THE STORY: THE SUGAR SYNDROME is a blackly comic and bravely provocative play that explores the relationship between a troubled teenage girl and a child abuser she meets over the Internet. Despite the dark subject matter, this is a wonderfully funny play that takes a fresh look at damaged people and how they find refuge in each other. The protagonist, Dani, a seventeen-year-old girl, sparkles and thrusts her way through the play with a rage-fuelled energy. Her mother, Jan, tries to come to terms with empty-nest syndrome and an absent husband, whilst Lewis, a lovesick boy in his twenties, tries to woo Dani despite his inexperience. As Dani’s relationship with the much older Tim becomes more intense, he asks her to help him with those things most precious and most dangerous to him in the world.
“If there’s a funnier, sadder, wiser play looking at paedophilia and prejudice this year, even this decade, I’d be amazed.” —The Telegraph (UK).
“This year has been a good year for new plays, but THE SUGAR SYNDROME is the first that strikes me as a must-see.” —Financial Times (London).
