Tiny Beautiful Things is presented by Chance Theater. Based on the book by Cheryl
Strayed. Adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos. Co-conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, and Nia Vardalos. Directed by Katie Chidester.
Tiny Beautiful Things is a collage of stories that reflect the challenges and misfortunes in life. Due to the nature of the story, the kinetics are kept at a minimum. This play is mostly an emotional roller coaster. The main ingredients are the details of private lives and the urgent need of enlightening advice. With an excellent stage design, Director Katie Chidester relies on the power of the script and her actors’ skills to keep the audience engaged and entertained. Since the amount of Sugar’s readers is pretty extensive, three actors, Jonathon Lamer, Jennifer Richardson, and Sam Mistry, play the roles of different readers.
When Sugar (Aubrey Saverino, Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess) reads the stories posted on her column, she starts to unlock her own private and painful past experiences. At that point, Sugar joins her readers’ journey on the search for answers, empathy, and healing. She revisits her own past experiences to advise and comfort her audience with honesty, finding her own catharsis in the way. The stories posted on Sugar’s column deal with love, loss, anxiety, sex, faith, etc. It’s like the wild west on steroids. The challenge for Sugar is to figure out how she can contribute to solve some extraordinary complex issues. Married with two children and a rather complicated past, Sugar finds out that her column could be an open book for both her readers and herself. All behind the anonymity of a pen name.
Sexual abuse is another topic highlighted in the play. For Sugar, the sexual abuse stories some readers share with her start to clear the path to her own healing. A victim of sexual abuse herself, Sugar opens up about her own demons and the strategy to cope with the trauma, an extraordinary quest to find the much needed internal peace to sooth her soul.
Some of the experiences shared in Sugar’s column are deeply sorrowful; they are the manifestation of the searing pain of open wounds that refuse to heal. One of the most moving cases is that of Living Dead Dad (played by Lamer), a man whose 22-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver. The private hell of this father seems to be too much to take. The grief is taking over his existence to a point where he no longer enjoys the company of the good and supportive people around him. Having lost her mother to cancer when Sugar was 22, she relates to the pain of this man.
This is the climax of the emotional journey of the play. Saverino and Lamer delve deep into a place of pain and desolation. Captivating the audience, both actors embody the essence of the characters and the heart of the story. It’s a scene where they capture the healing language of everlasting love through the shared experience of loss. It exemplifies Sugar’s transformative journey as a writer and the transformative journey of her readers as a result of her empathy and encouragement.
Visually, the set design concentrates on one color: Orange. In fine arts, orange symbolizes warmth, optimism, and freedom. Widely used in autumn, this color reminds us of the coziness spirit of the season. The stage—Sugar’s home—feels cozy and warm, like a safe place to pour out one’s heart. Similarly, her readers see Sugar’s advice as a fountain of optimism, a key ingredient she uses to reassure her readers that everything will be fine despite their difficulties. And as a result of their mutual nurturing and validation, together they try to achieve the freedom they need to move on with their lives.
This stage adaptation extracts the most moving and disturbing details of the inspirational life of Cheryl Strayed, whose struggles with drugs, the loss of her mother at an early age, and sexual abuse are an inspiration to search deep inside to find the strength to heal and overcome adversities.
Tiny Beautiful Things
Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center on the Cripe Stage
5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807
Performances: April 13th – 28th, 2024; Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.
Tickets: chancetheater.com
Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. Adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos. Co-conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, and Nia Vardalos. Directed by Katie Chidester. Laurie Smits Staude is the Executive Producer for this production. Bette & Wylie Aitken are Executive Season Producers for the entire 2024 schedule. Susan Bowman & Freddie Greenfield and Linda Maggard are Associate Producers, and The Family of Mary Kay Fyda-Mar is this year’s Associate Season Producers.
Cast: Aubrey Saverino, Jonathon Lamer, Jennifer Richardson, and Sam Mistry.
Creative Team: Scenic designer Kristin Campbell Coyne, costume designer Gwen Sloan, lighting designer Jordan “LJ” Curiel, sound designer Darryl B. Hovis, stage manager Bebe Herrera, and dramaturg Jocelyn L. Buckner.
