Allie has recently moved. Not necessarily a straightforward task for a “single white female” who also happens to be negotiating parenthood, strained finances and an unrelenting work life. As the last box is unpacked and she looks to make the best of a fresh start, she is persuaded to take a lodger in order to bring in a bit of extra cash. After a short vetting process she invites fellow “single white female” Hedy into her home. After all, they have so much in common, what could possibly go wrong…?

Spoiler alert, quite a lot, it turns out. Single White Female is a slick thriller transposed from the ‘90s film of the same name starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh with plenty to enjoy for both those unfamiliar with the original and those who truly revere it.

The action unfolds within a claustrophobic apartment, with designer Morgan Large’s low-ceilinged set forcing the characters to ricochet off one another as tempers simmer. What starts as domestic strife – a fractious mother-daughter relationship, a meddling ex-husband, a demanding work schedule – quickly escalates into something altogether more sinister, especially once the new lodger has insidiously inserted herself within the thick of it.

Kym Marsh is fantastic as Hedy, hiding a calculated cunning beneath an enigmatic veneer of toe-curling charm. Nefarious and knowing, her very presence immediately distorts what little sense of normality Allie can wrap about herself. In turn, Lisa Faulkner’s unassuming Allie trips into a maelstrom that only she can navigate, with Faulkner’s open-hearted geniality winning the audience over within the first scene. A special mention must also be made for Andro as Allie’s best friend Graham, deftly helping the tension to dissipate with a series of wry one-liners sprinkled throughout the play to great effect.

While the script may have been modernised – to feature plenty of references to Labubus, Vinted and matcha lattes – it still manages to encapsulate the essence of a ’90s thriller. And that, ultimately, is its charm. At times, it’s heart-in-your-mouth stuff, with thrills, chills and kills, but there’s also plenty of tongue-in-cheek with it. There are comments on themes such as addiction, social media and even, as the adapter of the script Rebecca Reid puts it, “the tricky nature of intense female friendships” but most of all it’s a shallow romp through familiar territory, where the kitchen worktop gleams louder than the knife. It makes for a very fun evening reliving a rudely forgotten ’90s sub-genre so grab a friend and book a ticket! After all, what could possibly go wrong…?

Theatre Royal Brighton | Wednesday 13th January 2026
For tickets and further information click here
Photo by Chris Bishop