At the back of the stage hangs a large poster of three men with their clasped hands raised. Across the top are the words “The Power of Positivity,” and at the bottom, “Sky’s not the limit—your will is.”
Liz Coin then bursts in as Lizzy Sunshine, who is half of a two-person act. However, her partner is delayed. Without her partner, Lizzy turns the audience into her co-star. She doesn’t just break the fourth wall—she gleefully stomps all over it.
As writer and performer, Liz Coin draws the audience into a chaotic comedy. She begins with a card trick, then invites audience members onto the stage. During her childlike version of a church service, the crowd rises and sits on cue. Lizzy Sunshine remains relentlessly upbeat, even handing out rose-colored glasses. As the situation gradually unravels, Coin reminds us that this is theater—and the show must go on.
Gradually, Coin reveals a deeper story beneath the comedy. Her brother’s absence is linked to addiction, and Lizzy Sunshine explores what it means to love someone living with addiction. Coin suggests that sadness cannot cure addiction. Instead, the rose-colored glasses symbolize the optimism that stops love from being consumed by grief. In this way, optimism becomes a coping mechanism. This idea comes full circle at the end, when Lizzy Sunshine and the audience sing “Tomorrow” from Annie.
SoHo Playhouse’s mission is “to create and showcase groundbreaking new theater from diverse voices and artists from across the globe,” and Lizzy Sunshine lives up to it. Brought over from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Coin’s play uses an hour of chaotic comedy to illuminate a problem often kept hidden. She draws the audience into Lizzy’s bright optimism while asking them to confront the costs of addiction.
