Clueless, The Musical has now landed on the West End, joining a growing list of movie-based musicals that already includes Titanique, Back to the Future, The Devil Wears Prada, Mean Girls and more.
But is it a cash grab to capitalise on this trend? Ugh, as if.
Amy Heckerling's iconic 1995 movie (yes, it's 30 years old, sorry guys) was actually first brought to the stage in a 2018 off-Broadway production. That version was a jukebox musical – much like last year's Cruel Intentions, currently touring the UK – but this is a different musical take on Clueless.
Heckerling has written the book as with that 2018 version, with KT Tunstall and lyricist Glenn Slater teaming up for the original songs. The result is a bit of a mixed bag song-wise, but Clueless, The Musical still manages to be a joyous blast of '90s nostalgia.
Buy Clueless, The Musical tickets from ATG Tickets
The smartest thing this adaptation of Clueless has done is to keep things set in the '90s, rather than trying to modernise it. It's not just the outfits, including the most iconic from the movie, but it's weaved throughout all of the music.
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KT Tunstall has likened it to the music "that is on the cassette tape on repeat in Cher's jeep", so while they're original songs, you'll spot the influence. 'Human Barbies' could be a forgotten Green Day song; 'Reasonable Doubt' is not only a boy band banger, but also has choreographer that could have been crafted for NSYNC.
Whether you were more Alanis than the Spice Girls or just a Hanson fan, Clueless, The Musical will have a song that brings back those vibes. Not every song lands, especially in the slightly-weaker first act, but the hit rate is impressive.
Fittingly for the '90s, there are several instant earworms that you'll be humming on the journey home, including the big opening number 'Perfect' (which you can get a tease of in the video above) and 'She's All That and a Bag of Chips'.
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Another excellent choice for Clueless, The Musical is bringing back Emma Flynn and Keelan McAuley to play Cher and Josh from the 2024 run in Bromley.
They're both deliver terrific vocal performances and are perfectly cast, unfazed by the shoes they're stepping into; Flynn nailing Alicia Silverstone's mannerisms and comic timing, and McAuley matching the charm of Paul Rudd and adding in a genuinely impressive flip.
There are also strong performances among the supporting cast, including Max Mirza as Elton (who gets a hilariously arrogant introduction song) and Chyna-Rose Frederick as Dionne, who deserves more to do in the second act. Special mention to goes to Imelda Warren-Green and Ryan O'Donnell's impeccable juggling of multiple roles.
However, it's Flynn and McAuley who you'll rave about afterwards, both surely destined for big futures.
As with other musicals based on movies, Clueless, The Musical has pretty much every memorable line and gag from the movie. It does sometimes cleverly weave them into the lyrics of the songs, but the book mostly delivers the lines verbatim, including Cher's narration being delivered to the audience by Flynn.
There are minor adjustments to the story, most pleasingly with Christian's depiction as the sole gay character, but the story is faithful otherwise. There are pacing issues in the adaptation, however, with the first act stretched out and the second rushing the Cher and Josh romance.
While Clueless, The Musical is far from perfect, the adaptation is more of a Betty than a Monet. It still may not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty, but any Clueless fan who RSVPs to this likely won't find themselves disappointed.
How to buy Clueless, The Musical tickets
Clueless, The Musical is now running at the Trafalgar Theatre in London until Saturday, September 27, with performances at 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and matinees at 2.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Tickets start from £25 and are on sale now from the likes of ATG Tickets, TodayTix, LoveTheatre and London Theatre Direct.
There are also deals at Red Letter Days and Buyagift which allow you to buy two tickets and receive a discount, with four tiers available depending on where you want to sit: Standard (£99), Silver (£99.99, save 32%), Gold (£159.99, save 19%) and Platinum (£269.99, save 6%).
Standard has seats across various dates, Silver offers better seats mostly for weekday performances, Gold has a wider range of seats for weekday and weekend performances and Platinum has the most extensive selection of seats across all performances.
Clueless, The Musical is running at London's Trafalgar Theatre until September 27, 2025.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
