Em and Dex, Dex and Em. David Nicholls’ novel has had many adaptations, but the Royal Lyceum Theatre and Melting Pot’s production of One Day:The Musical is perhaps the most ambitious. Snapshots of 20 years of Emma and Dexter’s intertwined lives are punctuated with an intimate pop soundtrack — the production allows you to journey through their lives in a quiet reflection on the once-in-a-lifetime connections that never leave us.
The Lyceum is transformed in the round, immersing the audience in Emma and Dexter’s lives as we flit between place to place, and year to year. What grounds us is a digital clock above the stage, projecting the years in blazing red. With each sharp flicker of marquee lights, we are transported through time — constant reminders of the past slipping away.
A rotating platform conveys this sense of time spiralling; we watch Dexter run in endless circles, powerless to recover the past. By breaking the conventional distance between stage and audience – with audience members even sitting on the stage — we become participants in their intertwined stories. This staging captures how their lives intersect or clash, visualising their physical and emotional distance such as when Dexter desperately tries to phone Emma.
Sharon Rose and Jamie Muscato are phenomenal as Emma and Dexter, with natural chemistry which does not simply feel like an imitation of earlier adaptations. Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s ensemble choreography visualises their changing relationship, from dancing around a telephone cord mirroring their growing distance, to weaving garlands around Emma and Dexter as they reconnect in the maze.
Rose’s natural charisma emulates Emma’s quick wit and endearing sarcasm. During tender numbers such as “Blackbirds”, her entrancing vocals capture Emma’s emotions and anxieties throughout her life. Muscato morphs into different versions of Dexter through nuanced facial expressions, shifting from a playboy rich kid persona to a fractured, unravelling shell of himself. Muscato’s harrowing performance in the final scenes shows grief in all its ugliness. Josefina Gabrielle and David Birrell also give powerful performances as Dexter’s ill mother and grief-stricken father.
Abner and Amanda Ramirez’ music allows moments of emotional internal monologue for Emma and Dexter, particularly in “Blackbirds” or “Pick Up Em”. Other upbeat, cliché songs feel at times out of place between emotional scenes. Playwright David Greig’s refreshing comedy scatters the performance with laughter, however sometimes the audience needs a little more time to linger on emotions.
Premiering in the very city in which their story begins, One Day: The Musical deepens our connection to Emma and Dexter as we meet these two fan favourites yet again. With heartbreaking performances and a deeply immersive set, we are reminded of the harsh reality that the past can never be changed, and to treasure sacred relationships which shape who we are.
Production Image by Mihaela Bodlovic featuring Jamie Muscato and Sharon Rose at The Lyceum Theatre