Single White Female – Richmond Theatre

Ostensibly based on the early 90s erotic thriller of the same name, Single White Female really only takes on the idea of a disturbed stalker moving in and disrupting lives. It updates the setting to take on social media, photoshop and school bullying. There isn’t really much to do with the original film, vast swatches of the plot removed, new pieces added and a dramatically different ending. 

Faced with a sudden drop in finances, Allie (Lisa Faulkner), and her 15-year-old daughter Bella (Amy Snudden) take in a lodger, Hedda (Kym Marsh) in their new apartment. As Hedda settles in, it becomes clear – she thinks of herself as more than a lodger and oversteps boundaries, first tentatively then increasingly inserting herself into every aspect of their world.  The suggestion that Hedda has been stalking Bella online for many years because people put so much out onto social media is interesting. It feels full of potential and the sort of update that would really bring a schlocky thriller back into relevancy. 

However, the plot is so predictable that one audience member nearby felt the need to very loudly narrate not just what was happening but his predictions for what would happen next. Of course, his predictions were right about everything. No amount of shushing or even speaking to him directly seemed to make a difference, but his bad manners aside, it really exposes the quality of the script. Despite aiming to embrace the ‘camp heritage’ of the film, Rebecca Reid’s adaptation of SWF seems to take itself very seriously so there is a feeling that the laughs might not be wanted and that the audience are laughing at it and not with it. For every gasp, there’s an equal number of laughs, there is no subtlety or nuance here in either the script or the performances.  

The performances do little to boost the script, with characters feeling broad and one-note. There’s little sense of depth making it difficult to invest in the relationships or the stakes. The cast lean heavily into the melodrama, and it is hard to escape the feeling that there was not much the cast could have brought along themselves. 

The set does look like a new build flat, one with what I’m sure the developer would call snags but the rest of us would run a mile from, intermittent power, a lift that sounds like it’ll fall at any point. Less effective is the loud music and blackouts for scene changes.  The set does provide a couple of the better moments with small pyrotechnics bringing genuine gasps and nice moments where there is a little jump.

SWF turns into farce, a recreation of the movie’s famous scene with a stiletto is effective drawing gasps but the climactic fight looks poor and draws laughs instead of tension. The heavily changed ending really reinforces the sense of a production unsure of its own identity, a story that hopes to catch some nostalgia from a cult movie but really one that just bears a passing resemblance. It’s a shame as bits of it could work really well but as it refuses to commit to camp fun or genuine thrills, it fails to satisfy. 

Single White Female plays at Richmond Theatre until 18th April and tours until 6th June

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre/whats-on

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/single-white-female

https://www.swfonstage.com

Reviewer: Dave Smith

Reviewed: 14th April 2026

North West End UK Rating: