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One Day: The Musical

 
Mark Harding Review by Mark Harding 4 Published: 13 Mar 2026 Royal Lyceum Theatre Show Dates: 27 Feb 2026-4 Apr 2026

Adapted from David Nicholls’ hugely successful novel, with book by David Greig, and music and lyrics by Abner and Amanda Ramirez, with additional lyrics by Jeremy Sams, this musical is imbued with the human warmth that characterises Greig’s work. The show radiates joy before it even starts; with the Lyceum reconfigured as an Edinburgh student bar, you can even buy a drink on stage.

Musical routines on joy, satirical comedy and celebration are exceptional – although this is not to detract from several other standout numbers

The story is of Em – working class, clever, serious – and Dex – charming, rich and determinedly superficial. The perfect couple for a romcom, except these lovers are star-crossed – by fate and their own characters. Following the novel, the musical is structured as snapshots of their lives over nearly 20 years, each occurring on St Swithin’s Day.

The show opens with a joyous high: Student Graduation Day. The leads and the supporting cast start as they continue – terrific choreography, singing and acting as they show the joy of youth – with the world stretched out before them, yet secretly anxious about the challenges to come. And even in these first moments the actors are delineating the characters of the ‘Rankeillor Street gang’, who reappear throughout the story. The musical routines on joy, satirical comedy and celebration are exceptional – although this is not to detract from several other standout numbers on the themes of yearning love or maternal love.

The leads are superb musical actors. Sharon Rose as Em perfectly captures that admirable stubborn pride to be a good person – no matter what – but it is that pride that prevents her from accepting the inevitable and running to Dex. Jamie Muscato as Dex manages to transition from Hugh Grant-style charm in his younger years, through debauched and useless in his later years, to honest grafter towards the end. Muscato is helped by spot-on costume design (Rae Smith’s set and costumes are efficient, evocative, witty and characterful throughout).

Where the balance of the show falters is with too much time spent with Dex being obnoxiously selfish and self-centred. Even Muscato’s undisputed charm cannot redeem the character. You wonder if this leopard can ever truly change his spots.

Spoiler alert for those who do not know the novel, film or TV adaptations: there is no happy ever after. Years of potential and happiness are wasted by bad timing, bad circumstances – and, in the case of Dex, bad behaviour. The ending is elegiac: what might have been… if only. That remains an open question.

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The Blurb:

A Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Melting Pot production

World Premiere

Emma walks into Dexter's life on the night of their graduation. One unsuspecting day that changes them both forever. But where will they be on this day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows?

As Em and Dex's lives intertwine through joy and heartbreak, missed opportunities and second chances, they navigate love, ambition, and the unpredictable twists of life.

The story which has touched millions as one of the most popular British novels this century is brought to the stage like never before in the life-affirming One Day: The Musical, capturing the intensity of youthful romance, the moments that define us forever, and the enduring hope that love will find its way.

Produced by arrangement with Universal Theatrical Group