Based on the iconic 90’s psychological thriller, the world premiere stage production of Single White Female is a bold and modern reimagining of the best-selling book and hit movie, that coined a phrase and led a generation to fear a stiletto heel!
Starring the multi-talented Kym Marsh (Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Abigail’s Party) and actress and presenter Lisa Faulkner (Holby City, Murder In Suburbia, John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen), Single White Female invites us into a world where trust is fragile, friendships are tested, and secrets lurk behind every closed door.
Full of dark humour and stiletto-sharp suspense, this brand new adaptation by well-known author, journalist and broadcaster, Rebecca Reid, updates the original story to the age of social media and all that it brings, in a gripping tale of ambition, obsession, and the desperate need for belonging in an isolating world.
Allie is a recently divorced mum, balancing being a single parent with the launch of her tech start up. When she decides to advertise for a lodger to help make ends meet, the delightful Hedy offers her a lifeline. But as their lives intertwine, boundaries blur, and a seemingly perfect arrangement begins to unravel.
From the producer of the hit stage adaptation of The Girl on the Train, Single White Female will captivate, shock, and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
I was lucky enough to get some time with Lisa Faulkner to talk to her about the production, her experiences and playing her character Allie.
KK
How have rehearsals gone?
LF
They’ve been really good fun. It’s a whole new world to me because it’s been so long since I’ve done it. So I really loved the rehearsal process. We’re now in tech, which is a whole new world again.
KK
Oh, golly, I remember it well.
LF
I mean, it’s full on, isn’t it? And you’re here early and you go home late, but yeah, I’m learning so much.
KK
Hopefully they’re doing cut to tech, cut to shot, but maybe not.
LF
Well, we’re just sort of going over the lines as well because we’re all quite happy to get lines in.
KK
You are enjoying working on stage then? Because, I mean, you’ve done film, TV work.
LF
I am. I’m actually surprised. I didn’t know if I was going to like it quite so much. You could ask me that on Friday. But the whole process is amazing. And actually being on stage, I’m loving it. And I don’t know how it’s going to change with an audience in, maybe I’ll get really scared. But I think one person in an audience or however many people, it doesn’t matter, you still feel that, don’t you?
KK
Exactly. When I was acting, stage was my favourite thing. So I completely understand how you feel. And my thing was, if I was nervous, I mean, you always get nervous. If you’re not nervous, then there’s something wrong with you. But I found as soon as I stepped on stage, it was fine. It’s really weird.
LF
I think that’s what will happen. And I know that there’s such a 5 degrees between nerves and excitement. So I’m just going to turn that dial to excitement. And you know what, I’ve said this before, but to get an opportunity to do something I haven’t done for 22 years when I’m 53 is I just go, yeah, I’m going to jump in.I’m going to go for it.
KK
Had you watched the film of Single White Female before starting on the play?
LF
I watched it years ago. I went to the cinema to see it when it first came out and I loved it. And then when the play landed on my lap and I read that, I said to John, let’s watch it. So we watched it again and it held up so well and it’s such a great film, but the play is very different.
KK
Well, that’s good, isn’t it? How have they updated it for present day?
LF
They say that about updates, but she was running a tech company, wasn’t she? It’s the first thing she does with this sort of weird computer and she’s dialing up all these images, which is really funny because I’d completely forgotten that. But in this one, we’re obviously not in our early thirties in New York. We’re in a city anywhere and we are in our sort of mid forties. I have a 15 year old daughter and the ex-boyfriend is an ex-husband.
So I’ve moved into a flat in my best friend’s block and I need a housemate. And that’s where Hedy comes in. So it has been brought up to date. There’s a lot of obviously social media with how we get the housemate, but also with my 15 year old daughter, who’s played by Amy Snudden, who is amazing. And it’s, you know, she’s being bullied online. So there is we’ve got that sort of social media thing going on at the same time. You know, I think a lot of the people that watched the film were my age. So coming to see it as an older person, maybe with your older kid, I think will be fun. Somebody said to me, “Oh, is it scary?” and I went, well, it’s not scary, scary. There’s a few jumps. But then somebody just said to me, it’s a popcorn thriller and I thought, actually, that makes total sense. Like you’ll leave feeling like you’ve had a really good, night out, you won’t be leaving going, oh, I can’t sleep. And so I think everyone will love it. I hope so.
KK
I’m sure they will, Lisa. How’s it felt stepping into Allie’s shoes?
LF
Oh, there’s a lot that I identify with, you know, being a mother of a teenage daughter, my daughter’s slightly older, she’s 19. But that juggle is real with your working out, you know, when you’re working, when you’re there, how you can be all things to all people. So yeah, I mean, she resonates with me a lot and I love Allie.
KK
You’ve got a very multifaceted career, as we’ve talked about. You’re actor, presenter, cook and author. Do you have a favorite role?
LF
Every role that I do at the time is my favorite role, I think, because I’m so immersed in it. You know, if you’d have asked me a couple of months ago, I would have said probably was the last big acting job that I did that I loved was Missing You and playing Dana. But actually this now, I’m just all about Ali and I think that’s great. I love the fact that I get to inhabit these people and they become my favorites.
KK
Which is how it should be, isn’t it? Because yeah, whether you’re playing something or writing a character, it’s all consuming. So do you have any tips for others setting out on a career in acting and writing?
LF
Do you know what? My niece, who is 24, has just graduated from Arts Ed and she’s got a first-class degree and she’s brilliant, beautiful and so excited, and my daughter is now saying that’s what she wants to do. She wants to go to drama school. And I’m like, you know what? As long as you know that life continues and acting, you have to sort of incorporate it into your whole world because you are not going to be employed all the time as an actor. So the showing up, the auditions, the self-tapes, any work you can do, the adverts, all of that, put your whole heart and soul into every single beat of it, because otherwise that’s not your career. And you have to know that there’s a lot of downtime.
KK
So are you looking forward to touring?
LF
I really am. I mean, it’s lovely being in Brighton, I have to say, to wake up with the seagulls every day. It’s amazing. I keep sort of hearing them and it feels like I’m in a movie because I’m so not used to it and it’s just amazing. I can’t wait to see the rest of the country and I’m booking my little digs and then thinking, oh, I’ve got friends there and people are messaging me on Instagram and saying, we’re coming to see you in Nottingham or Cardiff or Woking. I’m so excited. So it’ll be great to see, you know, all these cities.
Don’t miss this unforgettable theatrical experience that explores just how far we’ll go to find—and keep—a family together.
Theatre Royal Brighton,
New Road, Brighton, BN1 1SD
Fri 9th Jan to Sat 17th Jan 2026
Tickets from £15.00
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/single-white-female/theatre-royal-brighton/
