Unless you live in an alternative universe asking for help,
for yours truly anyway, is one of the most difficult things to do. Asking for
help from friends or family is even harder. But evidently not when it comes to
strangers especially a stranger you cannot see, like a Dr. Ruth or an Ann Landers
or a Dear Abby.
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| Opal Alladin as Sugar |
So when Sugar, or ‘Dear Sugar’ no first name, last name and
sans experience took on the non paying job of offering on line advice to
perfect strangers, it changed her life and those who took a chance and reached
out for something/someone to soothe their heavy hearts.
Cheryl Strayed, author “Torch”, “Brave Enough” and “Wild”, published her best selling “Dear
Sugar”, based on her anonymous relationships with her advice seekers, it
literally took on a life of it’s own.
Academy Award winner Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek
Wedding”) adapted the book to stage and is now in an excellent west coast
premiere production (James Vásquez) at the Old Globe Theatre/ Sheryl and Harvey
White, through March 17th.
Sugar” is excellently played by Opal Alladin giving her advice
from her home (Wilson Chin) in between sorting laundry, making lunches for her
family, washing dirty dishes left from over meals, picking up toys and eventually returning
to her computer from time to time to respond to on-line questions.
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| L to R. Avi Roque (#3), Keith Powell # 1. (Dorcas Sowunmi #2) Opal Alladin (center) |
She is the one constant as the letter writer”#1, #2 and #3
(Keith Powell, Dorcas Sowunmi and Avi Roque) take on several characters. All in
due time and convincingly so, they come on to the scene, sometimes one at a
time oft times all four are on the stage together.
They are not touching and it almost feels that they are the
only ones there. They move about taking
drinks from the fridge while at the same time the give and take of those asking
for advice, the answers are given in turn sometimes making eye contact sometimes
not.
If you have ever read any one of the Dear Advice Columns you
can expect stock answers. At the outset, Sugar was never one of those types.
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| Cast |
After contemplating what another advice columnist would say,
she came to the conclusion that most writers wanted to hear the ‘truth’ as when
one writer talks about the last words her mother said was ‘love’; “She was 45
and sick and weak she couldn’t muster up the ‘I’ or ‘You’ but it didn’t mater”.
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| Dorcas Sowunmi |
From the heart Sugar always responded by telling her own
story about her own mother’s death and how powerful the word ‘love is’ and
“tackle the mother fu**ing shit out of love.
Look we’re all going to die. Hit the iron bell like its dinnertime.” Or the letter writer WTF was his contribution.
Sugar always seemed to hit the nail on the head when
responding. To some: “Dear All Of Us Who Want To Please,” or “I’m 34 years old
and I’m transgender, I was born a female but I knew I was meant to be a male”,
and the questions keep coming.
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| Opal Alladin |
Some stories are difficult to listen to as when a youngster was
sexually abused by her grandfather, or the best advice I’ve given is
‘forgiveness’.
Until finally a bereaved father (an over powering performance
by Powell) wrote a list of twenty-two reasons why he can’t go on after the
death of his son. “How do I become human again?” Sugar answers each question by
the numbers, finally; “Make something of your sons legacy and make it
beautiful.”
Thoughtfully directed and staged by James Vasquez in the
intimate theatre in the round with solid help from Amanda Zieve’s lighting,
Melanie Chen Cole’s sound design and Shirley Pierson’s cozy and casual costumes,
“Tiny Beautiful Things” is a shared collection of heartbreak, fun and
acceptance performed and acted, in this 90 minute show and tell, if you will
play that leaves each of us, who don’t write to Dear Anyone, to reflect on our
own behaviors and stories that we tell ourselves.
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| Opal Alladin and Avi Roque |
My heart jumped a few beats when at the end she shares
this: “A little girl will get on the bus holding the strings of two purple
balloons. She’ll offer you one of the balloons, but you won’t take it because
you believe you no longer have a right to such tiny beautiful things. You’re
wrong. You do.
Yours Sugar..
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| Keith Powell (writer #1) |
Hats off to the Od Globe with two winning shows back to back
in both theatre's. (Familiar closes on the 3rd of March).
Definitely worth a try.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through March 17th
Organization: The Old Globe Theatre
Phone: 619-234-5623
Production Type:
Where: 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92103
Ticket Prices: $Start at $30.00
Web: theoldglobe.org
Venue: Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre
Photo: Jim Cox
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