Clueless, The Hit Musical is a musical with a book by Amy Heckerling based on her 1995 film, itself loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, updating the setting to modern-day Beverly Hills.Mazmanian, Melissa. "Reviving Emma in a Clueless World: The Current Attraction to a Classic Structure. Persuasions Online: Occasional Papers No. 3. Fall 1999. Jane Austen Society of North America website. Accessed November 12, 2013.Stern, Lesley. "Emma in Los Angeles" Clueless as a remake of the book and the city. Australian Humanities Review website, 1997. Accessed November 12, 2013.
The musical originally premiered as a jukebox musical Off-Broadway on November 20, 2018, with an official opening on December 11, in the Pershing Square Signature Center's Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre. Performances ran through January 12, 2019.
A new version of the musical with original music by KT Tunstall and with lyrics by Glenn Slater, had a work-in-progress engagement at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley from 12 to 24 February 2024, before being announced to begin performances in London's West End at the Trafalgar Theatre from February 2025. The West End production opened on March 13, 2025.
Synopsis Cher Horowitz is a popular, wealthy teenager living a picture perfect life in Beverly Hills ("Perfect"). Her father, Mel, is a lawyer and the two live in a mansion, sometimes joined by Josh, Cher's ex-step-brother. Tai, a new girl from New York, arrives at in town and Cher decides to make her her new project, making her popular ("New Girl").
Productions Off-Broadway (2018)
The musical originally opened Off-Broadway at The Pershing Square Signature Center, produced by The New Group, on November 20, 2018, for a limited engagement until January 12, 2019. The production was directed by Kristin Hanggi, choreographed by Kelly Devine and the show's music supervision, arrangements and orchestration was provided by Ethan Popp. The production's design team included scenery by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Amy Clark, lighting by Jason Lyons, sound by Gareth Owen, and projections by Darrel Maloney. The production stars Dove Cameron as the lead role. As a non-traditional jukebox musical, the show used '80s and '90s songs as the entire score, with lyric changes to fit the scene. It features classics such as "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child, "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde, and "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base.
Bromley tryout (2024) and West End (2025) A new version of the musical made its UK premiere in a work-in-progress run at the Churchill Theatre, in Bromley from 12 to 24 February 2024. The new version features an original score by KT Tunstall and Glenn Slater and was directed by Sarna Lapine.
On 9 September 2024, it was announced that the musical will open in London's West End at the Trafalgar Theatre from February 2025, with Rachel Kavanaugh replacing Lapine as director and Lizzi Gee as choreographer. Emma Flynn & Keelan McAuley, who played Cher Horowitz & Josh Lucas respectively, both reprised their roles for the West End production. Full casting and creative teams were announced in January 2025. The show opened on March 13, 2025 It was originally meant to close in June 2025 but due to popular demand, it was extended to March 2026. However in July 2025, it was announced that the show would be closing on August 23, 2025. Simultaneously, they also announced a UK Tour set for 2026 where the tour would begin at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, where the show first workshopped in the UK.
Cast and characters Character Off-Broadway Bromley West End201820242025 Cher Horowitz Dove Cameron Emma Flynn Dionne Davenport Zurin Villanueva Madison McBride Chyna-Rose Frederick Tai Frasier Ephie Aardema Annie Southall Romona Lewis-Malley Josh Lucas Dave Thomas Brown Keelan McAuley Mel HorowitzAlphonse HallDMV InstructorMugger Chris Hoch Lloyd Gorman Ryan O'Donnell Amber Mariens Tessa Grady Emily Florence Christian Stovitz Justin Mortelliti Solomon Davy Isaac J Lewis Miss GeistMillie Stoeger Megan Sikora Julie Yammanee Imelda Warren-Green Heather Sara Andreas Lucy Danielle Marie Gonzalez Jacqueline Hughes Murray Duvall Gilbert L. Bailey II Simeon Wynne Rabi Kondé Travis Birkenstock Will Connolly Owen Lloyd Blake Jordan Elton Tiscia Brett Thiele Tom Liggins Max Mirza Summer Talya Groves Ellen HillmanAoife Kenny Haley Sophie Elmes Tiffany Grace Eleanor Thomas Dylan Jacob Fisher Kyle Ernest Stroud Chad Josh Latunji Finn/Band Singer James Lim Swing Lucy Rice Rachel Seirian
Dylan Gordon-Jones
Lucas Lluna Sean Holliday Darius Jordan Lee Max L’ogan J’ones
Musical numbers
