What’s New

If you’re looking for music that pulls no punches, head over to Subterranean (2011 W. North) this weekend for Dreary North Fest, three nights of extreme music running the gamut from difficult noise and grindcore to experimental hip-hop and “postapocalyptic metal” (as Reader senior writer Leor Galil describes the wonderfully named band Urine Hell in his preview of the festival). It’s not for everyone, but if you know, you know. Tonight’s lineup boasts grind from the Virginia band Suppression (in the last performance slot of the evening, which organizers estimate as 12:50 AM), Chicago hip-hop duo Angry Blackmen (9:40 PM), and a dizzying array of more bands, starting at 2:30 PM. Dreary North continues Saturday and Sunday (2 PM until the wee hours both days). More information is available at the organizers’s Facebook page and advance tickets are available at Subterranean’s website. (SCJ)

And “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” may not resonate with everyone either, but if you know, you know. The National Museum of Mexican Art certainly knows, as they host a Selena Tribute Concert tonight at Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph). The free evening dedicated to the queen of Tejano music features performances from singers Jennifer Peña and Sarah La Morena, Selena impersonator Karla Perez, Mariachi Perla de Mexico with Tessa Lopez, and drag performance by Ivanna Rubio, Venus Carangi, Angelicia Diamond, Illana’s Illusion, and Luna La Catrina. The presentation starts at 6 PM, and more information is available at the National Museum of Mexican Art’s website. (SCJ)

The singer Selena performed her last televised concert at Houston’s Astrodome in 1995.

Code of the Freaks, Chicago director Salome Chasnoff’s 2020 collaboration with the late writer Susan Nussbaum and scholars Alyson Patsavas and Carrie Sandahl, enjoys its world theatrical premiere tonight at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State). The documentary studies the often discriminatory practices of mainstream filmmaking and Hollywood productions which choose ableism over featuring human stories and disabled creators. Reader contributor Colleen Morrissey previewed Code of the Freaks and spoke to Nussbaum and Chasnoff for us in May. Tonight’s 6:30 PM screening will be followed by a discussion with Chasnoff, and then a 9 PM screening of Tod Browning’s 1932 film Freaks (which inspired Code of the Freaks’s title). You can also catch the documentary tomorrow or Sunday at 2 PM. Advance tickets and more information are available at the Film Center’s website. (SCJ)

It’s the closing weekend for “All That Light,” the survey show focused on ten years of the Artists-in-Residence program shepherded by the University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life initiative along with the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture. You can check out the exhibition at its two gallery locations (Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield, and Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th) during regular hours through Sunday (noon-7 PM today through Sunday for Arts Incubator; Logan is 9 AM-9 PM today and tomorrow, 11 AM-9 PM on Sunday). The Logan Center for the Arts also hosts tonight’s All That Light performance showcase, featuring exhibition participants AJ McClenon, Amina Ross, Aquil “AQ” Charlton, avery r. young, LeRoy Bach, and Yaw Agyeman. The free performance (registration requested at Eventbrite) starts at 7 PM, and is preceded by a 6 PM tour of the Logan Center’s portion of the show with curator Tracie D. Hall. More information is available at the Arts + Public Life website. (SCJ)

Shattered Globe Theatre kicks off its season with the local premiere of Stew, Zora Howard’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist about the women of the Tucker family, whose collective attempt to make the title dish ends up peeling back onionlike layers of conflict and comradeship in their shared history. Malkia Stampley directs a cast that includes Velma Austin, Demetra Dee, Jazzma Pryor, and Jasmine Cheri Rush. Previews begin tonight at 8 PM at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont); the show runs through 10/22 (Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM). Tonight, tickets are pay what you can; other performances run $25-$45, with discounts for students and seniors. Visit sgtheatre.org for info and reservations. (KR)

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Sugar daddy sites have risen in popularity over the last several years as society becomes more comfortable with unconventional relationships. As more and more people seek either companionship or financial security, sugar arrangements have become very attractive.

Unfortunately, the popularity of sugar relationships has caused an influx of sugaring sites to pop up. Some sites do their part in vetting the members, but others invite scammers, leeches, flakes, and fakes.

We’ve done the leg work for you and have found the best sugar daddy sites where a sugar daddy can meet a sugar baby and vice versa. These sites strike the delicate balance between safety and fun. We review what’s best about a site for daddies and what’s best for babies.

These are our brand new rankings for 2022.

