Saturday 19 October 2024

Sugar review (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

We all yearn to be pampered with love, affection and clothes, even if we have to literally work for it. In Sugar we are introduced to the seductive world of sugar babies and daddies and what happens when one person may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Written by Ro Bright, our protagonist, Sugar (Tomáš Kantor), takes us on the tumultuous adventure of becoming a sugar baby and the precarious relationship between their new-found daddy, Richard. It sounds like the perfect recipe for a cabaret, but the script is unable to deliver the drama or excitement that is expected, and we end up with a cursory exploration of Sugar’s journey and self-realisation in this world.

Scenes that are supposed to play as heartbreaking or stirring are distant and unaffecting. Kantor’s performance feels like it is being inhibited or restricted in showing us who Sugar is. Kitan Petkovski’s direction falters throughout the production with some climatic or revelatory moments not given the flare or emotion they require. One instance where the writing, performance, direction, and lighting (by Spencer Herd) come together flawlessly is when Sugar asks for the house lights to be turned on so that the audience can feel the anxiety and nerves they are experiencing at that very moment.

Sugar is interspersed with brilliant bangers by artists such as Kylie Minogue, Sugababes and Lady Gaga, whose track Alejandro is used to perfection. Songs are not performed in full but rather some lines or verses are mixed into Sugar’s monologue, which is a refreshing take to traditional cabaret format as it allows the narrative to be enhanced by songs that are cleverly tied to Sugar’s story.

Kantor not only displays a great vocal talent, but also their ability to playing a number of instruments too. There is a strong authenticity coming through when they are performing these parts, and you wish it would have bled into the actual portrayal of Sugar.

There is a phenomenal team behind Sugar and they have a proven record of incredible successes. Unfortunately, Sugar is not one of these. There’s lot of sass and shine to it, but sadly, all that glitters is not gold on this occasion.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton

Season: until 20 October | Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm

Duration: 60 minutes

Tickets: $34 Full | $29 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image credit: James Reiser

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