Review: One Sugar, Stirred to the Left

One Sugar, Stirred to the Left | Image courtesy of David Burns PR

One Sugar, Stirred to the Left opens with the promise of a heartwarming musical rendezvous analysing love in the last moments of life. Set in a hospice, Henry is counting down his last days, accompanied daily by his son Justin, and cared for by nurse Bronwyn.

The main attraction of this show lies in the interactions between these three characters, portraying the perfect conflict between love, and its expression. Both stoic in nature, the two men dance around the inevitability of expressing their feelings, reaching an impasse dissolved by the secret words of Henry, set to music by Bronwyn.

Through intuitive interactions, a turbulent father-son relationship is strained and healed, a musical writer's block is conquered, and love lost is renewed. 

However, the musical finale promised at the outset, falls slightly flat. The song performed at the show’s close, having been teased in snippets throughout, does not do justice to the emotive crescendo warranted by the storyline, with a simple two verse rhyme leaving the affectionate viewer underwhelmed.

While perhaps indicative of the time restraints of Fringe shows, the additional characters of ward-mate Hamish, quirky tea lady Amala and hospice nurses feel rather perfunctory, offering minimal advances to the unfolding narrative, apart from the occasional sentimentality that ‘it is never too late to fix past mistakes’.

Jon Lawrence’s new play struggles to find the balance between theatre and music, but is a masterpiece in the display of authentic human interaction.