The Best Sugar Daddy Sites and Apps in 2022

RankSiteBest For1.SugarDaddy.comBest overall sugar daddy site2.Secret BenefitsBest mix of daddies and babies3.Our SecretBest for confidentiality4.SugarDaddyMeetVerified income feature5.SugarDaddyForMeQuickest way to find an arrangement6.Ashley MadisonJudgement free sugar dating site7.What’s Your PriceBest for women to set their own price8.Sugar SearchBest database of local sugar daddies9.R/SugarBabyFree way to find sugar babies10.Elite SinglesMeet intellectual sugar babies and daddies11.Established MenBest for daddies seeking a long term arrangement12.RichMeetBeautifulMost secure and discreet site13.Miss TravelBest for sugar babies who like to travel14.Wealthy MenMost straightforward sugar dating site15.AgeMatchFind younger women16.SudyBest sugar dating app17.SugarBookBest sugar app for babies

1. SugarDaddy.com – Best overall site

Sugardaddy.com is one of the most reliable sugar daddy sites around and has been around for quite some time. The site is hailed as one of the greats because it verifies all of its members (daddies and babies) and there are almost 10 million members and counting. At any given time, the site is active with several thousands of users and nearly 2/3rds are babies looking for someone to take care of them.

Free members can actually enjoy tons of features (like sending kisses, using the advanced search feature, and responding to paying members), but a membership is well worth it and pretty affordable compared to its competitors. It’s a credit-based system and costs around a quarter per credit. Privacy is a top priority on Sugardaddy.com, making it easy to discreetly enter into relationships.

What it’s like for daddies:

70% of the users on sugardaddy.com are babies looking to be spoiled. With millions of users, this makes being a daddy on the site extremely easy and entertaining. Credits can be used to get in touch with the babies and they won’t cost you much. Because privacy is taken so seriously on this website, there’s no need to fear your identity being revealed. Furthermore, daddies can rest easy knowing they won’t be scammed by any members given that they are all verified.

What it’s like for babies:

Sugar babies tend to love the ease of this site and how slick it is. Other sugar baby sites tend to look shady or seedy, but sugardaddy.com is slick and modern. It makes it easy to layout exactly what you’re looking for in a daddy. One drawback is the fact that most of the users are babies, so there’s some stiff competition out there. But with millions of daddies online searching, finding the right one shouldn’t be too difficult.

2.  Secret Benefits – Best gender ratio

SecretBenefits.com is one of the most popular and stylish sugar daddy dating websites. It has a modern and fresh look along with an easy-to-use interface which has encouraged millions of attractive and wealthy individuals to join and search for a positive sugar dating experience on the site. Due to its popularity and stellar reputation among the site’s members, there is a constant flow of new hopeful sugar daddies and sugar babies as well as a very active member base.

Anyone can signup, create a profile, and search for free. Sugar babies can enjoy the site and its features for free. If a sugar daddy finds a sugar baby of interest, they need to purchase credits to open a chat with them. There should be no lack of potential candidates among the millions of members as the gender ratio is about 50/50.

What it’s like for daddies:

Signing up as a sugar daddy is very fast and painless. You can also choose to start a very basic profile to search for potential sugar babies in your area before committing too much time or money. Another great feature if you’re looking for a discreet relationship is you can hide your profile at any time as well as go invisible for 24 hours and browse profiles in secret. These features help maintain your privacy while discreetly allowing you to find your perfect sugar baby.

What it’s like for babies:

Sugar babies love using Secret Benefits not only because it’s free, but also because the site’s outstanding support team keeps the riffraff out which provides a safe platform full of serious and active sugar daddies that are not looking to waste anyone’s time. Getting your profile verified via a short intro video also encourages daddies to reach out once they see that you are the real deal. The success rates for legit, happy, and ongoing sugar daddy relationships are extremely high on SecretBenefits.com, so it’s really just about getting signed up and putting yourself out there to find exactly the type of daddy you’re looking for.

3.  Our Secret – Best for confidential sugar dating

Whether you are in a current relationship, a celebrity, or simply a private person that would rather not have your friends or colleagues discover you on a dating site, you might want to consider signing up to the most discreet site on our list, OurSecret.com. Although the site is fairly new, they’ve done a great job delivering exactly what private people are looking for in an effective dating site.

Our Secret has hundreds of thousands of members looking to find their ideal secret relationship with about 50% of its members in the US. The goal of the site is to streamline the online dating process by providing easy signup and profile creation, precise search filters, and an excellent private chat function that also allows members to share additional photos with each other.

