After an acclaimed run at VAULT Festival in 2020, the feminist pop-punk hit Sugar Coat comes to Southwark Playhouse this spring. A live music play about love, loss and lubrication, this powerful gig theatre show confronts sex and sexuality in a brutally funny true story about trauma and recovery.
Performed by an all female and non-binary band, we follow one woman’s coming-of-age journey, spanning across eight years of sexual highs and lows, with sprinklings of 90s nostalgia and an unashamedly queer and feminist call to arms. Featuring original live music inspired by Riot Grrrl bands, such as Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Veruca Salt and Letters to Cleo, to soundtrack the hilarious and heartfelt mix of rebellious empowerment and laugh-out-loud teen angst.
From the producers of Fringe First winning Bobby & Amy, Sugar Coat is written by singer-songwriter Lilly Pollard (as featured on BBC Music Introducing) and award-winning playwright Joel Samuels (Fever Pitch), with co-Musical Direction from Anya Pearson of the British punk band, Dream Nails.
Celine Lowenthal (Pecs) directs the five strong cast: Rachel Barnes (Manic Street Creature, Paines Plough; Ladhood, BBC), Eve De Leon Allen (Doctor Who, BBC), Dani Heron (Peter Gynt, National Theatre), Anya Pearson and Sarah Workman (Girls Don’t Play Guitar, Liverpool Royal Court).
Emma Blackman, producer, comments, I am thrilled to bring Sugar Coat back on stage following its preview run at VAULT Festival 2020. Since its last performance that took place a week before the first lockdown, we received numerous messages from people who were empowered and moved by the production – and I’m delighted that our award-winning team can share this powerful story with more audiences at Southwark Playhouse. The last few years have proved to us all that women’s rights still need to be furiously fought for, so I couldn’t imagine a more appropriate time for this rebellious and uplifting show about female experiences that have been kept out of the spotlight for far too long.
Celine Lowenthal, director, adds, It is a privilege to be reviving this gorgeous, radical piece of gig theatre. As a queer creative, it is such a pleasure to bring together our unbelievably talented all female and non-binary cast of actor-musicians, and to unravel the unexpected and tender journey of a young woman finding her place in the world. The punchy, sexy, front-footed writing, alongside Lilly Pollard’s raucous and riotous punk music, makes Sugar Coat a very meaningful addition to the contemporary canon of queer and female-led theatre.
Sugar Coat charts the story of a woman who has no idea how she’s supposed to navigate this sexually confusing modern world, and she is not the only one: around 300,000 women in the UK suffer from Vaginismus, an estimated 1 in 5 pregnancies in end in miscarriage, and ethical non-monogamous relationships are at an all-time high.
Winner of the OFFComm 2020 Award, and Show of the Week (VAULT Festival) and an UNTAPPED finalist, Sugar Coat is an uplifting and liberating show about puberty, sex, and reclaiming your body.
Sugar Coat is at Southwark Playhouse Wednesday 29th March – Saturday 22nd April 2023
