The Solid Life of Sugar Water, National Theatre

With screen and stage hits including This is England 88, Let The Right One In, Hope and now the feverishly-anticipated new Harry Potter stage play, Jack Thorne is a writer very much on the rise.

But, as new play The Solid Life of Sugar Water shows, Thorne's success has not diluted his nerve. As brave thematically as it is formally, it comes to the National's Temporary Theatre after galvanising audiences at first Theatre Royal Plymouth then the Edinburgh Fringe.

Working in collaboration with Graeae Theatre Company, who provide a platform for deaf and disabled artists, Thorne challenges theatre tradition with performance that is fully accessible. Audio description and written captions are integrated into the production.

This new approach to drama is not just an arbitrary part of the production; it also informs and interacts with the plot and reflects the limitations and insufficiency of language. Alice, who is deaf, falls in love with Phil. But then the tragic stillbirth of their daughter strains their relationship. As the couple attempts to cope with their loss, the struggle to communicate is played out with increasing intensity.

According to Edinburgh reviews, The Solid Life of Sugar Water is an uncomfortable watch, with abrasive language, graphic sexuality and cutting honesty. Expect a tender and tense play, that challenges in all the right ways.


Public booking opens at 8:30am on Thursday 22 October.