What it’s like for daddies:

The discreet sugar daddy will enjoy many of the features that mainstream popular dating sites provide without all of the potential public overexposure. Sugar daddies have the option of creating a basic profile, searching for their potential new secret matches in an incognito mode, as well as hiding their photos in secret albums for choice matches eyes only. All daddies should be pleased to know that creating a profile and searching for matches is totally free. Only if you find someone of interest will you need to purchase credits in order to open a chat, which will remain open and unlimited once the chat is opened. There are no monthly fees so you can come and go as you please as well as hide your profile from sugar babies in search if you find someone you like and want to pursue.

What it’s like for babies:

OurSecret.com understands that many sugar babies are active university students and social media influencers and might not want to be broadcasting their dating profiles to the masses on frequented sites such as Tinder. With this need for privacy and discretion by their sugar baby members, Our Secret has made it easy to streamline the online dating process and help you find exactly the kind of sugar daddy relationship you’re looking for without all the fuss. Using all of the site’s features is totally free to sugar babies. Getting started and adding photos and videos of yourself is a cinch and can also be kept in a private album only available to those daddies that you give permission to, and with the majority of daddies on the site seeking a discreet arrangement, keeping your relationship on the down-low should never be an issue.

4.  SugarDaddyMeet – For rich men who can spoil

SugarDaddyMeet, one of the original sugar dating sites, doesn’t sugarcoat its true intentions. According to the site, it’s only available to men who live in the 20 richest countries in the world. By attracting affluent men, it also attracts beautiful young women. Verifying income and wealth are two major features on SugarDaddyMeet, making it one of the best sugar dating sites for the ladies.

What it’s like for daddies:

For one, you’ll need to actually be rich to get approved for SugarDaddyMeet. Those who meet the requirements are introduced to a world of beautiful females. The platform itself feels like other social media sites that you may already be familiar with. It’s very casual and generally a breeze finding a mutually beneficial arrangement.

What it’s like for the babies:

This site has plenty of features that make women feel safe using it. You can verify income and let the site know what you’re looking for in a sugar daddy. Using a handy algorithm, it’ll match you up based on your preferences. A free membership is all you’ll need!

5.  SugarDaddyForMe – Speedy matching process

This chic site is slick in design and even better in matching capabilities. It doesn’t hide the fact that it’s a tried and true sugar daddy site designed for arrangements. This is made clear for both the women and the men who join SugarDaddyForMe.

What it’s like for daddies:

You should know first that the payment structure is unique. The membership tiers are based on how much time you want to buy rather than what you have access to. SugarDaddyForMe will want to verify your income, but there’s not much to it after that. You’re essentially brought into the SugarDaddyForMe world within minutes, making this platform one of the fastest ways to find a date.

What it’s like for babies:

This is a free sugar daddy site for you! Signing up takes only minutes and you’ll be glad to know that SugarDaddyForMe will want to know what your ideal arrangement would be. This can all be altered later if you change your mind.

6.  Ashley Madison – Find a casual companion

Ashley Madison is the site that people hate admitting they love. Sure, it’s received some shady press over the years, but it works marvelously. Though linked to affairs, it’s a perfect site for those in open-relationships to find fun arrangements with other folks. It’s a completely open-minded and judgment-free space for people to explore sensual relationships.

What it’s like for daddies:

Ashley Madison can be used as a sugar site. It follows a credit-based payment structure that allows men to communicate with women. There’s nothing on Ashley Madison to weed out the sugar babies from the rest of them, so you’ll need to use the age preference feature to find the ladies and chat to see if they are interested. Women are free to join, making it a great breeding ground for relationships with younger college-age women.

What it’s like for babies:

Men on Ashley Madison are usually looking for excitement, and sugar babies know how to have fun. There are a lot of wealthy men looking for younger women on the site, so if you specify that you are looking to set up an arrangement, you’ll have no problem finding a handsome catch.

Want even more about Ashley Madison? Check out our full review.

7.  What’s Your Price – Bid on dates

On many sugar sites, the idea of an arrangement is implied but not always enforced. In other words, SDs don’t feel like spending or SBs ask for too much. On What’s Your Price, the intention is clear. It’s about an agreement or arrangement that works for both parties. What’s Your Price will set everyone up with their ideal situation so that the minutiae of finances don’t cloud the fun! And it was created by the established folks behind Seeking, so you know it’s legit.

