The sense of being on the cusp of adulthood, in that liminal space of not-quite child, not-quite adult, excited and terrified all at once of what the future might bring, is an intoxicating sensation. The whole world is out there, and now it’s up to you to do something about it.
What if you could look ahead from that point? What if you could see what was to come in five, ten, twenty years’ time? How might that chance encounter at a boozy graduation shape your life forever? That is the driving force behind David Nicholls’ novel One Day, as we follow Dexter and Emma through their lives from wide-eyed students to forty-something adulthood, dropping in on them every St Swithun’s day (15 July) for twenty years.
The novel One Day has been a mighty success, having been turned into an Anne Hathaway-starring film and a passionately received Netflix series. Now it comes to the stage in the form of a musical, adapted by previous Lyceum artistic director David Greig with music and lyrics by Abner & Amanda Ramirez.
On stage, some of the limitations of the book’s conceit come to the fore. By only dropping in on Dexter and Emma on a specific day every year, major life events have to be laboriously discussed rather than shown. Each scene is under pressure to deliver heightened emotion, with no room for the characters or story to breathe and take their time.
The musical element is also not as successful as it might be. Every scene finishes with a song, creating a wearyingly predictable rhythm. With seventeen individual numbers, there is inevitably considerable variation in quality. Some are catchy, moving or witty – ‘Loco Caliente’ is a particular crowd-pleaser and you’ll be singing ‘Em and Dex’ to yourself on the walk home – but the pressure to produce so many means there is some rather unmemorable filler as well.
Some of the lyrics and script have an earnest, over-literal feel. The play is often stronger when it takes itself a little less seriously, and leans into its theatricality, as opposed to simply telling us what is going on.
Happily, other aspects of the production are more successful. Rae Smith’s set design is a wonder, a revolving stage built out over the stalls, with the audience sat in the round, fully immersed in Dexter and Emma’s lives. Choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille makes the most of the opportunities this provides, with the cast sometimes exploding dynamically through the space and the audience, sometimes trapped going round and round in circles on the revolving boards.
The leads are also excellent, standing out from a strong supporting cast. Jamie Muscato as Dexter channels Four Weddings and a Funeral-era Hugh Grant so strongly in voice and mannerism that it is uncanny. Happily, he also has plenty of Grant’s floppy-haired charm, just about making an often unlikable character palatable. He has fizzing chemistry with Sharon Rose as Emma, whose powerful singing voice (occasional frustrating mic issues aside) really carries the songs.
One Day: The Musical makes for an enjoyable enough evening, but one’s appreciation of it is likely to correlate closely to prior attitudes to the book or screen adaptations. The play never quite escapes the inherent limitations of the book and its conceit, despite the powerhouse performances from its leads.
Performed at The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Runs until Sunday 19 April 2026: Tuesday-Saturday – 19:30, Wednesday and Saturday – 14:30, Sunday – 17:00
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes including interval
Adapted by David Greig from the novel by David Nicholls
Directed by Max Webster
Music & Lyrics: Abner & Amanda Ramirez
Choreographer: Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
Musical Supervisor & Director: Nigel Lilley
Set & Costume Designer: Rae Smith
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet
Cast includes: David Birrell, Dan Buckley, Miracle Chance, Josefina Gabrielle, Kelly Hampson, Peter Hannah, Matthew McKenna, Jamie Muscato, Sharon Rose