''City Sugar'' is a stage play by

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, Film director, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" and that he had "inherited Dennis Po ...

. It was originally staged at the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. Artistic Directors * Brian McDermott ...

in 1975 and directed by Hugh Thomas. ''City Sugar''’s cast was led by

John Shrapnel John Morley Shrapnel (27 April 1942 – 14 February 2020) was an English actor. He is known mainly for his stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre in the United Kingdom and for his many television appearances. On ...

as Leonard Brazil and supported by

Leon Vitali Alfred Leon Vitali (26 July 1948 – 19 August 2022) was an English actor best known for his collaborations with film director Stanley Kubrick, as his personal assistant, and most notably as Lord Bullingdon in '' Barry Lyndon''. Life and care ...

and

Lynne Miller Lynne Miller (born 27 April 1951) is a British actress. Her first TV role was in 1974, but she is best known for the role of Cathy Marshall in ''The Bill'', a TV series she appeared in from 1989 to 1996. Since that time she has appeared mostly o ...

. In 1976 the play then transferred to the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

with

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. As a British rock and roll teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK singles chart with " What ...

taking over as Leonard Brazil and James Aubrey as Rex. ''City Sugar'', along with its companion piece ''Hitting Town'', won Poliakoff the ''Evening Standard'''s Most Promising Playwright Award in 1976. The play was widely performed in regional cities all over Britain, and was presented at the Phoenix Theatre in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( ; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. Goldblum ...

in the lead role and was made into a successful

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

television play with

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...

playing the lead. ''City Sugar'' followed the story of the young waitress, Nicola, whom the audience first encountered in Poliakoff’s '' Hitting Town''.

Storyline

The story charts a week in the life of a DJ, Leonard Brazil, as he launches what he calls the competition of the century aimed directly at a youth audience. It is a promotional campaign designed to whip up excitement amongst the station's audience in preparation for a super-group's visit to the city. As Leonard runs the competition, he is tormented by self-loathing and takes out his anger on those around him. He singles out Nicola Davies, one of his listeners and engineers, and she came into the studio where he purposefully humiliated her.

Further Information

The TV production was made with

Scottish TV Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchisee for Central Belt, Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation si ...

and Film Enterprises for

. In the television version Nicola Davies was played by Veronica Quilligan and

plays the DJ Leonard Brazil. It was shot on film on location in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. ''City Sugar'' has been included as a suggested text in UK

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

curriculum in drama. Hereford Plays published an edition of City Sugar in 1989 with scene-by-scene analysis, structured questions and assignment suggestions for

. The play’s text is published by

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

and

Samuel French Samuel French (1821–1898) was an American entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing A license (American Englis ...

References

{{reflist * Hurren, Kenneth (13 March 1976)
"Young Idea"
''The Spectator'' 1976 plays British plays