What it’s like for daddies:

You will feel like you are shopping for gorgeous women through an online marketplace. We hate to boil it down to an online shopping experience, but that’s kind of how it works! You will be shown tons of ladies who have a price in mind. Then, you can bid on anyone you find attractive or worth your time. You can also send virtual gifts and make bids as low as $10. You don’t have to be “wealthy” to join.

What it’s like for the babies:

What’s Your Price puts you in total control, which is a nice alternative to the chaotic free-for-all approach that other sites have. The only negative to What’s Your Price is that there is a lot of competition. There are 3 million members and counting, which means that your ad is going to have to be competitive.

8.  Sugar Search – Check out “Members Currently Online” before chatting to avoid flakes

It’s just as it sounds. Sugar Search is an easy to use search engine to find a local sugar daddy.

Sugar Search only operates in a few cities. Sorry babies and daddies, if you’re not in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, or Philadelphia, this isn’t the site for you.

Sugar Search goes to admirable lengths to ensure all the accounts are legit. Some slip through the cracks, but the moderation team is pretty on top of it.

Best of all, the site has great customer service and makes it easy to cancel a membership if you’re over it.

What it’s like for daddies:

It’s a super simple sign up process for daddies. Fill in a few fields, verify some personal info, and you’re set. Sugar Search has a great daddy to baby ratio, so it shouldn’t be too hard to meet a baby. The chat feature is slick and easy to use. If you want your profile to appear toward the top of search results, opt for the Diamond Membership. It really does increase the amount and quality of matches.

What it’s like for the babies:

Babies, you won’t be disappointed. Sugar Search is the ultimate sugar daddy search tool if you’re in one of their cities. Sugar Search requires daddies to verify their personal information, so you won’t encounter too many fraudulent accounts. Do your own due diligence by chatting with a prospective daddy first. The sheer volume of options means you’ll likely connect with someone shortly after you sign up.

9.  Reddit (r/SugarBaby) – Top sugar forum

Reddit is a site that gets a ton of volume. As a general forum for a huge range of topics, people come to Reddit to get information about virtually anything you can think of. It works for sugaring, too, on the subreddits that are related to the subject. If you don’t already know, a subreddit is a specific message board. For the best sugar daddy action, visit the /r/SugarBaby board. We should also warn you that sexy photos flood the page!

What it’s like for daddies:

This subreddit has over 80K users, making it more intimate than most but still giving you a ton of options. The best part is that it’s one of the only free sugar daddy sites on this list. Men aren’t allowed to post, but you can browse through the photos and proposals of the women on the page.

What it’s like for the babies:

You can post on this forum photos and a description of your ideal relationship. If a guy sees you on the page and is interested in pursuing you, he will direct message you through the platform! To post, you will need to go through a verification process, but it’s not complicated.

10.  Elite Singles – Dating site for educated daddies and babies

Elite Singles was not designed specifically for sugaring. It’s a premium dating site that caters toward educated and successful individuals looking for someone who is like-minded. As a baby, you should be seeking something serious when you join Elite Singles. This site is made for real relationships, not a one-time hookup. A majority of the people on this site are college-educated, regardless of age, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.

What it’s like for daddies:

Elite Singles is ideal for the man (or woman) who is interested in meeting an intelligent, independent person to shower with affection or anything else. One of the best things about Elite Singles is that nobody is flakey. People are genuinely searching for their other half and they aren’t greedy for cash because they are successful themselves.

What it’s like for the babies:

This is an app best suited for the baby who isn’t just in this for the money. You don’t need to be wildly successful to get on Elite Singles, but you should have a semblance of independence and perhaps a college degree (or working towards one). This isn’t the quickest way to find a sugar daddy, but it is a place where you’ll meet successful people.

11.  Established Men – Great for long-term sugar dating

If you couldn’t gather from the name, Established Men is a dating site created for successful men looking for a relationship. Men who are established and wealthy often don’t find much time to date around. This site makes finding a partner very simple. It’s not a hookup site but rather a place that caters directly to wealthy guys who want a relationship. Though not exclusively for sugar relationships, women aren’t charged for a membership, making it feel like a free sugar daddy site for them.

What it’s like for daddies:

Established Men is not a free sugar dating site for men, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you are, in fact, established. Through the platform, you are able to send gifts and interact with the beautiful ladies that this website attracts. There are new members daily, so you’ll never run out of options!

What it’s like for babies:

Step into the world of Established Men. These are individuals who know their worth, so they might be tough to please. What’s nice about the site is that these guys aren’t expecting you to come to them with a set arrangement. They just want to spoil someone special with bags, shoes, and more.

