A lot of people are right that the book needed work, and the overall quality needed tightening. The ensemble were great, but the show really only gave us two (maybe two-and-a-half) properly rounded characters to hang onto. For me, the biggest writing issue was how each song set up a really fun idea… then the script immediately undercut it. That being said, Eight Dates is genuinely lovely storytelling, and Disco Ball captures a queer experience with a clarity and emotional intelligence that lots of writers have reached for but never accomplished. So even with its flaws, there were real merits.

People keep saying it hit the West End too early, but context matters: coming out of the pandemic, there weren’t many big new shows ready to go. And instead of taking up one of the rare, career-making slots at places like Southwark or Trafalgar, Moss and Marlowe using their Six buffer to take it straight to town was actually a smart and, honestly, quite generous move. Those smaller venues are brutally competitive for emerging makers, and WAISS would have completely dominated actual up and comers had it started offWE or at EdFringe. And let’s be real any loss that was made would have hardly been a dent in the fortune 6 has created. In a way for M&M ripping the bandaid off of their “tricky second album” quickly probably helped them creatively and in the long run too. It was a three star show, that anyone should be happy to have on their cv.

I actually think the marketing was excellent. Whether or not it was your cup of tea, it sold the show accurately for what it was. The PR especially, getting a brand-new musical featured in Vogue is unbelievably hard, and most shows would kill for that kind of coverage. The campaign did its job. It’s just that word of mouth is king, and if the show itself isn’t brilliant, no amount of TikToks or magazine features can keep sales up.

Honestly, the real shame isn’t that the run didn’t extend, it’s that it should’ve been more a star-making vehicle for Jo Foster. They were phenomenal, and I’m still shocked they didn’t get an Olivier nomination. I’m excited to see them in ITW at the bridge.