Comedy musical at Theatre Royal Stratford East is West End-grade silliness from duo behind My Dad Wrote A Porno, James Cooper and Jamie Morton
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WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
James Cooper and Jamie Morton aren’t above a cheap laugh or two.
After meeting at Leeds University, they rose to fame as two thirds of the troop behind blockbuster podcast My Dad Wrote A Porno.
For that show – downloaded by hundreds of millions worldwide – they took ham-fisted erotica penned by Jamie’s father under the pen name of Rocky Flintstone and skilfully milked the unintentionally hilarious source material for all it was worth.
Its success was born both of the genius of Morton senior’s epic story of constant titillation, Belinda Blinked, but also of the presenters’ unabashed joy in creatively revelling in the quirks and oddities found in the sexual fantasies of a retired Northern Irish builder.
Comedy musical Lovestuck, which is currently running at Theatre Royal Stratford East, feels like the product of a similar process.
Spoiler alert. It’s loosely based on the true story of a young woman who went on a date with a Bristol University student, then panicked when her poo wouldn’t flush when she went to his toilet.
Panicking, she tried to fling the tissue-wrapped turd out of the bathroom window, only to have it hit a further pane of glass on its way to freedom and plop down into a foot-wide gap between the two frames.
After confessing to her date, she then took it upon herself to attempt a rescue, diving head first into the gap while he went seeking tools to help, and became wedged between the windows.
Eventually she was rescued by firefighters.
Lovestuck: a tale adapted
For Lovestuck, writer James and director Jamie – with assistance from music men Bryn Christopher and Martin Batchelar – have taken that deliciously awkward tale and polished the turd into a fabulous meditation on love.
Our heroine, Lucy (Jessica Boshier), is a nerdy nurse, single and tragic but beloved by patients and camp colleague Reece (Marcus Ayton).
Our hero, Peter (Shane O’Riordan), is a nerdy Irish larper and fan of the elves, forced to find a new home after faux friend David (played with all the pomposity of a young Matt Berry by Johan Munir) boots him out.
After an abortive meet-cute, where our boy vomits on Lucy’s shoes after one too many, the couple finally hook up on a dating app and arrange to meet for a Mexican.
But our girl is plagued by insecurity after a chance encounter with an old school-friend-turned-social-media-influencer who doubles up on stage as hectoring inner voice Misereaie (an imperious Bridgette Amofah).
After a flirtation with “becoming basic” Lucy thankfully reverts to type over burritos and all looks good for the young couple as they head back to Peter’s eccentric new pad.
But the spice is too much and poogate ensues just before the big romantic kiss, kicking off a tsunami of events that feature social media humiliation and a dance with multiple cats before eventual reconciliation and love winning out on Luton’s local TV station (this is fiction after all).
All-in-all it’s a belter of a show and a real ensemble effort.
The leads are excellent, especially O’Riordan as the credulous, loveable optimist.
His dance and celebratory number with chorus member Callum Connolly as a dismissive estate agent, is nothing short of heart warming.
Meanwhile Ayton’s sassy nurse (and over-the-top vicar), Munir’s sleazy turn as betrayer-in-chief and even Alison Steadman’s pre-recorded, blunt narration all add gold to the richness of the show.
Special mention too, to Tom Rogers’ subtle but spare set, which literally puts the audience in the frames with hapless, trapped Lucy.
It’s a reminder that there’s often real West End quality to be found on an East End stage in Stratford.
**** (4/5)
key details: Lovestuck
Lovestuck is at Theatre Royal Stratford East until July 12, 2025, and more updates on its future can be found on Instagram via @lovestuckmusical.
Full listings of future shows in Stratford can be found on the theatre’s website.
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