Tomas Kantor is about to give Midsumma a huge dose of Sugar, and I interviewed him before Melbourne gets its sugar fix!
Having gained great success at both the Melbourne and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Sugar, the one-person show presented by Tomas Kantor, has all the humour, pathos, filth and emotional depth that queer culture craves.
Created by Kitan Petkovski and Ro Bright, Kantor plays Sugar, a gender-fluid twink who discovers the business advantage in transactional relationships.
Tomas Kantor in Sugar
“It’s a riff on the classic Pygmalion story and Pretty Woman, which we reference quite heavily,” says Kantor.
“But it’s set in 2025 with explicit camp and queer cultural references throughout. Sugar themselves are an undercover, over-confident, gender-queer twink, who goes balls-to-the-wall for the confessional scoop about being a sugar baby. They’re very messy in the process and a bit of a narcissist, but also adorable. In fact, sickly sweet to some.”
“No one in the audience is safe from Sugar’s insults!”
In the story, the Grindr-scrolling ‘Tom’ takes on a new persona of ‘Sugar’ to secure a sugar daddy who’s wealthy enough to support his new cabaret show. Enter Richard, a hot, masculine daddy with deep pockets.
“The show is about how we often diminish qualities within ourselves that don’t feel palatable, and Sugar refuses to do that,” says Kantor.
Tomas Kantor in Sugar
“For Sugar, that includes their transness, brashness and vocation. What you see through the show is presented in a celebratory way, showcasing someone being unapologetically themselves. There’s often pressure in mounting a work based around gender identity and sex work, where it needs to be an expose of the underbelly of the tragedy in these spaces. But the piece tries to position itself as a joyous rendering of what it is to be a messy person who is a gender queer sex worker, and in trying to do so, the reality of the world comes through.”
Hailing from Melbourne, Kantor first came to prominence in the Australian production of “Fangirls” and has since appeared in numerous works by Opera Australia, Bell Shakespeare, and the Melbourne Theatre Company.
“Sugar is making their way through life while the world continues to throw shit.”
In the tradition of solo cabaret, Kantor has done well to take this production to critical acclaim and win awards. He not only plays all characters, but also several instruments, including piano, cello and ukulele. Kantor believes one can explode open a story with what he calls the tools in a malleable world where anything goes. But how does performing a one-person show compare to having a support cast?
Tomas Kantor in Sugar
“It’s both rewarding and challenging,” says Kantor.
“There’s a feeling of fulfilment like, “Wow, that was all me up there”. It’s an ecstatic feeling, but what you lose along the way is the connection with other actors – that camaraderie of looking into each other’s eyes, which I love. However, what you do gain is an audience that becomes your confidant. They kind of assume the role of co-conspirators that other actors would normally take on. The audience becomes Sugar’s best friend.”
But then there’s Richard, a co-star voiced by Kantor but played by a blow-up doll.
“Richard comes to life through me,” says Kantor.
Tomas Kantor in Sugar
“He’s got a sexy timbre to his voice, which is one of the joys of playing Sugar. There are quite a few characters that I get to jump between. That acting challenge was something that excited me about the project and how it could stretch me in different directions. I achieve that through the different characters I portray, which involves singing, dancing, and playing a few instruments. And I work the crowd. No one in the audience is safe from Sugar’s insults!”
The performance is also filled with pop songs that connect and somewhat illuminate Sugar’s story. Stars such as Lady Gaga, Lorde, Chappell Roan and Kylie Minogue are all there.
“I’m a hardcore Lady Gaga fan,” says Kantor.
Tomas Kantor in Sugar
“She’s at the top of the apex. I’m a pop girlie through and through, which is also why this project really sang to me. In the past, cabaret hasn’t really had a lot of explicit pop in it. It’s a form tied more historically to jazz and a spin on golden age revamped classics. A contemporary story being told through contemporary music is part of the magic of Sugar.”
While the music adds to the energy and storytelling, Kantor and the show’s creators haven’t laboured over their messaging, but rather tell it from one emotional heart to another.
“The heart and soul of the show is about living unapologetically and loudly as who you are,” says Kantor.
“We weren’t wanting to give an academic rendering of transness and sex work, which we do go into, but this is entertaining theatre. It’s cabaret. What I find is that people are very moved by what happens to Sugar. The main thing is the humanity of this person. Sugar is making their way through life while the world continues to throw shit. We’re all acutely aware of how fucked stuff is right now, and the scapegoating that goes on for those in our community. Even the masses are aware of that, and at the very least, the incredible community of allies and queer people coming to see this show. There’s something in there for everyone.”
For more: artscentremelbourne.com.au
Follow Tomas on Instagram @tomkantor
