Cult ‘90s teen Rom Com Clueless is reinvented as a musical and premiered on the West End stage this week. The film’s original writer and director Amy Heckerling is also behind the stage version. Multi-platinum Brit Award winning singer-songwriter KT Tunstall scored the musical, with lyrics by GRAMMY Award winner and three-time Tony Award nominee Glenn Slater. Tunstall references seminal ‘90s musical genres in the score–from Alanis Morissette and Green Day to NSYNC and the Spice Girls–while injecting it with a fresh contemporary sound.
As ‘90s fashion and music enjoy a Renaissance through the lens of generation Z and Alpha, the new musical version of 1995 movie Clueless arrives in London’s West End at a zeitgeisty moment. Three decades since the original film was released, the cult movie gets a musical remake. It also happens to be 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen–author of Emma–the book upon which Clueless was loosely based.
Clueless: The Musical is faithful to the original movie, which was set in a Beverly Hills high school populated by privileged teens, and centers around Cher, a wealthy blonde fashion-conscious teenager who has her busy Lawyer father wrapped around her little finger. Originally played by Alicia Silverstone in the ‘90s movie, Emma Flynn takes on the iconic role of Cher and makes her West End debut. Flynn rises to the occasion and exudes star quality. She has the sunny disposition and megawatt smile of a young Cameron Diaz, and the goofiness of ‘50s movie star Doris Day. The scene that draws the biggest laughs from the audience features a bit of old school slapstick comedy as Cher attempts to make a clumsy romantic pass at her classmate Christian in her bedroom, falling off the bed and wobbling across the stage in heels that are far too high.
As well as making a star of Alicia Silverstone, the original movie showcased the talents of Paul Rudd who played her stepbrother Josh (and went onto become Phoebe’s partner in Friends and take on the role of Ant Man) and the late Brittany Murphy, who played Cher’s clumsy friend Tai. Keelan McAuley plays Josh in the stage version, with Chyna-Rose Frederick taking the role of Cher’s best friend Dionne, Romona Lewis-Malley as Tai, Isaac J Lewis playing Christian and Rabi Konde as Dionne’s boyfriend Murray.
There are some comedic moments between Cher and Dionne, and entertaining repartee between Dionne and Murray, with Tai’s character gifted some of the funnier moments as she tries to find a boyfriend under the watchful eye of Cher. Also watch out from some entertaining comedy moments delivered by Ryan O’Donnell (who plays Cher’s father, the teacher and a driving instructor) and Imelda Warren-Green (who also takes on multiple cameo roles as Miss Geist, Miss Stoeger and Cher’s housekeeper).
Cher has a heart of gold but lives in a gilded cage which makes her a little clueless about the real world, and slow to catch on to her own feelings of attraction towards Josh. Essentially the storyline is a universal one of teenage love, angst and self-discovery and finding your tribe that are at the heart of other iconic coming of age stories such as Romeo and Juliet or West End Story.
Staying true to the plot of original ‘90s movie, the musical version pays homage to its iconic moments and fashion statements. Tony Award winner Paloma Young masterminded the musical’s costumes, which are inspired by styles worn by the different teen cliques of ‘90s America, from Grunge and Skater to Preppy, and of course Cher’s iconic yellow and black plaid skirt suit plays a starring role. As the show is set in California with its sunny climate, Young suggests changes in the seasons through a changing palette of clothes, with pastels and florals symbolising spring and reds and greens suggesting fall and winter.
Some songs in the first act feel a little lyrically awkward and slow, but the music (supervised by Carmel Dean) picks up pace in the second act, which contains some catchy numbers and vibrant dances performed by the energetic cast that are well worthy of the West End stage. Lizzi Gee’s choreography and the execution of the dances is a highlight, particularly the high energy swing dance number.
Although this is a brand new musical which needs a bit of time to find its way, at its core are a joyful and uplifting sentiment combined with an artistic reimagining of pop culture moments that made the film a cult classic that have the potential to make it a theatrical hit.
Clueless: The Musical plays at London’s Trafalgar Theatre until 27th September, 2025.