12.  RichMeetBeautiful – Encrypted sugar daddy site

Contrary to popular belief, RichMeetBeautiful is not just for rich men. Anyone who is reasonably well off can still engage with beautiful men and women through the platform. It’s also one of the most secure sugar dating sites because it uses encryption security.

What it’s like for daddies:

RichMeetBeautiful claims to be rich in several ways: experience, romance, passion, style, and so on. It also explicitly says “no sugar dating” on the homepage. You’re probably asking yourself why it even made the list. It’s a site for successful individuals to meet one another through a scientific matchmaking algorithm. If you want to find a younger woman to spoil, you will absolutely be able to.

What it’s like for babies:

RichMeetsBeautiful is not explicitly for sugar dating. It is a site where you can converse with men who enjoy spoiling their significant others. It’s built for long-lasting relationships, so be prepared to meet people who want to find real love.

13.  Miss Travel – Best for the adventurous

Miss Travel puts an exciting spin on sugar dating. Rather than finding a companion locally, this site encourages people to find partners from places they’d love to travel to! It adds a whole new element to the fun of sugar dating, and women can join this site for free.

What it’s like for daddies:

SDs in open relationships or looking for fun outside of a relationship love to use this site while they travel for business. However, it’s also convenient for men who want foreign women to come to them. There are a ton of beautiful women who use Miss Travel because they are looking for an adventure with a well-to-do man.

What it’s like for babies:

Ever wanted to travel the world? This is one of the best ways to make that happen. The daddy you find will likely pay for the entire trip. There’s also an exciting “Create a Trip” feature that allows you to plan a wonderful vacation right there on the site.

14.  Wealthy Men – A no-frills approach to sugaring

Wealthy Men is the most straightforward sugar daddy website available to users, and it’s very reliable too. It promises young women that they will meet the wealthy man of their dreams. And, it has a guarantee for its paid members that they’ll find someone in three months. Members can rest assured that Wealthy Men will absolutely work for them.

What it’s like for daddies:

We’ll be honest: Wealthy Men does not make it that easy on the guys initially. You will have to prove that you make at least 85K by providing documentation stating so and comment on how much you’re willing to spend on a baby. While this is annoying, it maintains the integrity of the site.

What it’s like for babies:

This is one of the best sugar daddy sites out there. The financial aspect works in your favor. But you’ll want to pay for it, as the free version doesn’t allow for messaging.

15.  AgeMatch – Best for relationships with significant age gaps

AgeMatch doesn’t market itself as a sugar website. Instead of sugar daddies and young models, it pins itself as a dating platform for people with a very large age gap between them. This works for arrangements because most of the companionships on this site are between successful older men and stunning younger women.

What it’s like for daddies:

Some men don’t want arrangements and prefer the idea of spoiling someone who enjoys their company. For those types, AgeMatch is perfect. You will feel like you are on a real dating site and not a shady or seedy arrangement site, which is a nice alternative to the normal setup.

What it’s like for babies:

The expected age gap works in your favor, but the fact that sugaring is more implied than explicit does not. You won’t be asked about your preferred arrangement. However, there are plenty of wonderful successful older men at your disposal and you are welcome to present them with your terms.

16.  Sudy – A sugaring mobile app

Sudy is a fantastic app in terms of usability. It functions really well and is set up in such a way that makes it easy to meet someone new. There are some things about Sudy that aren’t perfect, which is why it’s at the bottom of our list, but it’s certainly a great option for someone who would rather use their phone than a desktop to find a date.

What it’s like for the daddies:

To join, you’ll need to make over 200K. Once you verify this, you will be introduced to the world of beautiful ladies (there’s a 4:1 male to female ratio). Gorgeous women like to know that you make enough to entertain them, so the verification works in your favor. Sources report having trouble deleting their profiles though, so that might be a turn-off for you.

What it’s like for babies:

There are more women than men, which means it’s competitive. But at the same time, Sudy is also very safe. The Sudy staff work tirelessly to moderate the platform and remove suspicious or fake profiles.

17.  SugarBook – Great for alternative arrangements

Sometimes arrangements aren’t all money-based. There are ambitious women (or guys) out there who desire connections, advice, opportunities, and financial help. Sources say that SugarBook is ideal for that type of relationship with a sugar mama or sugar daddy because each interaction begins by laying out expectations for one another.

What it’s like for daddies:

You will need to verify your income before getting accepted to SugarBook. This is technically a free sugar daddy site for men, but the premium option will show you many more profiles. We’ll admit that it’s limited on the free side.

