At the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe there were a handful of new musicals that all used the humble public bathroom as their setting. A year prior and Stalled – a New Musical premiered in California, since then it’s been workshopped and rewritten, now having its London premiere at the King’s Head Theatre.
The producers have brought more than a new show to the Islington venue, having donated new audience seating to the rebuilt King’s Head which has now been open for just over a year.
Like those shows at the Fringe, this musical transforms the mundane setting of a restroom into a vibrant stage for stories of connection, resilience, and self-discovery. Directed by Vikki Stone and from writers Liesl Wilke and Andy March with additional writing by Kyle Puccia, there’s initial promise from the impossibly catchy opening number.
Set in a “bougie” ladies’ room in Seattle, Stalled introduces audiences to an eclectic group of women and non-binary characters. At the heart of the story is Maggie, portrayed by Olivier-nominated Lauren Ward, who finds herself at a crossroads in life. As she encounters a frazzled mother, her neurodivergent daughter, a fierce teenage poet, and a queer computer scientist, their shared moments of vulnerability and humor reveal the unspoken solidarity found in unexpected places. The musical’s soul-stirring melodies and heartfelt lyrics bring these diverse voices to life with authenticity and warmth.
The music is the highlight of the show, granted it mostly all has a very similar sound, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish between one song and the next, but it is highly enjoyable and offers at least a couple of rousing anthems.
It’s quite a large cast, with several leading characters, and that’s where the biggest problem lies. As the narrative unfolds over just 90 minutes there’s an awful lot to try and fit in. In short we know nothing about these characters at the outset, and because it takes too long for each story to develop, we’re not all that much wiser by the end.
The characters all feel like stereotypes in one way or another; the storylines becoming increasingly predictable as we see familiar tropes rolled out with each new character. For some reason every single person who uses this particular restroom is either very angry, deeply depressed or going through some major life crisis, there’s never any let up or respite for the audience and it makes ninety minutes feel much longer.
The stories all tie together (perhaps too neatly) but really there was nothing to link them to the ladies room, the scenes could have played out anywhere and been no different.
Stalled does feature a talented cast, who manage to distract us from the show’s flaws. Lauren Ward as Maggie and Josie Benson as Cynthia are particularly compelling, especially in their powerful solo numbers. Grace Venus as Emma and Regina Co as Krystal also succeed in standing out.
Vikki Stone’s direction gives space to each of the characters, despite the speed at which we have to move to fit in all that story and all those songs. Emily Bestow’s set design is of a beautifully modern bathroom that anyone would be queuing up to use.
Stalled in an enjoyable enough show; the songs and talented cast making it worth the ticket price. But it’s too short to pack so much in, and extending it out to a full length musical would give each character room to grow, and the audience more opportunity to identify with them. It seems for once, taking more time in this particular bathroom wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
