TV Star Kym Marsh Leads the Electrifying Stage Rebirth of the Cult 90s Thriller That Shocked a Generation!
Single White Female – the world premiere adaptation of the iconic psychological hit – arrives at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 February 2026, starring the sensational Kym Marsh in a role that’s equal parts chilling, complex, and utterly unforgettable.
Produced by JAS Theatricals, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions, and written by Rebecca Reid, the brand-new play brings the 1992 film’s gripping tale of obsession into the age of social media – where friendship, imitation, and identity become dangerously intertwined.
John Lutz’s darkly disturbing novel was also famously adapted by Columbia Pictures into the smash-hit 1992 movie Single White Female, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh as roommates whose friendship takes a terrifying turn, a film that led a generation of audiences to fear stiletto heels.
“This is my villain era,” says Kym Marsh, with a laugh so warm it is hard to imagine the multi-talented actress with her friendly, likeable persona, being remotely villainous. Yet, in her latest role, as Hedy, in the world premiere stage adaptation of the iconic Nineties’ psychological thriller Single White Female, audiences are in for a surprise and are going to be unsure whether she’s friend or foe.
The play tells the story of recently divorced mum Allie, who is trying to juggle childcare with starting a new business. When she advertises for a lodger to help make ends meet, along comes the seemingly delightful Hedy, but quickly we see that all is not as it seems, and their new friendship takes a sinister turn.
So, does portraying someone who appears lovely but might have a darker side come hard to Kym, who was one of the most popular characters, Michelle Connor, in Coronation Street for 13 years, has won a multitude of acting awards and, amongst other things, has starred in Waterloo Road, Strictly Come Dancing and presented BBC One’s Morning Live?
“Actually the last few roles I have done have been pretty villainous and I love it,” she says. “It’s so easy to play the typical moustache twiddler. But I want to make Hedy a little bit more layered and actually have people be a bit taken aback, unsure if she’s good or bad right up to the last minute and even feeling sorry for her, particularly near the end. So, it is a bit more complex and nuanced than you might imagine.”
Few performers have made the journey Kym Marsh has, from pop sensation with Hear’Say to soap icon and award-winning stage actor. Now, she steps into perhaps her most psychologically demanding role yet, in a play that updates the story for today’s hyperconnected world.
How did she end up being asked to take on such a fascinating and chilling role that thrilled audiences in the 1992 worldwide hit movie?
“After I played Alex Forrest in the stage version of Fatal Attraction, we started to have discussions about what potential other projects there might be and we came up with the idea of Single White Female because it had never been done before,”she explains. “It was also within that kind of genre of those epic, classic films that had a real impact on people at that time. So I have been attached to it from the start and it’s really exciting – the character of Hedy is so interesting and challenging to play.
“Without giving too much away to anyone who hasn’t seen the film, the character is very complex and, from an acting point of view, it gives me an opportunity to explore so many different places that you don’t necessarily really go to normally.”
In this reimagined version by journalist and author Rebecca Reid, the story takes on a darkly modern resonance – where identity and imitation are amplified by the world of social media. Kym says this has done more than just give it a contemporary spin; it makes the story feel even more relevant.
“There obviously wasn’t social media back in the 90s,” she says. “But if you know the essence of the plot and what it’s about, it works very well because we see people trying to imitate people’s lives online all the time.
“We hear about these stories of people ‘catfishing’ and so on and I think there are elements of that within Single White Female that make it feel up to date and its themes are even more relevant today than they were then.
“I think the world of social media is a wonderful place, but it’s also to be handled with care, because there is always that element of danger about it. And when you have a character like Hedy, and then you put social media into her hands, it can be tricky to the point of dangerous.”
Will fans of the original still recognise the film they know and love – and will they be treated to the iconic stiletto moment?
Kym laughs. “The essence is very much still the same. But the story is slightly changed – as well as being more up-to-date, it’s based in the UK rather than being in America. So there are differences but the big, important, epic moments are still in there. And it’s very much still a thriller with a real shock factor – we want to have people on the edge of their seats. I think people will still very much love the story whether they’ve seen the film or not. As for the iconic stiletto moment – you’ll have to wait and see!”
For Kym, Single White Female continues a rich vein of theatrical work that includes Abigail’s Party and Fatal Attraction, deepening her passion for live performance.
“I’m so lucky that I am able to enjoy both being in front of the camera and also being on stage,” she says. “Obviously on stage you get an instant kind of reaction which is very
rewarding – you know immediately how much people are enjoying what you’re doing when you are on stage. Television can be very different from that. But there is a real buzz being on stage, you get that atmosphere straight away. And I really like travelling around, seeing different places and some beautiful theatres. It’s interesting that everywhere you go, the audience reacts differently to different parts. Then again, in front of a camera you always get to go again!”
So even now, she gets nervous?
“Of course I do!” she admits. “Theatre is way more nerve wracking, that’s for sure. My dad passed away last year and I have found myself standing in the wings before I go on stage saying, ‘Come on Dad, come on Dad.’ Because you want to feel that someone is helping you out when you are out there, you really hope that nothing’s going to go wrong, that you give a great performance and people enjoy it.”
