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Regional Reviews: Minneapolis/St. Paul 2 Sugars, Room for Cream
These two immensely talented women have written and comprise the entire cast of the show, a series of skits, some with recurring characters, others stand alone. Some of the sketches depict women in very specific relationships—coffee shop coworkers handling the outlandish combinations of espresso, mocha, cream, skim, a twist of this and a sprinkling of that, or sisters doing battle with their own disappointments as they hide in the church basement while the rest of the family is gathered for their uncle's funeral. In other sketches, they are strangers, or near strangers, who form a brief connection around some small piece of common ground. Each sketch is drenched with humor—hilarious one liners, like when a customer asks the barista if their coffee is "free range," but also the deeper humor found in the struggles to make sense of the craziness of modern life. We meet a tearfully insecure mother (Custer), aghast that a chart at her pediatrician's office reveals that her baby's head size is in the 40th percentile, and terrorized by her lactation coach, being counseled to hold her ground by a childless stranger (Pool) sharing her park bench. Then there are two women at a high school reunion, only one of whom recognizes the other, making sense of high school memories, sorting out what any of it meant then, and what it means now. A restaurant diner (Pool) rattled because her server (Custer) does not write down her order, sure that she'll get the wrong food, and jumping to a litany of all the other wrong things orbiting her world. One brilliant pair of skits has two entry level co-workers avoiding their duties and supervisors while they drink the terrible corporate coffee, followed later in the evening by the two supervisors, basically doing the same thing, but at a higher level of discourse. Pool and Custer each have one solo spot in the course of the evening, and I found these the most profound and poignant. Custer sits at her computer thrashing out a "dear friends and family" holiday letter, which evolves into a tirade against the arrogance and shallowness of all those who rant about their wonderful vacations, deluxe home remodeling and highly accomplished children, and bewailing the contrast to the paucity of her own life. Pool's is an expectant mother creating a video for her unborn child, expressing all the hopes and fears of impending parenthood: "you have so much to look forward to. Wait till you taste bacon!" These are genuinely real people, and the humor comes not from any zaniness, but from the inevitable flaws in human nature. There are common threads throughout the evening. Of course, these are the experiences of women, seen through women's eyes. As a man, I enjoyed every bit of the evening and recognize its truth by virtue of my experiences with a range of women—mother, sister, wife, daughter, friends and co-workers—in my life. Still, I cannot say I would not have had even more appreciation for the humor and the heartache on stage were I a woman. Another common thread is the tendency to bond over drink—either caffeinated or alcohol. The recurring characters especially use alcohol to shield themselves from the sharp edges of their lives, to loosen themselves and be more comfortable with one another. Each time they return they are deeper into the rabbit hole. There is physical humor, well played by Pool and Custer, along with the revelations that emerge as inhibitions are shed. While Custer and Pool hop from character to character, they make each one a believable presence. Simple costume touches of matching coffee-colored dresses, black cardigans for the mourning sisters, jackets with name tags for the reunion-goers, aprons for the baristas all create calling cards for the characters in each sketch. The setting is a honeycomb of shelves and cubby holes painted in the hottest of pink, and chock-full of framed photos, coffee mugs, and various knick-knacks—all the unimportant stuff so essential to establishing our identities. 2 Sugars, Room for Cream began as a 45 minute long Minnesota Fringe Festival offering, and was developed into a full length program at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis. It was part of the inaugural season at the New Century Theatre in downtown Minneapolis in an Ivy Award winning production. The show benefits greatly from the chemistry between the two actresses, and the certainty with which they know the characters they have created. Could two other actresses come along and give 2 Sugars the same sizzle and steam? It is hard to say. As long as Carolyn Pool and Shanan Custer are up on stage, you can be assured a fully caffeinated, generously sweetened evening of theater. 2 Sugars, Room for Cream continues at Park Square Theatre's Boss Stage through January 18, 2015. 20 West Seventh Place, Saint Paul, MN, 55102. Tickets: $25.00. For tickets call 651-291-7005 or go to parksquaretheatre.org. Writers: Carolyn Pool and Shanan Custer; Director: Matt Sciple; Scenic Design and Property Designer: Sadie Ward; Lighting Designer: Michael P. KIttel; Sound Designer: Eric Webster; Stage Manager: Elizabeth MacNally. "I Guess I'm Gonna Sit Here for a While," music and lyrics by Peter Moore, arrangement by Drew Jansen. "Barista," music by Drew Jansen. Muzak provided by Michael Warren. Cast: Carolyn Pool, Shanan Custer
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