Lovestuck at Theatre Royal Stratford East
Coming to the Stratford East Theatre Royal is Lovestuck: A New Comedy Musical. An original musical romantic comedy directed by Jamie Morton, Lovestuck is a camp and quirky love story of Lucy Stevens (Ambra Caserotti) and Peter Miller (Shane O’Riordan) who come to meet in the dreaded world of online dating.
The millennial couple have many things in common: they’re both awkward, bumbling and are total nerds. Through a window (which is also its own omnipresent main character), the love birds share a memorable first date, which goes to shit, literally.
Accompanying the lovers is an impressive ensemble cast, one in particular, Miseraie (Bridgette Amofah), acts as the subconscious voice in Lucy’s head, holding her back from love.
This narrative choice by Morton is a simple yet effective way to move the story forward and allow the audience to see the other side of Lucy, and not just her happy-go-lucky one. Additionally, Miseraie is at the centre of all of the best musical numbers of the show: Cat Lady and Basically Basic are carried by Amofah, who exudes a confident and sexy energy in her portrayal of Miseraie. With a voice like that, it’s hard for the audience to believe she is the bad guy.
Every musical number (created by Bryn Christopher and Martin Batchelar) is a blend of comedy and colour. Each cast member moves as their character does: any dance moves by Peter feel awkward and unpolished, whereas Misaerie’s movements are purposeful, and Lucy’s are somewhere between the two. A special mention must be given to Rhys (Marcus Ayton), Lucy’s camp work best friend, who is essentially Eric Effiong from Sex Education; he deserved more stage time.
While some characters do feel a bit exaggerated, like finance bro David (Johan Munir), that is the point of a play like this. The characters are meant to feel inflated, like the lives people portray on social media. The exploration of social media culture is also well done, even if it feels outdated with its references to influencers and viral stories. Nobody really uses hashtags anymore, but that depends on which generation you ask. Each character has a place in the story; nobody feels out of place.
However, even though Basically Basic is a great song, Miseraie directing Lucy to dumb herself down and become “basic” could have been executed differently. If the play had used more recent trending references and commented on the ridiculousness of popular fads like matcha or micro shorts, for instance, it could have been funnier. Naturally, a production can take years to fully come together, but those aspects could be a nice add-in.
With that being said, Lovestuck does what it says on the programme: it makes you laugh. The jokes don’t feel corny, and the narration from Alison Steadman is not overused, which is a common problem in some performances.
If you want a light-hearted and hilarious exploration of self-love and falling in love, this is the summer show for you.
Sophie Humphrey
Photos: Mark Senior
Lovestuck is at Theatre Royal Stratford East from 6th June until 25th July 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
Watch the trailer for Lovestuck at Theatre Royal Stratford East here:
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