A chilling new take on the classic film: Single White Female at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Thanks to Wales Millennium Centre for providing us with review tickets to Single White Female

If you’ve watched the film or read the book, you might think you know what to expect from the stage production of Single White Female. And while this new adaptation still has plenty of the familiar – woman seeks flatmate, flatmate turns sinister, an incident with a stiletto heel – writer Rebecca Reid has completely reimagined the 1992 psychological thriller, updating it to today’s digital age and giving it a sinister new relevance.  

Presenter and actor Lisa Falkner plays Allie, a recently divorced mum of teenage daughter Bella, struggling to balance being a single parent with the launch of her tech start up.

Pop star turned actor Kym Marsh is Hedy, Allie’s lodger, helping to pay the bills. At first their friendship seems warm and genuine, but warning signs slowly emerge as boundaries are overstepped, power struggles play out, and seemingly innocent actions and remarks aren’t quite what they seem.

Faulkner and Marsh make an excellent paring, with Marsh’s sinister side seeping out from under her charming persona, while Faulkner gives Allie a vulnerable uncertainty as she downplays her suspicions.

Alongside them, actor/singer-songwriter Andro plays Graham, Allie’s best friend and business partner, breaking the tension with a bubbly personality and a few witty one-liners, while Jonny McGarrity gives Sam, Allie’s recovering alcoholic ex-husband, an endearing warmth you wouldn’t expect.

Amy Snudden as Bella gives a brilliantly believable performance of the bullied teenager, unhappy at school, feeling misunderstood by her mother, the constant pressure of social media and fitting in with her peers, leaving her as an easy target for Hedy’s grooming. It’s all very relatable to anyone with a teenager (I watched it with my 16 year old daughter), and it’s Bella’s chilling storyline that has stuck with me the most.

Moments of darkness, bright flashing lights, bursts of sound, and flashbacks all add to a feeling of unease as the tension simmers away under the surface until the dramatic final scenes.

There’s a tension in this kind of live drama that you just don’t get when watching a film, and although some moments towards the end verge on farce rather than truly terrifying, it’s so atmospheric and chilling. The theatre is completely silent other than the occasional collective gasp or nervous laugh and with twists and turns right until the end, we’re on edge until the final scene.

Single White Female isn’t just a stage version of the film; it gives the classic film a completely new contemporary relevance, tapping into our biggest fears of obsession, loneliness, and the dark sides of social media, reminding us to listen to our instincts. It’s uncomfortable at times but utterly gripping from the dramatic opening until the closing moments.

Single White Female is at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff until Saturday 31 January. Tickets, from £17, are still available. Age guidance is 15+. Running time is approximately two hours and 10 minutes, including an interval. Visit the Wales Millennium Centre website here.

The play contains depictions of violence, death, bereavement, online bullying, and scenes of a sexual nature. It also contains loud music, sudden noises and flashing lights. 

Also coming up at Wales Millennium Centre:

Horrible Histories – The Concert, 11 February

Here & Now: The Steps Musical, 3-7 February

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, 10-28 February

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, 3-7 March

Mean Girls, 10-14 March

Barnum, 17-21 March