Clueless (musical)
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.
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. 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.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.
Musical numbers
Original Off-Broadway production (Jukebox musical)
;Act I| Song | Original artist | Performer |
| "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 |
| "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" | 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 - 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
- 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 - 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.