★ ★ ★ ★
Mabel Thomas’s Mae, is a ruthless entrepreneur who wants to make money and be the best. This All American Girl is just six years old, but she’s got the steely eye and determination of a Wolf of Wall Street.
In this taut and candescent monologue, Mabel Thomas crafts a character study that is unparalleled yet enjoyably detailed. I felt totally immersed in the world Thomas conjured. From Mae’s Machiavellian attempts to cheat on her test, in the hope of winning a thousand dollars, to her eventual slide into Sugar Daddy sites. What’s so wonderful about Sugar is that Mae’s high opinion of herself seems to crash against an often bleak reality, something the audience sees coming way before our loveable anti-hero.
There’s something refreshing about Sugar’s storytelling, its narrative takes place over a decade of time, illustrating Mae’s rise to insignificance. It feels like an epic tale, yet the running time is well under an hour. Most shows star a single player, usually due to budget constraints and feel constrained as a result , but Sugar is a fully formed play, its single cast member an intentional choice complimenting the depth of great original writing.
Sugar theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Theatre 3 19:05 (50m) Aug 5-13, 15-20, 22-29 £9-7 14+
