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BrumHour saw Single White Female at the invite of The Alexandra.
By Dave Massey
This production contains some on stage voilence, strong language and implied sexual assault.
Single White Female at The Alexandra: Review
A tense thriller!
Directed by Gordon Greenberg, adapted by Rebecca Reid
Allie (Lisa Faulkner) has had a messy divorce from Sam (Jonny McGarrity), moved into a new apartment with daughter Bella (Amy Snudden) and been working on a business with Graham (Andro). She realises she needs to sublet a room, and Hedy (Kym Marsh) applies for the room. Is Hedy all she seems?
Set in a single standing set, the story unfolds just under two hours and ten minutes (including interval). The set contains the living room and kitchen of Allie’s apartment and features doorways to three bedrooms with the entrance way to the left.
Lisa Faulkner is excellent as Allie, broken but busy and moving on with her life, whilst Kym Marsh is suitably unnerving as Hedy. Their energy matches so much that they could probably switch roles easily. (Which is the point it is trying to make.) The acting really pulls the audience in, and some of the more outlandish thriller moments are almost laughable. Kym Marsh really connects to Amy Snudden’s Bella as her character takes over the mother role.
Lighting and sound play a key factor in keeping up the tension during this production. Neon lighting and tracks play to show time passing, and characters move forward to show flashbacks from the front of the stage, almost monologue style.
There are some plot holes in the adaptation. Why does the apartment have three bedrooms for a mother and daughter on a budget? If the walls are thin, why can’t they overhear more? I’ve not seen the film this was based on nor read the book, so its difficult to know how different it is, certainly the plot is updated to include laptops, smartphones and photoshopping on social media.
A tense thriller, Single White Female, is at The Alexandra until 8th May 2026. Book tickets here: atgtickets.com/shows/single-white-female/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham.
