Two shots of whiskey and a whole lot of unresolved feelings: this is the ex-text you actually want to send.
Opening above the Old Red Lion pub in Angel on Thursday 3rd September, Oil & Whiskey: Don’t Text Your Ex proves heartbreak sounds better with a country-rock band behind it. Written by Kit Nolan and Dax Wiley, this musical dramedy compresses an entire doomed relationship – the longing, the fireworks, the inevitable falling-out – into one whiskey-soaked hour, and leaves you both wrecked and grinning by last orders.
The four-piece band gives the whole show its country lilt, weaving through every scene without once letting the energy dip: this is a score built for ear worms, not elevator music. I was on Spotify before I’d even reached the tube home, which says good things about the soundtrack and probably less flattering things about my own relationship history.
Opening-night nerves vanish with the first shot of whiskey – yes, there’s a toast, and it works as an icebreaker for cast and audience alike. From there, Juliet Perel’s Zelda arrives with real force, all Ariana Grande control with an Ella Langley twang. Cornelius Versa’s Teddy counters with a Josh Turner-deep croon that makes every apology sound both sincere and suspicious. Their chemistry carries the show, and it’s genuinely convincing.
Sarah Giulianti’s protective best friend is a scene-stealer, calling the ex “trash” with the conviction of someone who’s personally been at the end of the phone at 2am. KJ Nugin’s Ray, part narrator, part sassy pub landlord pouring shots and home truths, gets the biggest laugh of the night preaching the joys of being single.
Where the show earns its “dramedy” tag is in how quickly it swings from belting duets (“Jealous” is a genuine gut-punch) to gut-laughs to that quietly devastating moment where you realise the relationship is over and the room already knew it before the characters did. If there’s a note of critique, it’s that the tiny stage can’t quite contain the energy this cast is throwing at it. The vocals, the chemistry and the country swagger all need more room to move.
By the final toast, this had stopped feeling like a show and started feeling like the best, saddest night out at a bar you’ve ever had. It deserves a life well beyond a room above a pub; West End, Broadway, somewhere with a stage big enough to match its twang.
Your ex might be the one that got away, don’t let this show be the next one.
Oil & Whiskey runs until Saturday 19th September 2026 at the Old Red Lion Theatre, Angel.