What it’s like for babies:

You can join for free or pay for more features, that’s totally up to you. Try the free version first, though, because the features just include access to more daddies and a more specific search. You might find what you’re looking for on the free version alone. You’ll have a chance to create a profile where you can explain what you’re interested in.

Have Questions About Sugar Daddies and Babies? Here Are Some FAQs

What Does a Sugar Daddy Do?

A sugar daddy’s role is relatively simple. His “job” consists essentially in using his wealth to spoil the sugar baby. This might include fancy dinners, high-end alcohol, even vacations all around the world. In return, the sugar daddy expects a certain degree of companionship. 

Where Can I Find a Sugar Baby?

Finding a sugar baby is basically the same process as finding a sugar daddy. You simply need to leverage the sites and apps that exist specifically to unite would-be sugar babies with sugar daddies. One of the best sites for this is Seeking, though there are many others (the reviews for which you can see in the above article). 

What Does a Sugar Baby Do?

A sugar baby simply provides companionship to a sugar daddy. In exchange for being spoiled and receiving gifts, dinners, vacations, etc., a sugar baby is expected to provide companionship and affection to the sugar daddy. This isn’t necessarily always sexual, as that depends on the sugar daddy and the terms that you establish. It’s a good idea to be upfront about expectations from the get-go to ensure that everything goes smoothly. 

Is It Ok to Have a Sugar Daddy?

Some people may be wondering if it’s morally okay to have a sugar daddy. Well, that depends. Is the sugar daddy married with kids and doing this on the side without anyone knowing? That’s definitely a questionable thing to do morally speaking. But if no one else is at risk of being hurt by the relationship, and everything is consensual, then it’s perfectly okay to have a sugar daddy. 

Are Sugar Daddy Sites Legit?

Sugar daddy sites can definitely be legit. That said, sugar relationships have become more popular and so many sites have popped up lately. Not all of them are legitimate, so it’s important to be careful. A good idea would be to stick with the sites reviewed above, especially the biggest and most well-established ones. 

Read More

Sugar daddy sites have risen in popularity over the last several years as society becomes more comfortable with unconventional relationships. As more and more people seek either companionship or financial security, sugar arrangements have become very attractive.

Unfortunately, the popularity of sugar relationships has caused an influx of sugaring sites to pop up. Some sites do their part in vetting the members, but others invite scammers, leeches, flakes, and fakes.

We’ve done the leg work for you and have found the best sugar daddy sites where a sugar daddy can meet a sugar baby and vice versa. These sites strike the delicate balance between safety and fun. We review what’s best about a site for daddies and what’s best for babies.

These are our brand new rankings for 2022.

The Best Sugar Daddy Sites and Apps in 2022

RankSiteBest For1.SugarDaddy.comBest overall sugar daddy site2.Secret BenefitsBest mix of daddies and babies3.Our SecretBest for confidentiality4.SugarDaddyMeetVerified income feature5.SugarDaddyForMeQuickest way to find an arrangement6.Ashley MadisonJudgement free sugar dating site7.What’s Your PriceBest for women to set their own price8.Sugar SearchBest database of local sugar daddies9.R/SugarBabyFree way to find sugar babies10.Elite SinglesMeet intellectual sugar babies and daddies11.Established MenBest for daddies seeking a long term arrangement12.RichMeetBeautifulMost secure and discreet site13.Miss TravelBest for sugar babies who like to travel14.Wealthy MenMost straightforward sugar dating site15.AgeMatchFind younger women16.SudyBest sugar dating app17.SugarBookBest sugar app for babies

1. SugarDaddy.com – Best overall site

Sugardaddy.com is one of the most reliable sugar daddy sites around and has been around for quite some time. The site is hailed as one of the greats because it verifies all of its members (daddies and babies) and there are almost 10 million members and counting. At any given time, the site is active with several thousands of users and nearly 2/3rds are babies looking for someone to take care of them.

Free members can actually enjoy tons of features (like sending kisses, using the advanced search feature, and responding to paying members), but a membership is well worth it and pretty affordable compared to its competitors. It’s a credit-based system and costs around a quarter per credit. Privacy is a top priority on Sugardaddy.com, making it easy to discreetly enter into relationships.

What it’s like for daddies:

70% of the users on sugardaddy.com are babies looking to be spoiled. With millions of users, this makes being a daddy on the site extremely easy and entertaining. Credits can be used to get in touch with the babies and they won’t cost you much. Because privacy is taken so seriously on this website, there’s no need to fear your identity being revealed. Furthermore, daddies can rest easy knowing they won’t be scammed by any members given that they are all verified.

