Scottish critics slam Royal Lyceum's 'London-centric' One Day musical review policy
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- 15 Scottish theatre critics sent a letter to the Royal Lyceum's board of directors on Friday condemning the decision to invite only Scottish publications to the Wednesday press night for One Day: The Musical, based on David Nicholls' 2009 novel.
- The critics labelled the two-tier invitation a 'divisive move' that 'suggests not only that critics in Scotland are less important than critics in London, but also that audiences in Edinburgh are less important than audiences in London.'
- Melting Pot, the co-producer alongside the Lyceum, said the Edinburgh run 'will be followed by a West End run' and that 'it takes time' to build buzz for the London launch with UK national press.
- The critics noted that Edinburgh theatregoers must pay up to £55 to see a show that is being treated as 'not a finished production but a preview for dates to come,' and argued the publicly funded Lyceum's work should be 'vigorously reviewed and debated as part of Scottish public life.'
- The Royal Lyceum responded on Monday saying it 'understands the rationale from our commercial partners who need to create a buzz in the UK press at the launch of the London run' and welcomed dialogue on the financial challenges of co-productions.
- The letter was signed by both invited and uninvited critics, including the Guardian's Mark Fisher, Mary Brennan, Mark Brown, Neil Cooper, Joyce McMillan, and nine other Scotland-based journalists.
Why it matters: The dispute exposes a structural tension in UK theatre: publicly funded Scottish venues co-producing commercial West End-bound shows may increasingly be treated as soft openings rather than finished productions — leaving £55-paying Edinburgh audiences reviewed by a narrower critical lens than their London counterparts. With 15 critics publicly drawing a line, the Lyceum's board now faces pressure to clarify its policy for future co-productions.
