Single White Female
Milton Keynes Theatre
21st April 2026
Continuing the trend of turning 80s and 90s titles into stage adaptations, ‘Single White Female’ is the latest excavation of the nostalgia mine. Thankfully not a musical, the play revisits the 1992 film and bestselling novel, following the similar but frustratingly-edgeless ‘Fatal Attraction’ a couple of years ago. Headlined by Kym Marsh and Lisa Faulkner, the production promises a taut psychological thriller revolving around a nightmare roommate, updated for modern times. Now halfway through its UK tour, it plays this week at Milton Keynes Theatre.
We meet single mum Allie (understudied on Press Night by Anna Ruben), struggling to make ends meet in a new apartment following her separation from her partner Sam (Jonny McGarrity) with headstrong daughter Bella (Amy Snudden) also acting up. To bring in some extra cash, Allie advertises for a roommate, bringing the seemingly-perfect Hedy (Kym Marsh) into their lives. Everything goes well to begin with, and Hedy quickly becomes part of their lives. But secrets lurk beneath the surface and relationships begin to crack as Hedy implants herself deeper into the family, masking dangerous intentions.
Adapted for the stage by Rebecca Reid, ‘Single White Female’ was always going to appear on the stage at some point, and while it’s competent enough, it’s been reimagined and updated so significantly that it bears little resemblance to the title it’s using to sell its tickets. If you’re going to adapt something revered from the 90s, leave it set there, it’s what the audience have come for. Instead, the play’s first 10 minutes crams in every awkward mention of 2026-life (influencers, dating apps, veganism, matcha lattes, social media) that it feels like a desperate attempt to be contemporary while standing on the shoulders of a title from 30+ years ago, which just doesn’t work. While some key scenes remain, the characters are depicted very differently, including their personalities and circumstances, and ultimately their motivations and outcomes. Were this a new original work, this would be absolutely fine, but not in an adaptation of a known property.
Characterisation is thin and generic, with some particularly stereotypical tropes of gay men which continue to be hugely frustrating in mainstream theatre. Gordon Greenburg’s direction is safe with little attempt to be daring or create suspense, with two significant plot points creating laughs from the audience rather than gasps, which is never a good sign in something presenting itself as a thriller. Morgan Large’s set is functional but anyone who’s seen ‘2.22 A Ghost Story’ will feel like they’re watching that again, especially with the pulsing red light design (Jason Taylor).
The actors don’t have a great deal to work with but do their best working within two dimensions. Kym Marsh is the only one with a chance to get her teeth into anything, her descent into Hedy’s unravelling bordering on camp gloriousness. Anna Ruben did a good job understudying Allie on press night (being able to step into both of the leading roles is no easy task), and Amy Snudden provides a good level of teenage snark as Bella.
More underwhelming than downright awful, ‘Single White Female’ tries too hard to reinvent the wheel and just finds itself stuck instead. Had it remained true to the 90s vibe it would be far more successful, but instead it’s a weakened photocopy with not very much to say about the modern world that it wants to fit into.
‘Single White Female’ runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 25th April 2026 before continuing on its UK tour through to June.
Performance runtime 2 hours 5 minutes including interval.
Details at: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/whats-on/
Photo credit: Chris Bishop
