friends’ experiences, to write it.”
Toby – who is Jewish – and Lucy both identify as non-binary and the cast, a gifted gender collective, have already captured the Gen Z demographic through social media posts. “But we workshopped the show to a diverse audience,” says Kenny, 64. “We had friends in their 50s, office staff in their 20s, and my daughter Jemima, who is 22, was there and also with me when I first saw Six. This time what she was seeing on stage is very much a reflection of her life.”
Kenny refers to the hurdles of Hinge, the torture of Tinder and all other dating and communication apps that lead the young to love. Or not.“Waiting for the person to message back; why have they ghosted me? And what does two ticks mean?” says Kenny. “We don’t have to worry about that, but we’ve all been on dates in our lives. And if we’re happily married or coupled up, then the likelihood is that we’ve got friends who are still on the dating scene for one reason or another. The universal theme of dating, with all its complexities and humour, is something audiences of all ages can connect with.”
Kenny has certainly connected with Toby and Lucy, whom he contracted when he signed them for Six and likes to think they work so well together they would have come back to him anyway. He has also learnt a lot from “our brilliant young authors”.
He continues: “Well, they say if you’re a white male of a certain age, you’ve got to stay very much down with the kids or get kids involved. I am part of the generation that still loves Les Mis and those great shows of the 1980s, but I didn’t produce them as I was too young. Six and Why Am I So Single? are not book-based, but they are cutting-edge and unusual and on other productions I’m working with co-producers from different backgrounds who are much younger than me. You can’t keep doing it your way because things change.”
In contrast to those who flounder when describing a woman, Kenny has chosen to celebrate women with his new show, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World (fantasticallygreatwomenthemusical.com) which highlights the stories of remarkable women from history and their achievements. Jane Austen, Rosa Parks and Anne Frank are among the achievers in this adaptation of the Kate Pankhurst children’s book, which opens at The Other Palace on 20 July.
With his other successful productions, like The Play That Goes Wrong and Six at Nimax theatres, Kenny chose to partner with owner Nica Burns and her offer of an open-ended run through to February 2025 for Why Am I So Single? as he knows it is crucial for a show of this scale to establish itself financially and build a loyal audience.
Not that anyone would doubt the loyalty of Toby and Lucy’s thousands of fans, who have been dressing up as the Six queens for years and singing “But just for you tonight We’re divorced, beheaded LIVE!” to parents who will soon be singing Why am I so single? whyamisosingle.com
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
