Public: The Musical, with a book by Hannah Sands, Kyla Stroud and Natalie Stroud, first premiered at the VAULT Festival in 2023 before transferring to the Edinburgh Fringe. It now arrives at Leicester’s Curve with a simple but promising premise: four complete strangers become trapped in a public bathroom.
You might wonder how a five-minute inconvenience can sustain a ninety-minute musical. The answer comes in the form of a faulty door lock, trapping the group together long enough for reluctant conversations, uncomfortable revelations and challenges to their assumptions about one another. The show clearly aims for emotional poignancy, but much like the characters’ eagerness to flee once the bathroom door finally opens, some of that emotional impact fizzles out as soon as the curtain falls. Character growth is frequently discussed, yet there’s a lingering sense that the lessons learned inside the bathroom may not survive beyond it.
The quartet could not be more different. There’s Zo, essentially Alexis Rose by way of a British private school education and a crash course in activism; Laura, anxiously preparing for her wedding while desperately trying to keep tensions low; Finley, buzzing with anxiety and carrying a simmering fury towards the world; and Andrew, a finance bro who finds himself unexpectedly caught in the middle of the group’s ideological clashes.
The show’s success rests largely on its four performers, who bring warmth and humanity to their characters. Cole Dennis delivers a powerhouse performance as Laura, particularly in the standout number “Emma Louise”, structured around a voice note to their unfaithful fiancée. Ivano Turco brings a gently soothing singing voice to the production, while Matt Corner captures Andrew’s volatility, a man whose anger often masks deeper insecurities that are only partially explored with the revelation that his wife has left him. Grace Towning is chaotically fun as Zo, dressed as a bumblebee and determined to improve the world while remaining blissfully unaware of her own privileges. Towning’s vocals are particularly impressive, peppering her performance with bluesy riffs and trills that add individuality to Zo’s musical moments.
Visually, the production impresses. Amy Jane Cook’s set, Katy Morrison’s lighting and Russell Ditchfield’s sound design work together seamlessly. The bathroom feels convincingly grimy – I winced every time a character sat on the floor – and the neon strip lighting lining the stalls provides striking visual punctuation during the show’s more dramatic moments. The choreography is engaging, making inventive use of the confined setting.
Musically, Public delivers a solid score dominated by piano-led ballads, giving each character an opportunity to unpack their personal struggles. Group numbers like “Small Talk” are catchy, and there’s a particularly enjoyable techno dance number that provides a welcome shift in energy.
In a show centred on building understanding between people who would never ordinarily interact, these themes are explored most effectively through the dialogue rather than the score. Conversations surrounding identity are handled with clarity, breaking down complex ideas for audiences who may be unfamiliar with them without ever feeling condescending.
What begins as four distinct archetypes gradually evolves into something more nuanced, reflecting the show’s central message: people are rarely as simple as the boxes we place them in. While the emotional arc doesn’t always achieve the depth it strives for, and some character journeys feel less developed than others, Public: The Musical remains an entertaining and frequently funny piece of theatre. Driven by strong performances, thoughtful dialogue and a genuine warmth towards its characters, it’s an enjoyable evening that leaves audiences with plenty to think about after they’ve escaped the bathroom.
Public: The Musical runs at Curve Theatre until 13th June 2026: https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/public-the-musical/
****
Katie Reviews 