Review: SAM MORRISON: SUGAR DADDY, Soho Theatre

“I’ve been in three support groups and I’ve won all of them”

From the beginning of Sam Morrison: Sugar Daddy, Morrison does not hide who he is - he is an “anxious, asthmatic, gay, diabetic Jew” who has a love for big-bellied men (or, as he calls it, the Bridgerton Belly™. Audiences are immediately thrown into Morrison’s world with a story of how he was robbed at gunpoint and refused to give up his phone as it had pictures of his partner who had passed away. 

Morrison is a wonderful storyteller, able to turn comedic moments like being attacked by seagulls over “gay little raisins” into more serious looks at his past, reflecting on the phrase that those who have passed are “in a better place” and how this relates to his own thoughts on death and how his partner lived. He has a delightful tendency to giggle in between stories, breaking any tension that may have existed in darker moments and allowing the audience to laugh along.

There is a small amount of audience interaction, with Morrison declaring one audience member the “resident horny gay” of the night and encouraging others to laugh out loud instead of hiding their laughs behind their hands. 

Unlike other stand-up shows that are just an hour of laughs, Sugar Daddy has its quiet moments, ones that allow Morrison to express his grief in a way that isn’t jokes. One particular standout moment is one in which Morrison discusses how different religions interpret death, focusing on Judaism and Buddhism and comparing the concept of life and death to waves on a beach. As Morrison speaks, his hands mimic the waves, giving the audience a sense of serenity. 

One of my favourite parts of the show is how it gets its name, a tie-in to Morrison’s stories about his own diagnosis with diabetes (including the iconic quote “I should be in a coma? I should be on f-ing Broadway!”) and his relationship with Jonathan, the partner he met at a pizza place in Provincetown during a gay bear festival. 

Ultimately, Sam Morrison: Sugar Daddy is a beautiful example of grief comedy that is a wonderful show for the audience and a therapeutic moment for the comedian. Morrison does a great job of weaving in between comedy and tragedy, though one may argue the two are much more similar than expected. 

Sam Morrison: Sugar Daddy runs at the Soho Theatre from 24 to 28 October.

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