Theater critics in Scotland criticize ‘London-centric’ review policy for musical One Day | stage

Theater critics in Scotland have written to Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theater condemning the “divisive” and “London-centric” decision not to invite UK national publications to conduct reviews of its new musical version of One Day.

The show, based on David Nichols’s 2009 novel, held a press evening on Wednesday, but only critics writing for Scottish publications were invited to review it. A separate press evening for other critics is scheduled for later, when the show opens in London.

In a letter sent on Friday to the attention of the Lyceum board, 15 theater journalists working in Scotland expressed concern that the invitation to review the show in Edinburgh “was not extended to all of us”. They called it a “divisive move” that raises “uncomfortable questions.” The two-tier invitation “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,” they wrote. “This is clearly not the case.”

One Day: The Musical is produced by Lyceum and Melting Boat, an independent theatrical and film production company. When Melting Pot was contacted last week to explain why The Guardian had not invited a review in Edinburgh, it responded: “The presentation here, in Edinburgh, will be followed by a show in the West End. We appreciate there has been criticism from UK citizens across the country – we are building a new piece of theater here and it takes time. The opening at the Lyceum was fantastic and we are looking forward to another moment when the show moves to the West End.”

The 15 critics stated in their letter that the decision to allow some but not all critics to review creates the impression that Someday “is not a finished production but a preview for upcoming dates. Despite this, Edinburgh theatergoers must pay up to £55 to see it”.

They point out that “the Lyceum Company has public support and funding in Scotland to establish theater in Scotland… its work should always be vigorously reviewed and debated as part of Scottish public life. As critics, we are all aware of the vital and enriching role that co-productions now play in the theatrical life of Scotland, and we warmly welcome them. However, when co-productions exclude Scotland’s leading critical voices from that public discussion, we believe a line must be drawn; we are confident that the London-centred positions that Reflected in a decision this week it will play no part in the future thinking and planning of Scotland’s leading production theatres.

The letter was written by critics who were invited to review as well as those who were not. Submitted by Mary Brennan, Mark Brown, Anna Burnside, Neil Cooper, Dominic Corr, Tom Dibden, The Guardian’s Mark Fisher, Joyce MacMillan, Fergus Morgan, Natalie O’Donoghue, David Pollock, Arosa Qureshi, Alan Radcliffe, Hugh Simpson and Simon Thompson.

The Royal Lyceum Theater responded on Monday, saying: “We greatly value our Scotland-based critics who form an integral part of the UK arts and cultural ecosystem and appreciate their concerns. We also understand the rationale from our commercial partners that they need to make a splash in the UK press when the show launches in London. Co-productions are a key way forward for the Lyceum to create new work of the scale and quality of One Day: The Musical, which has allowed us to reach new audiences and delight our regular attendees. We are proud to be able to deliver World-class theater in Edinburgh, and we welcome dialogue with our peers in the industry about the financial challenges of how we can do this in the future.