Merryall Center Continues its Celebration of Pride Month with Performances by Playwright and Comedian Sam Morrison, and “I Kissed a Girl” songwriter Jill Sobule

After sold-out runs during this year’s theater season, two New York Times’ Critics’ Pick performers go straight from the Big Apple to Northwest Connecticut’s Merryall Center—Sam Morrison in Sugar Daddy and the legendary singer, songwriter, and cultural icon, Jill Sobule. 

He’ll make you cry, he’ll make you laugh…when Sam Morrison takes the stage in his play Sugar Daddy at Merryall on June 10^th at 8 pm. The piece originated at the famed Edinburgh Fringe Theater Festival and its success there catapulted it to engagements in London and an extended run at Manhattan’s SoHo Playhouse. In his one-person debut play, Morrison shares his personal, painful, and surprisingly funny take on grief.  

Sugar Daddy is Morrison’s love letter to his late partner and how he has found hope and humor in loss, underscored by a satiric critique of the culture of mourning. Receiving rave reviews, Sugar Daddy was hailed as “as the best show in NYC” by The Daily Beast.  The New York Times called it “One of the biggest hits of the year… In his show about mourning, Morrison confronts overwhelming loss with punch lines and panache.”Morrison has subsequently appeared on television programs ranging from Late Night with Seth Meyers to The Drew Barrymore Show. 

Continuing its homage to Pride Month, on June 17^th Merryall welcomes multi-faceted singer and songwriter Jill Sobule, an American musician best known for her hit singles “Super Model” featured on the soundtrack of the film Clueless and “I Kissed a Girl” the first ever openly queer-themed Billboard Top 20 record. 

Sobule will be sharing an evening of songs and stories, including portions of her autobiographical musical, F**k 7^th Grade!, which Time Out called “unsentimental, humorous and gently weird,” and The New York Times said it was “for a queer audience, but also it’s for the many nerds who grew up to be the cool people.”  

Sobule has released dozens of albums and written lyrics and music that are striking chords and touching hearts by addressing personal issues like anorexia, reproduction, adolescent angst, shoplifting, and the death penalty. Sobule’s work is deeply personal, socially conscious, funny,, and derisively tragic.

Over three decades, the Denver-born singer has performed with such luminaries as Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper, and Billy Bragg and shared billing with Don Henley, Joe Jackson, and the influential punk bands X and Lloyd Cole & the Negatives… and has even performed as herself on an episode of The Simpsons. On the road she teams up with SNL’s Julia Sweeney, dubbing the duo The Jill & Julia Show and performing music, exchanging memories, and performing monologues.

Tickets for both events are available online at: merryallcenter.org. Merryall Center is located at 8 Chapel Hill Road, New Milford. 

Merryall is a non-profit arthouse and community center located in the heart of Litchfield Hills. For membership, sponsor or ticket info, visit the Center's website at merryallcenter.org.