Lily Allen Says ‘West End Girl’ Is Being Developed for the Stage
Lily Allen revealed that her latest album, West End Girl, may soon take on a new life beyond music. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the singer confirmed that conversations are underway to develop the album into a stage production in London’s West End.
Allen explained that she wrote and recorded West End Girl in a rapid, 10-day burst last year. Fallon then noted industry chatter suggesting the album was being adapted for the stage. Allen confirmed the report, though cautiously. “I might be [involved],” she said. “The ink is not dry… but I’m definitely having some conversations with people about it. It’s very exciting.”
She did not elaborate on who is attached or how the project might take shape, but the news aligns with Allen’s growing presence in the theater world. The album itself includes references to her own stage experiences. In its opening track, Allen sings about being offered a role in a play without an audition, a likely nod to her 2021 West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Noël Coward Theatre. Her performance in that production earned her an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress.
Earlier this year, Allen returned to the stage in a modern, stylized interpretation of Hedda Gabler, directed by Matthew Dunster, who also helmed 2:22. Dunster’s involvement in several of Allen’s acting projects has fueled speculation about whether he may be connected to the potential West End Girl adaptation, though no creative team has been confirmed.
Allen also discussed her upcoming tour, which will feature West End Girl performed in full. The U.K. leg begins on March 2 in Glasgow and quickly sold out, a response Allen joked about on Fallon: “That’s why I came here, to sell tickets to my tour but it sold out today.” She will then bring the production to North America beginning April 3, with nine shows scheduled through April 28, concluding at The Masonic in San Francisco.
The concerts, officially titled “Lily Allen Performs West End Girl”, will present the album from start to finish in the same sequence as the recording. The project arrives at a moment of critical acclaim for Allen: placed at Number 33 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Albums of 2025.
In its review, the magazine called the album Allen’s “most brutal” work, praising its unsparing emotional detail and candid storytelling. Nearly two decades after her debut, Alright, Still, Allen’s latest release was described as a sharp, intimate portrait of modern relationships delivered with her most focused songwriting to date.
