Lizzy Sunshine
Written and performed by Liz Coin
Directed by Makena Reynolds
312 W 36th St., Manhattan, NYC
July 19, 2025
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| Liz Coin. Photo by Chloe Bivona. |
Relentless positivity is fertile ground for comedy, but solo show
Lizzy Sunshine, while unquestionably hilarious, brings out deeper, more poignant dimensions of always looking on the bright side. Written and performed by actor, writer, and sketch comedian Liz Coin and based in her own lived experience,
Lizzy Sunshine presents itself as a comedic double-act starring the eponymous Lizzy; when the show doesn't go to plan, the reason why tests the limits of but also, more importantly, the causes for her seemingly inexhaustible supply of personal sunniness. The performance of
Lizzy Sunshine that we attended was part of the 2025 EdFest, a week-long festival, running from July 14 to 20th, of NYC Edinburgh Fringe previews produced by The Tank's Jess Ducey, with technical director Jen Leno (tickets for the show's Edinburgh run are available
here).
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| Liz Coin. Photo by Brennan Conley. |
True to her optimistic persona, Lizzy Sunshine–more than one of whose items of clothing are emblazoned with Lizzy–enters singing a song about having and realizing dreams. The song then segues into the first bit of audience participation, which takes various forms throughout, and the first assertion of the idea that the audience is "all in the show," a sentiment that points not only to such participation but also, as the ending section throws into relief, that any one of those spectators might have to play, or might already be playing, the kind of role that Lizzy or her double-act partner must fill offstage. The latter observation dovetails as well with the sense that neither Lizzy's stage performance nor the burdensome role that she is expected to play in her personal life can be done alone. Lizzy's partner–her brother, who goes by Georgie Storm–has, however, left her alone, communicating via text that he is running late and leaving Lizzy to do the show on her own as she waits for the next update via text or call. Some of these interactions take place in "backstage" areas signified by lighting changes and by tables and chairs stage left and right, which are eventually moved, rendering, significantly, the whole stage "backstage."
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| Liz Coin (left). Photo by Ben Hawes. |
Similar to how the demarcations between these areas break down, along with those between professional and personal performance,
Lizzy Sunshine both enacts and subverts the sort of silly, fun comedic variety show that Lizzy, whose blithe confidence in her own talent is its own source of humor, is accustomed to delivering. Whether it's as simple as turning a cartwheel or more in developed segments such as "fixing" audience problems in rapid-fire fashion, delivering an unorthodox sermon as a Greek Orthodox priest, or improvising with an audience volunteer using a clever conceit, Lizzy just wants to entertain (an aim at which Coin succeeds mightily) and keep the positivity flowing (an aim at which Lizzy eventually falters, leading to some moving moments from Coin). Lizzy identifies her production as a "show that goes on," but as she repeats this mantra at various points, and as the audience repeats it with her, it comes to feel increasingly Beckettian. One counterbalance, though, is togetherness. Looking back on, for example, the improvised jokes fixing audience problems through the lens of the show's ending, they cast audience members as potential nodes in a network of support. If one can interpret much of
Lizzy Sunshine as commenting simultaneously on professional performance, including the ways in which the performer needs the audience, and on "performing" in private life, then one of the takeaways is that sometimes someone just can't do bring off the expected performance; and sometimes she needs the help of others–maybe a whole room full of them.
-John R. Ziegler and Leah Richards
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