Aged 49, Kym has not stopped working since she auditioned for the TV show Popstars 25 years ago, joining the band Hear’Say. She says she is grateful that she has such a warm reception from the British public.
“I feel very fortunate and very lucky that I’ve been allowed to have the career that I’ve had and to have been received in the way that I have,” says the mother-of-three, who is also a grandma.
“I think maybe it’s because I come across as a sincere individual. I’ve never tried to hide anything. I make mistakes and hold my hands up and I think that gives me a girl next door feel – perhaps everyone knows someone a bit like me.
“I was brought up by a family who are very caring and open. My family means everything to me. I absolutely adore my kids and my grandchildren. I think I try to only ever be caring and open, too, when I’m being interviewed or meeting new people, because, to be honest, I don’t know how to be anything else!”
There are many places on the Single White Female tour that Kym is excited to visit – particularly Brighton’s Theatre Royal where the play opens in January. But it’s the North West venues that make this tour feel special.
As she says, “We will be in Malvern and it’s my 50th birthday… but I’m so excited for Manchester, Liverpool and of course Blackpool – I can’t wait to bring this incredible show home.”
Single White Female starring Kym Marsh(Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Abigail’s Party) is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 17 February to Saturday 21 February 2026, with matinee and evening performances.
Tickets from £15 with concessions for 1894 Club members and Friends of The Grand. Please call the Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for bookings and further information.
Adapted for the stage by: Rebecca Reid
Directed by: Gordon Greenberg (Guys & Dolls, The Baker’s Wife, Heart of Rock and Roll – Broadway)
Designer: Morgan Large
Lighting Designer: Jason Taylor
Sound Designer: Max Pappenheim
From the producer of the smash-hit The Girl on the Train, Single White Female promises to be one of the most gripping theatre experiences of the year – where obsession meets danger and identity becomes deadly.
Running time: TBC | Age guidance: PG 15+
LISTINGS
Single White Female – Tue 17 Feb to Sat 21 Feb 2026 at 7.30pm
Thu matinee at 2pm & Sat matinee at 2.30pm
Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT
Box Office 01253 290 190
blackpoolgrand.co.uk
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FOR EDITORS
For further information on Single White Female please visit: www.SWFonstage.com
Actor, presenter and singer Kym Marsh arrived on British TV screens back in 2000 appearing in the hit reality TV show, Popstars and winning a place in the subsequent band Hear’say. The band achieved two UK number one singles and a number one album – and Kym went on to pursue a successful career as a solo artist. She went on to star in London’s West End, playing the role of Annette in the critically acclaimed musical, Saturday Night Fever. An accomplished actress, she appeared in BBC One’s Doctors and Channel 4’s Hollyoaks: In the City before joining the cast of ITV’s Coronation Street in the role of Michelle Connor in 2006. During the subsequent 13 years on Britain’s famous cobbles, she won a string of prestigious awards for her work. After leaving Coronation Street in 2019, she appeared in hit BBC One drama The Syndicate and can currently be seen in BBC One’s Waterloo Road as Nicky Walters. She is also a regular host of BBC One’s Morning Live. Her love of theatre has not waned and in 2022 Kym returned to tread the boards in the role of bunny boiler Alex Forest in a nationwide tour of box office hit Fatal Attraction. In 2023 she joined the cast of Take That musical Greatest Days and last year played the iconic role of Cruella de Vil in a nationwide tour of 101 Dalmatians: The Musical. Kym is mum to David, Emilie, Polly and Archie. She lives in Cheshire with her family.
Rebecca Reid is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. As a thriller writer her novels include Perfect Liars, Truth Hurts, Two Wrong and The Will. As an award-winning journalist, she writes a column for the i, and contributes to publications including Stylist, the Times, Glamour, Cosmo and the Telegraph. She is the former digital editor of Grazia and currently adapting her second novel for television.
Blackpool Grand Theatre – Arts Council England, National Portfolio Organisation
In July 2014, the Arts Council England granted the Grand Theatre, National Portfolio Organisation status. The Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations represent some of the best arts practice in the world, and they play a vital role in helping ACE meet their mission of great art and culture for everyone. ACE are determined to fund organisations at a level at which they can continue to produce the excellent and innovative art that audiences want and deserve.
Blackpool’s Grand Theatre – Heritage and History
The Grand Theatre was opened on July 23, 1894, by Thomas Sergenson, who immediately dubbed the theatre ‘Matcham’s Masterpiece’. This title is even more merited now that there are few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the leading Victorian theatre architect.
Access
We want to make a visit to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre a comfortable and enjoyable one for everyone. Accessibility is one of our priorities and full information about all the access provisions of our venue, including our guides, maps, facilities including seating arrangements, assistance dogs, accessible performances, hearing loops and how to sign up to our Access Register, is available at https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/box-office-and-venue/our-venue/accessibility
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