Clueless The Musical Trafalgar Theatre April 10 2025

The musical version of Clueless came with impeccable credentials. The original screenwriter Amy Heckerling adapted her own film, K T Tunstall wrote the score and Glenn Slater, the writer behind Tangled, Sister Act and School of Rock amongst many others, provided the lyrics. The film itself has proved to be a touchstone for three generations of teens as they watched and re-watched Alicia Silverstone et al. I had only seen the original film once, but I remembered enjoying it immensely, so I was expecting a really good evening.

The Story

Clueless is based on the novel Emma by Jane Austen. The central character Cher is a 17 year old high school student who lives with her widowed father who is a lawyer. Her stepbrother Josh, who also wants to be a lawyer, sees her as interfering and shallow while she sees him as dull and idealistic. Cher’s best friend Dionne is more than happy to go along with Cher’s schemes to match ‘suitable’ couples together. Her attempt to get her grades increased by the grumpy Mr Hall works when she sets him up with fellow teacher Miss Geist. So, when new girl Tai arrives she decides to turn her from a pink haired nerd into someone worthy of Elton, the narcissistic, shallow Elton, even though Tai and skateboarder Travis are far more compatible. Deciding to take advantage of her profile at the school, she sets her sights on fashion lover Christian, but she is in for a shock.

The Cast

Emma Flynn plays Cher, the central character with sweetness, determination, depth and humour. At no point do you see Cher as a figure of fun. Yes, she can be misguided and far too sure of her instincts, but she is genuinely sweet and kind. When something happens that she feels is wrong she is determined to make it right. She is the friend who will back you up to the hilt but only if you can keep up with her! By refusing to make her a caricature, Flynn centres the whole performance. Her acting and singing fizz with verve and energy and she has an absolutely fantastic voice. She has a fantastic stage presence and your eyes are drawn in her direction every time she is on stage, not just sporadically! Emma Flynn isn’t a star of the future, she is a star right now, and we were really lucky to see her as the perfect Cher.

Keelan McAuley is the perfect foil for Cher in his role as Josh. You completely buy into his earnest young intern who has a clear sense of right and wrong like Cher. The problem is that his sense of right and wrong often clashes with hers. In the song, Human Barbies he sets out his case for the prosecution, but in that song you sense that he is trying to help her out rather than criticise. When he feels that she is setting her sights on the wrong guy he is clear that his role is as her protector. Their spiky relationship is the centre of the story and thanks to Mcauley it rings completely true. His singing is powerful, and in the boyband influenced Reasonable Doubts he nails one of the absolute showstoppers.

Chyna-Rose Frederick is Cher’s best friend Dionne, whose easy friendship with her is in contrast to the fiery relationship she has with boyfriend Murray (Rabi Kondé) Despite their regular spats it is clear that they really love each other, and in that, if in little else, she is prepared to be quite independent of her friend. Like Cher, Dionne is completely driven by what she sees as the best for everyone else. Frederick is sassy, funny and completely watchable whenever she is on stage, keeping up with Flynn which is no mean feat.

Romona Lewis-Malley plays new girl Tai. Initially she has pink hair and unfashionable clothes and she is worried about coming to a new school. That is the reason that she allows Cher and Dionne to make her over, but it is clear that she is not really comfortable with her new image. She has more in common with Travis (Blake Jordan) who shares her love of cartoon characters and loves her artistic talent. Both characters are appealing and you definitely root for them as a couple even when Cher doesn’t.

Max Mirza and Isaac J Lewis play Elton and Christian respectively. They are both clothes horses, both inordinately vain and love to make an entrance. There the similarities end, because where Elton is calculated and selfish, Christian is ingenuous and open hearted. Both actors play their characters flaws to the hilt, but they also give performances that are nuanced and far from one note.

The Music

The best way to describe the music is as a 90s mixtape that takes you straight back into the decade. There were so many good songs that it seems almost wrong to pick any out for special praise. The music of K T Tunstall and the lyrics of Glenn Slater is so right and so familiar that you will feel as if you’ve heard these songs before. To get a feel of the music I can do no better than point you in the direction of K T Tunstall’s Clueless Mixtape which features six songs you will be playing again and again if you’re anything like me. My favourite was Reasonable Doubts sung by Josh and his fellow interns as he voices his distrust of Christian and his certainty that he is completely wrong for Cher. Any song that has the lines ‘This guy is thicker than a porpoise/He will try to habeus her corpus!’ is total genius and had me laughing out loud at the show and whenever I’ve listened to it since!

My entirely objective point of view

I have seen a number of musicals over the years, but not one of them has had me grinning and singing along (quietly) in the theatre like this one. It was a total blast and it was so refreshing to hear one that can stand alongside the best of the genre past or present. There are some really good modern musicals and make no mistake whatever, Clueless is right up there at the top of the pile. It would be remiss of me not to give a shout out to the incredible set design of Mikiko Suzuki Adams who made the most of every single inch of the stage with her innovative designs. Wait till you see how they introduce the cars! I was there on a Thursday night and it wasn’t a full theatre which was such a shame. Something this good deserves a full house every night. Everyone there had a marvellous time watching a show that transcended the generations with ease. Whether you saw the film version of Clueless first time round or caught up with it via streaming, I guarantee you will absolutely adore this fantastic piece of stage magic. Book those tickets now and support the huge talent on and behind the stage. As the final encore has it, ‘It’s all that/ and a bag of chips’!