London Theatre Review: Clueless The Musical

Based on the 1995 teen comedy film, Clueless The Musical left me feeling, well, clueless (the caveat is that it’s certainly a lot of fun). Who would have thought you could turn a sofa into a car, or watch the cast turn into ‘human barbies’ during Josh’s (Keelan McAuley) solo. Yes, weird!

This modern spin on Jane Austen’s Emma tells the story of Cher Horowitz who is the most popular student at Beverly Hills High, renowned for her unique talent at finding love for others. She’s about to embark on her biggest project yet - making over her awkward new friend, Tai, and setting her up with the most handsome boy in school. But what happens to Cher when, for the first time, everything is not perfect?

Emma Flynn, who takes on the role as miss Horowitz, is so squeaky clean and pretentious that I felt myself cringing after the opening number. But, I guess that’s what you want from your leading lady in an over-dramatised LA chick flick. 

She’s charismatic and oozes confidence - it’s hard to take your eyes off her. She is the master manipulator and has each character on puppet strings, dictating the pace and earning all the attention. Even when new girl Tai (Romona Lewis-Malley) arrives with bright pink hair, it’s not enough to divert your attention. 

The theatre feels small for a production of this scale, but it does mean you feel very much part of the action in the stalls. The set incorporates a hazy LA skyline, with different transitions to showcase how the other half live in the City of Angels - I’ve never seen so many pairs of shoes in Cher’s bedroom.  

There’s plenty of big dance numbers to get your feet tapping, matched by an intriguing score, written by pop star KT Tunstall.  She says in her programme notes: “I wanted to recreate an authentic feel and sound of the 90s whilst also writing a new collection of songs for the audience to get to know.”

Every original track could easily appear on a 90s compilation cassette, perfect for a Sony Walkman. From the Spice Girls to Green Day, there’s a lot of influence and variety that captures the sound from this period. 

A special mention should also go to Max Mirza who plays the school’s heartthrob, Elton. His opening number is very funny; at one point even revealing a signed picture of himself to showcase his popularity in school. His timing is tight… in fact, he might even be more sickly to watch than Cher.

Ultimately, Clueless is as playful as they come. If you go into it searching for a significant plot line you’ll leave feeling underwhelmed. It’s a piece of sunshine escapism that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. From its colourful costumes to the ostentatious characters on display, it’s a trivial tale but one that aims to make you smile - and that’s rarely a bad thing.