In 2021, Sam Morrison misplaced his boyfriend, Jonathan, to COVID-19 simply 4 days after Valentine’s Day. The New York actor-comedian believes his heartbreak was an element that led to his personal Kind 1 diabetes analysis ― which his physician urged might have been introduced on by grief ― shortly thereafter.
Morrison, who describes himself as an “anxious, asthmatic, homosexual, diabetic Jew,” ultimately got here to the conclusion that his trauma could possibly be the impetus for a inventive endeavor. The result’s “Sugar Daddy,” a one-man, off-Broadway comedy that opened at New York’s SoHo Playhouse final month.
Taking the stage each evening, Morrison stated, is a chance to “reframe my relationship with grief and demise basically.” Alongside the way in which, he makes use of humor to handle the stigmas round growing old and physique picture throughout the LGBTQ group. Oh, and there’s an unforgettable anecdote involving oral intercourse, too.
Watch Sam Morrison’s “Late Evening with Seth Meyers” look beneath.
The present’s title is a double entendre that alludes to the age hole between the 28-year-old Morrison and Jonathan, who was 51 on the time of his demise, in addition to the glucose monitor he wears to measure his blood sugar.
“That is a kind of exhibits that’s simply not for everybody,” Morrison advised JHB. “However as soon as I noticed it has worth for me and for others, any issues I had about it being too self-indulgent went away. It’s been actually highly effective for me to precise my grief with others. I’m going to hopefully develop and study extra about myself from that.”
As a younger grownup, Morrison felt at odds with different homosexual males in that he was drawn to the “unconventional supreme of [male] magnificence” ― or, as he casually proclaims within the present, “fats older males.”
“Individuals would need to set me up and I must be like: ‘No, I’m not drawn to guys who appear like me,’” he defined. “I had numerous disgrace about the kind of males I used to be drawn to, which is an enormous cause I didn’t come out for a very long time. However Jonathan and I didn’t let these feedback have an effect on us.”
He’s additionally keen to probe the imperfections in his relationship, albeit in a heartfelt means. One of the hard-hitting moments in “Sugar Daddy” is his recollection of a digital performing class he took within the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortly after he and Jonathan had relocated to his grandmother’s home in New York’s Rockland County, about 30 miles north of Manhattan.
After Morrison delivered a ready monologue over Zoom, he and Jonathan broke right into a heated, expletive-laden argument that was inadvertently broadcast to his performing coach and a room filled with aspiring thespians. To Morrison’s dismay, his coach assumed the struggle was a part of the monologue, and praised his performing chops within the second.
“After we’re remembering folks, we frequently placed on a rose-colored lens,” Morrison stated. “There are energy dynamics in each relationship, and in the event you’re coping with them in a society that judges you, you’re extra-conscious of them. However so long as you and your associate are each aware of them, in fact, discover love.”
“Sugar Daddy” has been warmly acquired by The New York Instances and the Each day Beast, in addition to different media retailers. Stars like Andy Cohen and Alan Cumming have additionally praised Morrison’s efficiency, whereas Seth Meyers welcomed the actor-comedian to ship a standup set on his late evening present final month.
As soon as “Sugar Daddy” wraps its New York run on Feb. 17, Morrison will start preparations to open the present in London this spring. Finally, he’d prefer to develop “Sugar Daddy” as a filmed particular for a streaming platform, however famous, “I don’t know what that appears like. The scenario must be the correct scenario.”
And people who attend “Sugar Daddy” within the final week of its New York run could also be in for a shock in the event that they catch the present at one other venue sooner or later.
“I really like making comedy that’s half of a bigger narrative, significant in a roundabout way,” Morrison stated. “Proper now, this looks like my story. I’ll maintain engaged on this, workshopping and altering it. However I’ve loads of different tales in me ― I feel all of us do once we dig deep.”
“Sugar Daddy” is taking part in at New York’s SoHo Playhouse by Feb. 17.