Interview: Jon Lawrence, One Sugar Stirred to the Left

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Jon Lawrence about their show, One Sugar Stirred to the Left.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far..

I'm originally a musician/songwriter by trade. In 2006 I released an album of songs called The Troubadour Ballads which were a series of musical stories, narrative songs, but I soon wanted to know more about the characters I was writing about. That led me to developing my work into longer formats such as long poems, short stories and finally writing novels and novellas. While working as part-time teacher I wrote musicals each year for the children in my school, which led eventually to me writing three plays for the actor James Wilby which we are looking to stage soon. I had the great fortune to work with Emilia Fox on my short film called The Beachcombers, which I am proud to say won a number of awards, including at Pinewood studios Lift-Off Festival as well as other festivals too. My follow-up short film Our Little Boat, features Martin Shaw and we hope it will be released next year.

What is your show about?

Bronwyn is a former singer-songwriter who was inspired to go into palliative care by the nurse who cared for her late sister. When the elderly, but stoic, Henry arrives at the hospice with his son Justin, she develops a bond with the old man. Henry, aware of Bronwyn’s musical past, shows her a diary of lyrics, poems and doodlings which has secretly kept all his life, and asks her to compose music to his words as a parting gift for his son, for whom he has always found it hard to express his love for. The lyrics are all about his love for his late wife and son. As she is heard composing and practicing the songs at the hospice during the break, Justin, unaware that the words came from his father, starts to fall in love with Bronwyn – falling in love to the songs his father wrote for his mother. Feeding into the story are a kind but tough-loving nurse, a Glaswegian former comedian, a tea-obsessed doctor and a quirky yet surprisingly insightful Tibetan tea lady.

The play is about moments. It is a reminder that profound moments of love, joy and happiness can appear when we least expect them, but we have to be open to them. Life, love and music can appear in the strangest places. It is a poignant but uplifting and at times funny play about the amazing people who work in hospices.

What was the inspiration for One Sugar Stirred To The Left and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?

In September 2017 my father was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and told that he had around two months to live. The cancer had spread to his spine and hips. The hospital, short-staffed and underfunded, struggled to get his pain relief under control, particularly at night. One night I stayed with my father to see what was happening. What I saw has haunted me ever since. I saw a stoic, gentle man, erupt into ear-slitting screams as he was forced to endure the pain of the disease crawling through his bones, with little more than paracetamol for relief. 

Thankfully my sister managed to arrange a bed for him in a phenomenal hospice where they managed to (largely) control his pain. The hospice was a revelation for me and for Dad. We all knew that dad was going there to die, but it was a million miles from what I thought it would be. The culture of the place was such that I learned far more about life than I did about death. The place was filled with love, compassion and even laughter and happiness. Aside from the fabulous treatment and care my father received, there were massages available, entertainment and even a drinks trolley was on hand in the evening. It was a place where everyone seemed to understand the importance of what they were doing. The doctors and nurses were amazing and no one, not even the consultants were above getting a cup of tea for a worried patient or relative. But in this show Amala, the tea lady, represents to other amazing people in the hospice – the receptionist, the cooks, the gardeners, the cleaners, all of whom exuded genuine love and kindness. In a world where we such inhumanity, the hospice was a reminder that people are, for the most part, kind, compassionate and loving.

While at the hospice I would often tinkle around on the electric piano they had in the café area and this led me to thinking about a nurse sitting down to play during their break. It would not, I thought, be beyond the realms of possibility that a nurse would go beyond her normal duties to entertain her patients I she could. This led to me creating the character of Bronwyn. There is a lot of my mother in Bronwyn – kind, upbeat and eager to help, while there is a great deal of my father in the character of Henry. Justin, Henry’s son, is loosely based on me, although the actor playing him (Dom Fraser) is far more handsome than I am! The rest of the cast are all inspired by the characters I met at the hospice.

Bringing the show to life has been a long and challenging process – my first as a producer. It is a never-ending job, although I have learned a lot throughout the process, and I think my experience of performing last year at the Fringe really helped me. I have taken something of a financial risk in putting the show on, but I have had great support, professionally and personally from my co-producer Lance Mortimer, whose enthusiasm and business acumen have guided me through the difficulties which all producers face. Initially, I was going to direct the show and so I set about choosing the cast. This was not without its ups and downs, but I feel I have assembled a fantastic cast and in David Kettle I have a great, experienced director who will bring the story to live in a way that I, with my limited skills, could never achieve. My friend Nick Field at Acting Coach Scotland in Glasgow has also been a source of great advice and support. I have really enjoyed writing the songs and recording music for the album which will accompany the show. That said, I am looking forward to a rest in September!

What made you want to take One Sugar Stirred To The Left to the Fringe?

The story was originally written as a play in two one-hour acts with a lot more music, however I knew that would be too long for the fringe, but I really wanted to tell the story at the Fringe because the festival is a place which thrives on stories which address difficult subjects, on taking risks. Plus I love being at the Fringe! I love the atmosphere.

Apart from seeing One Sugar Stirred To The Left what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

Head to the Royal Mile to hear some of the great live music. I heard some fantastic musicians last year, always with a range of styles too, playing original songs. 

Why should people book One Sugar Stirred To The Left?

The show will change your perceptions of what palliative care is and it will hopefully leave you as I did, learning more about life, than death. We have a great cast and a great script with some lovely songs sung by our lead (Anne Yeomans).

When and where can people see One Sugar Stirred To The Left?

The play is on in the Grand Hall at TheSpace (Surgeon’s Hall) at 14.15hrs between August 2nd – 17th.