The Sugar Syndrome

A devastating and disturbingly funny exploration of an unlikely friendship, our desire to connect, and the limits of empathy.

I like the internet. I like that way of talking to people. It’s honest. It’s a place where people are free to say anything they like. And most of what they say is about sex.

Dani is 17. She’s looking to meet someone honest and direct. What she finds is a man twice her age who thinks she’s an 11-year-old boy.

– I’m sorry I’m not the freak show you expected.
– We’re on the same side of the bars I think.

Lucy Prebble’s debut play is a devastatingly and disturbingly funny exploration of an unlikely friendship, our desire to connect, and the limits of empathy. Originally premiering at the Royal Court in 2003, this new edition was published to coincide with the first major revival at the Orange Tree Theatre in 2020.