TINY BEAUTIFUL
THINGS
- 1 Feb – 3 Mar 24 Upstairs Theatre
- 1 hour 35 minutes (no interval)
A tiny, beautiful, and life-affirming play based on the book by Cheryl Strayed.
Cheryl Strayed is many things; mother, daughter, writer, ex-heroin user and, to make ends meet, an online advice columnist called Sugar.
In the chaos of home, she receives emails from strangers needing help navigating the contradictions of life. Sugar replies with candour, offering her own tough, sweet brand of unadulterated advice which offers healing – and maybe even a few little revolutions. What would you tell someone who is unsure about role-playing as a sexy Santa? Or wants their parents to stop putting each other down? Or the father who feels as dead as his lost son?
Academy Award-nominee, Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) adapted Strayed’s bestseller into a play for New York’s great Public Theater – the result is as revealing and life-affirming as the real stories it tells.
Tiny Beautiful Things has been on our to-do list for some time, and when I saw Queensland Theatre’s bright, clever production I knew it would beautifully fit into our 2024 season. It makes you laugh, it’s wise, it’s not afraid to be vulnerable, and it has Mandy McElhinney (Cinderella, Forget Me Not) as Sugar. Like our much-enjoyed Every Brilliant Thing in 2019, this one will have you walking out onto Belvoir St freshly persuaded this world’s got a few things going for it. – Eamon
