RATING: 5/5
MABEL Thomas comes to the Edinburgh Fringe with her new show, Sugar – a bittersweet tale of one girl’s ambigious journey through life.
Sugar introduces us to Mae, a witty girl whose ambition has her make morally questionable choices.
From the beginning it is set in stone that you should strap in for an emotionally powerful show, as the opening sees an overwhelmed Mae about to run someone over.
After this unsettling opening, Thomas turns back time to explore why Mae ended up on the verge of manslaughter.
She introduces us to six-year-old Mae – a determined, self-confident individual, who cites “ambiguous” as her favourite word in the dictionary.
We follow her as she grows up, and see Mae face the different stages of youth.
From the first heartbreak to the challenge of school grades to the well-known problem amongst the young – being skint.
Mae seems to live in a world where she cannot thrive. She falls for a Christian girl, and her financial status makes higher education a far-fetched reality.
With her motto in life being to “work smart not hard”, she cuts corners through dubious methods.
This mindset leaves her making controversial decisions that make the show a sublime mix of both naivety and maturity. Her journey makes us laugh and breaks our hearts in equal measure.
Sugar explores relevant issues of today in a subtly poignant way.
It is a rollercoaster of emotions which left me with a bittersweet taste on society and how it pushes the youth to make sporadic decisions out of poor judgement.
The performance’s script has timely comical side comments for the audience. This is a feature to be appreciated, as it makes the show that extra bit natural, realistic and conversational
Thomas is a multifaceted artist with a gift for storytelling.
Her performance sweeps the audience off their feet from the first scene. She owns the stage
She makes Sugar a Fringe treasure. If there is a show you cannot miss, it is this one.
The show is a rollercoaster of emotions suited for everyone. A dose of good theatre based on true stories that happen on a daily basis.
Sugar left with me a bittersweet taste that made me reflect on the key issues that must change.
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