Stars of One Day musical plan tour of Edinburgh to visit sites from David Nicholls book - including Pear Tree

Now, the stars of the new stage musical version of David Nicholls’ One Day have revealed how they plan to tour the story’s key Edinburgh sites to gain an insight into their iconic characters after they arrive in the city to start their run.

Jamie Muscato, who is playing Dexter and Sharon Rose, who will portray Emma in the stage adaptation of the book, said they would enjoy a picnic on Arthur’s Seat and have a drink in the Pear Tree pub. A visit to Rankeillor Street, where Emma lives in a student flat, is also on the cards.

One Day: The Musical, which the actors described as a “play with songs”, opens in Edinburgh on 27 February at the Royal Lyceum Theatre as part of the theatre’s 60th anniversary season, before touring the UK.

The Lyceum recently extended the run in Edinburgh by an additional two weeks to 19 April due to high demand for tickets.

Mr Muscato said: “We're very lucky to be doing this at the Lyceum, starting in Edinburgh. We start the play as they graduate university: it's The Pear Tree, the uni bar and it's quite raucous. There's obviously a massive section on Arthur’s Seat, which I think we should probably go and recreate, take a picnic blanket up there and have some champagne.”

Ms Rose added: “I think Rankeillor Street is definitely big on the list, as well as Arthur’s Seat and the Pear Tree Pub. We’re definitely planning on having a good time and seeing all the One Day monuments.”

The iconic Pear Tree pub, which has been a popular student haunt in Edinburgh’s Old Town for decades, is to be recreated on stage as part of the performance.

Writer David Greig, who is adapting the book for the theatre, said the well-known venue would be the basis for the scene where characters Emma and Dexter first meet as students at the University of Edinburgh.

The set will be created in the round in a departure from the Lyceum’s usual set-up, with some seats on the stage itself.

Mr Muscato said: “I think one of the great things in the design is our entire set will just look like a pub setting. It's really quite a cool place to be and it will be in the round, so that's really exciting.”

The actors said they had avoided watching the previous film, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, and the 2024 Netflix TV series of the story.

Ms Rose said: “I stayed away from the film and the TV show, I love the actors so much, I was just worried that I’d get stuck on their interpretation.”

They said the script does not include every aspect of the book - but retains the strength of relationship between Dexter and Emma.

Mr Muscato said: “With a book, you've got however long it takes you to read it. And with a series, you get 10 hours to tell the story. With us, you've got two hours and 10 minutes to tell a 20 year story.

“So there obviously will be bits of the book that can't be in the story, but I think the relationship between Emma and Dex is still as strong as it is in the book.”

Ms Rose said: “There's room for so much magic on stage. And that's a similar magic to what you get when you're reading the book, because you create this world in your mind. We get to do that on stage, bringing about all of the weird things you might have imagined, right in front of you.”

She added: “It really does feel like it will be a wonderful addition to what One Day’s fans will come and be a part of.”