What it’s like for babies:

Sugar babies tend to love the ease of this site and how slick it is. Other sugar baby sites tend to look shady or seedy, but sugardaddy.com is slick and modern. It makes it easy to layout exactly what you’re looking for in a daddy. One drawback is the fact that most of the users are babies, so there’s some stiff competition out there. But with millions of daddies online searching, finding the right one shouldn’t be too difficult.

2.  Secret Benefits – Best gender ratio

SecretBenefits.com is one of the most popular and stylish sugar daddy dating websites. It has a modern and fresh look along with an easy-to-use interface which has encouraged millions of attractive and wealthy individuals to join and search for a positive sugar dating experience on the site. Due to its popularity and stellar reputation among the site’s members, there is a constant flow of new hopeful sugar daddies and sugar babies as well as a very active member base.

Anyone can signup, create a profile, and search for free. Sugar babies can enjoy the site and its features for free. If a sugar daddy finds a sugar baby of interest, they need to purchase credits to open a chat with them. There should be no lack of potential candidates among the millions of members as the gender ratio is about 50/50.

What it’s like for daddies:

Signing up as a sugar daddy is very fast and painless. You can also choose to start a very basic profile to search for potential sugar babies in your area before committing too much time or money. Another great feature if you’re looking for a discreet relationship is you can hide your profile at any time as well as go invisible for 24 hours and browse profiles in secret. These features help maintain your privacy while discreetly allowing you to find your perfect sugar baby.

What it’s like for babies:

Sugar babies love using Secret Benefits not only because it’s free, but also because the site’s outstanding support team keeps the riffraff out which provides a safe platform full of serious and active sugar daddies that are not looking to waste anyone’s time. Getting your profile verified via a short intro video also encourages daddies to reach out once they see that you are the real deal. The success rates for legit, happy, and ongoing sugar daddy relationships are extremely high on SecretBenefits.com, so it’s really just about getting signed up and putting yourself out there to find exactly the type of daddy you’re looking for.

3.  Our Secret – Best for confidential sugar dating

Whether you are in a current relationship, a celebrity, or simply a private person that would rather not have your friends or colleagues discover you on a dating site, you might want to consider signing up to the most discreet site on our list, OurSecret.com. Although the site is fairly new, they’ve done a great job delivering exactly what private people are looking for in an effective dating site.

Our Secret has hundreds of thousands of members looking to find their ideal secret relationship with about 50% of its members in the US. The goal of the site is to streamline the online dating process by providing easy signup and profile creation, precise search filters, and an excellent private chat function that also allows members to share additional photos with each other.

What it’s like for daddies:

The discreet sugar daddy will enjoy many of the features that mainstream popular dating sites provide without all of the potential public overexposure. Sugar daddies have the option of creating a basic profile, searching for their potential new secret matches in an incognito mode, as well as hiding their photos in secret albums for choice matches eyes only. All daddies should be pleased to know that creating a profile and searching for matches is totally free. Only if you find someone of interest will you need to purchase credits in order to open a chat, which will remain open and unlimited once the chat is opened. There are no monthly fees so you can come and go as you please as well as hide your profile from sugar babies in search if you find someone you like and want to pursue.

What it’s like for babies:

OurSecret.com understands that many sugar babies are active university students and social media influencers and might not want to be broadcasting their dating profiles to the masses on frequented sites such as Tinder. With this need for privacy and discretion by their sugar baby members, Our Secret has made it easy to streamline the online dating process and help you find exactly the kind of sugar daddy relationship you’re looking for without all the fuss. Using all of the site’s features is totally free to sugar babies. Getting started and adding photos and videos of yourself is a cinch and can also be kept in a private album only available to those daddies that you give permission to, and with the majority of daddies on the site seeking a discreet arrangement, keeping your relationship on the down-low should never be an issue.

4.  SugarDaddyMeet – For rich men who can spoil

SugarDaddyMeet, one of the original sugar dating sites, doesn’t sugarcoat its true intentions. According to the site, it’s only available to men who live in the 20 richest countries in the world. By attracting affluent men, it also attracts beautiful young women. Verifying income and wealth are two major features on SugarDaddyMeet, making it one of the best sugar dating sites for the ladies.

What it’s like for daddies:

For one, you’ll need to actually be rich to get approved for SugarDaddyMeet. Those who meet the requirements are introduced to a world of beautiful females. The platform itself feels like other social media sites that you may already be familiar with. It’s very casual and generally a breeze finding a mutually beneficial arrangement.