Original Off-Broadway production (Jukebox musical) Act I Song Original artist Performer(s) "Beautiful Life" Ace of Base Cher and Ensemble "Shoop" Salt-N-Pepa Murray and Male Ensemble "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" Spin Doctors Cher, Josh, Teachers and Female Ensemble "No Scrubs" TLC Cher and Ensemble "You Gotta Be" Des'ree Cher, Dionne and Ensemble "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" Laura Branigan Mr. Hall, Miss Geist, Cher, Dionne and Ensemble "U Can't Touch This" MC Hammer Company "Supermodel" Jill Sobule Cher, Dionne, Tai and Ensemble "Barbie Girl" Aqua Cher, Dionne, Tai, Murray and Female Ensemble "Groove Is in the Heart" Deee-Lite Tai, Murray and Company "Torn" Ednaswap Cher and Josh
Act II Song Original artist Performer(s) "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" En Vogue Tai, Cher, Dionne and Female Ensemble "A Girl Like You" Edwyn Collins Christian, Cher, Dionne, Tai and Ensemble "Dammit" Blink-182 Cher, Josh, The Band and Ensemble "Dammit" (Reprise) Blink-182 Cher and Josh "Bye Bye Bye" NSYNC Cher, Christian and Company "Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm" Crash Test Dummies Travis "What's Up?" 4 Non Blondes Cher "She's So High" Tal Bachman Cher and Josh "You Get What You Give" New Radicals Cher and Company "Kids in America" Kim Wilde Full Company
Original London production
Act I Perfect - Cher, Dionne and Ensemble Perfect (Reprise) - Cher Get Involved - Cher, Dionne, Mr. Hall, Ms. Geist Hopeless Case - Tai New Girl - Cher, Dionne, Tai and Ensemble Human Barbies - Josh The Best - Elton and Ensemble Party in the Val - Ensemble Whatever - Cher
Act II Boom, Pow - Ensemble Reasonable Doubts - Josh and Ensemble I'm Keeping My Eye on You - Ensemble Tonight is the Night - Cher She's All That - Ensemble The Driving Test - Cher Clueless - Cher and Josh Perfect (Reprise) - Cher, Josh, Dionne, Tai and Ensemble
Critical response Clueless, The Musical Off Broadway received mixed reviews. Frank Rizzo of Variety called the narrative "lightweight" but praised the overall look and tone of the show. Rizzo, describing Kelly Devine's choreography, said "its teen-energy moves are a constant pleasure". Rizzo also said that "Beowulf Boritt’s design essentials are rad and Amy Clark’s costumes recall the too-cool-to-care designs of the period and its stylish plaids and pleats". Rizzo also praised the music selection for show, calling Amy Heckerling's reworking of the lyrics "crafty".
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter found the show "hit-or-miss". Rooney praised that the show stuck closely to the original's plot but criticized that there was no element of surprise. Rooney wrote that "in comparison to other teen classics retooled for the stage, like Mean Girls, Heathers: The Musical or Bring It On, the show rarely steps out from the shadow of its screen source with anything new to offer."
Clueless, The Musical West End received good reviews. Nick Curtis in The Standard said it is "powerfully sung, and actually, like, kinda fun". Curits went on to say "in the ranks of musical adaptations of cult movies, this is almost as good as Legally Blonde, and it’s what Mean Girls should have been. If you don’t enjoy it, frankly you must be buggin’."
"Gals and gays, welcome to your new favorite musical" said Alun Hood in WhatsOnStage. Hood also praised lead Emma Flynn in the role of Cher Horowitz, saying "apart from the numbers, many of which are bona fide bangers... the principal distinguishing feature of Clueless is its leading lady. As Cher, who’s surely first cousin to Elle Woods and Wicked’s Glinda, American newcomer Emma Flynn is delivering the most entrancing West End musical debut since Eva Noblezada broke our hearts in Miss Saigon."
The Stage called the show "bright, breezy satire" and a "vibrant adaptation of the 1995 teen movie bolstered by a catchy original score by KT Tunstall. This West End transfer, directed with verve by Rachel Kavanaugh, embraces the satirical spirit of the original, while allowing plenty of room for Tunstall and Slater’s musical numbers to shine."
The Times said "there is plenty to enjoy in Rachel Kavanaugh’s production at the Trafalgar Theatre. While a jukebox version of the movie enjoyed a run off-Broadway in 2018, this is a more ambitious offering."
The Independent said "it’s a bit light on the catchy songs and easy-to-imitate dance routines that can pull in younger fandoms. Still, it’s a welcome excuse to revisit a classic, sewn together with just enough originality to make it feel like a stylish homage, not a cynical knock-off." "This is by no means a show for the ages, but it makes for a pleasant enough evening out," said The i Paper.
References
External links
Clueless, The Musical at Internet Off-Broadway Database