Single White Female
Images by Chris Bishop
Last night, I attended the opening press night of Single White Female at Theatre Royal Bath, a brand-new world premiere stage production inspired by the iconic 1990s psychological thriller, itself originally based on John Lutz’s bestselling novel. As someone who has long been intrigued by the cult status of the film, I was immediately curious to see how this story of obsession, identity and unease would translate to the stage, particularly in a reimagined version relocated to modern-day England.
Written by Rebecca Reid and directed by Gordon Greenberg, this production is less a straightforward adaptation and more a bold, contemporary reinvention. The familiar bones of the story remain, but the world around them has shifted. Allie, played by Lisa Faulkner, is now a divorced mother trying to keep her business afloat while managing the rising costs of her daughter Bella’s private school. When her ex-husband Sam reduces his child maintenance payments, Allie is encouraged by her best friend Graham to advertise for a lodger. Enter Hedy, played by Kym Marsh, who at first appears to be the perfect solution… until her presence in the household becomes increasingly unsettling.
What follows is a twisty, suspenseful and often darkly funny portrayal of obsession, told through a creepy whodunnit plot that keeps the audience guessing. The production captures much of the discomfort and edge-of-your-seat tension associated with the original film, and last night’s audience reactions certainly suggested that its more sinister and dramatic moments landed exactly as intended.
Written by Rebecca Reid and directed by Gordon Greenberg, this production is less a straightforward adaptation and more a bold, contemporary reinvention. The familiar bones of the story remain, but the world around them has shifted. Allie, played by Lisa Faulkner, is now a divorced mother trying to keep her business afloat while managing the rising costs of her daughter Bella’s private school. When her ex-husband Sam reduces his child maintenance payments, Allie is encouraged by her best friend Graham to advertise for a lodger. Enter Hedy, played by Kym Marsh, who at first appears to be the perfect solution… until her presence in the household becomes increasingly unsettling.
What follows is a twisty, suspenseful and often darkly funny portrayal of obsession, told through a creepy whodunnit plot that keeps the audience guessing. The production captures much of the discomfort and edge-of-your-seat tension associated with the original film, and last night’s audience reactions certainly suggested that its more sinister and dramatic moments landed exactly as intended.
Images by Chris Bishop
One of the strengths of this reimagining is that it does not rush towards its darker revelations. The pacing feels well-balanced, particularly in the first act, which takes time to establish the characters, their relationships and the early warning signs of Hedy’s strangeness. There is a steady sense of unease throughout, with small red flags gradually gathering into something far more chilling.
The story has been cleverly updated for a modern audience, with nods to social media, school bullying, financial pressure and the anxieties of contemporary parenting. The addition of Allie’s teenage daughter Bella changes the story quite a lot, helping this version feel fresh and different from the film rather than like a simple copy. At its heart, the play becomes an entertaining exploration of the darker side of female friendship, the intensity of attachment, and the vulnerabilities of being a woman navigating modern life.
Despite the strength of the story, there were a few moments where the production felt slightly clunky. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the music used between scenes, which at times felt a little disconnected from the atmosphere being built on stage. Rather than deepening the sense of tension, some of the transitions briefly interrupted the pressure and unease that the actors were otherwise working so effectively to create.
Images by Chris Bishop
Kym Marsh gives a memorable performance as Hedy, leaning into the character’s unsettling strangeness with confidence. At times, the performance is deliberately heightened, even slightly over-the-top, but this makes more sense within the tone of the production as a whole. Single White Female does not take itself too seriously, despite its dark subject matter. There are moments of sharp humour, witty dialogue and tension-relieving camp, particularly from the supporting characters, which give the play a knowing theatricality. Marsh’s Hedy is undeniably creepy, and certainly not someone I would want moving into my spare room.
Lisa Faulkner’s Allie is a woman trying to hold everything together after divorce: her finances, her business, and her increasingly strained relationship with her daughter. Her ex-husband Sam, played by John McGarrity, and her rebellious daughter Bella, played by Amy Snudden, both seem to find Allie difficult to reach. So focused on doing the right thing and getting her business off the ground, Allie struggles to see what is happening right in front of her.
Amy Snudden delivers an excellent performance as young Bella, capturing at different times, teenage angst, anger and delight. Faulkner brings warmth and believability to Allie, grounding the production as the story grows increasingly strange around her.
Graham, Allie’s friend and business partner, is played by Andro, who brings a steady and supportive presence to the story. His warmth and humour offer a welcome contrast to the growing intensity between the two lead women. In fact, it is only Graham who has a bad feeling early on about Hedy, sensing the impending and inevitable danger which plays out towards its violent end.
Lisa Faulkner’s Allie is a woman trying to hold everything together after divorce: her finances, her business, and her increasingly strained relationship with her daughter. Her ex-husband Sam, played by John McGarrity, and her rebellious daughter Bella, played by Amy Snudden, both seem to find Allie difficult to reach. So focused on doing the right thing and getting her business off the ground, Allie struggles to see what is happening right in front of her.
Amy Snudden delivers an excellent performance as young Bella, capturing at different times, teenage angst, anger and delight. Faulkner brings warmth and believability to Allie, grounding the production as the story grows increasingly strange around her.
Graham, Allie’s friend and business partner, is played by Andro, who brings a steady and supportive presence to the story. His warmth and humour offer a welcome contrast to the growing intensity between the two lead women. In fact, it is only Graham who has a bad feeling early on about Hedy, sensing the impending and inevitable danger which plays out towards its violent end.
Images by Chris Bishop
The small cast are engaging, and the performances are solid throughout, though the play naturally revolves mostly around the shifting, uneasy dynamic between Allie and Hedy.
Fans of the original film will notice certain familiar elements, including the famous stiletto moment, though on stage it does not quite carry the same horror as its screen counterpart. Still, this production delves more in to conversation than replication: what should be kept, what should be changed, and how a story so rooted in the 1990s can be reshaped for the present day.
I very much enjoyed Single White Female. It is suspenseful, witty, theatrical and full of twists, offering a fast-paced evening with a welcome side of nostalgia. For theatregoers who enjoy psychological thrillers and are open to a fresh interpretation rather than a faithful retelling, this is a bold and entertaining new production; one that proves obsession, insecurity and the darker corners of human connection remain as compelling as ever. It does exactly what it sets out to do and provides a tense, claustrophobic and highly enjoyable night of theatre.
Fans of the original film will notice certain familiar elements, including the famous stiletto moment, though on stage it does not quite carry the same horror as its screen counterpart. Still, this production delves more in to conversation than replication: what should be kept, what should be changed, and how a story so rooted in the 1990s can be reshaped for the present day.
I very much enjoyed Single White Female. It is suspenseful, witty, theatrical and full of twists, offering a fast-paced evening with a welcome side of nostalgia. For theatregoers who enjoy psychological thrillers and are open to a fresh interpretation rather than a faithful retelling, this is a bold and entertaining new production; one that proves obsession, insecurity and the darker corners of human connection remain as compelling as ever. It does exactly what it sets out to do and provides a tense, claustrophobic and highly enjoyable night of theatre.
The show now runs at Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 May.