Nobody Cares at Underbelly Soho Review
Tony Award winner Laura Benanti returns to Underbelly Soho with Nobody Cares, her acclaimed solo comedy that blends stand‑up, storytelling and original songs. A New York Times Critic’s Pick, the show now enjoys a strictly limited two‑week run from 14–26 July.
Across 65 fast‑moving minutes, she weaves personal anecdotes with humour to explore people‑pleasing, ageing, relationships, motherhood, and the chaos of daily life. In her own words, she is “a people pleaser,” and the show traces how that has shaped her self‑esteem, relationships and career, and how, as a premenopausal mother, she is finally learning she doesn’t have to please everyone.
These stories are interspersed with original songs, co‑written with longtime collaborator Todd Almond, who joins her onstage on keys, alongside two musicians on guitar and drums. The musical moments are some of the show’s highlights: a playful number about unsolicited anatomy pics (“we never want to see pictures of your d****, unless we say we do”), a song about not needing to be perfect, and the standout “Mommy Lies,” which catalogues the big and small untruths parents tell their children. Her line about assuring her daughter that school safety drills are because of squirrels is a pointed reminder of gun violence in America — and a moment of gratitude that such drills aren’t part of childhood here.
Props are minimal — a pink rhinestone‑covered crotch, a photo of her at age eleven, a puppet toothbrush – but her presence fills the room. She opens with an upbeat song about attention‑seeking, laughs freely at her own stories, and moves with confidence. She also touches on serious topics such as misogyny in the theatre industry and post‑partum depression. A recollection of her three‑day labour draws audible gasps. You can see she has truly put her heart into the work.
Although she mentions her early Broadway years, those moments are framed more around relationships and people‑pleasing than the professional triumph itself — and given the show’s celebration of women, it would have been lovely to hear more about that extraordinary achievement. Benanti jokes that her verdict on one‑woman autobiographical shows is usually “Eww!”, but this is anything but.
Nobody Cares has also been released on Audible.
Performing until 26th July 2026 at Underbelly Soho. Tickets are on sale now atwww.underbellyboulevard.com.
Address: Underbelly Boulevard Soho, 6 Walker’s Court, Soho, London, W1F 0BT
For Laura
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabenanti
For Underbelly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underbellyboulevard
Facebook – www.facebook.com/ubsoho