What it’s like for the babies:

This site has plenty of features that make women feel safe using it. You can verify income and let the site know what you’re looking for in a sugar daddy. Using a handy algorithm, it’ll match you up based on your preferences. A free membership is all you’ll need!

5.  SugarDaddyForMe – Speedy matching process

This chic site is slick in design and even better in matching capabilities. It doesn’t hide the fact that it’s a tried and true sugar daddy site designed for arrangements. This is made clear for both the women and the men who join SugarDaddyForMe.

What it’s like for daddies:

You should know first that the payment structure is unique. The membership tiers are based on how much time you want to buy rather than what you have access to. SugarDaddyForMe will want to verify your income, but there’s not much to it after that. You’re essentially brought into the SugarDaddyForMe world within minutes, making this platform one of the fastest ways to find a date.

What it’s like for babies:

This is a free sugar daddy site for you! Signing up takes only minutes and you’ll be glad to know that SugarDaddyForMe will want to know what your ideal arrangement would be. This can all be altered later if you change your mind.

6.  Ashley Madison – Find a casual companion

Ashley Madison is the site that people hate admitting they love. Sure, it’s received some shady press over the years, but it works marvelously. Though linked to affairs, it’s a perfect site for those in open-relationships to find fun arrangements with other folks. It’s a completely open-minded and judgment-free space for people to explore sensual relationships.

What it’s like for daddies:

Ashley Madison can be used as a sugar site. It follows a credit-based payment structure that allows men to communicate with women. There’s nothing on Ashley Madison to weed out the sugar babies from the rest of them, so you’ll need to use the age preference feature to find the ladies and chat to see if they are interested. Women are free to join, making it a great breeding ground for relationships with younger college-age women.

What it’s like for babies:

Men on Ashley Madison are usually looking for excitement, and sugar babies know how to have fun. There are a lot of wealthy men looking for younger women on the site, so if you specify that you are looking to set up an arrangement, you’ll have no problem finding a handsome catch.

Want even more about Ashley Madison? Check out our full review.

7.  What’s Your Price – Bid on dates

On many sugar sites, the idea of an arrangement is implied but not always enforced. In other words, SDs don’t feel like spending or SBs ask for too much. On What’s Your Price, the intention is clear. It’s about an agreement or arrangement that works for both parties. What’s Your Price will set everyone up with their ideal situation so that the minutiae of finances don’t cloud the fun! And it was created by the established folks behind Seeking, so you know it’s legit.

What it’s like for daddies:

You will feel like you are shopping for gorgeous women through an online marketplace. We hate to boil it down to an online shopping experience, but that’s kind of how it works! You will be shown tons of ladies who have a price in mind. Then, you can bid on anyone you find attractive or worth your time. You can also send virtual gifts and make bids as low as $10. You don’t have to be “wealthy” to join.

What it’s like for the babies:

What’s Your Price puts you in total control, which is a nice alternative to the chaotic free-for-all approach that other sites have. The only negative to What’s Your Price is that there is a lot of competition. There are 3 million members and counting, which means that your ad is going to have to be competitive.

8.  Sugar Search – Check out “Members Currently Online” before chatting to avoid flakes

It’s just as it sounds. Sugar Search is an easy to use search engine to find a local sugar daddy.

Sugar Search only operates in a few cities. Sorry babies and daddies, if you’re not in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, or Philadelphia, this isn’t the site for you.

Sugar Search goes to admirable lengths to ensure all the accounts are legit. Some slip through the cracks, but the moderation team is pretty on top of it.

Best of all, the site has great customer service and makes it easy to cancel a membership if you’re over it.

What it’s like for daddies:

It’s a super simple sign up process for daddies. Fill in a few fields, verify some personal info, and you’re set. Sugar Search has a great daddy to baby ratio, so it shouldn’t be too hard to meet a baby. The chat feature is slick and easy to use. If you want your profile to appear toward the top of search results, opt for the Diamond Membership. It really does increase the amount and quality of matches.

What it’s like for the babies:

Babies, you won’t be disappointed. Sugar Search is the ultimate sugar daddy search tool if you’re in one of their cities. Sugar Search requires daddies to verify their personal information, so you won’t encounter too many fraudulent accounts. Do your own due diligence by chatting with a prospective daddy first. The sheer volume of options means you’ll likely connect with someone shortly after you sign up.

9.  Reddit (r/SugarBaby) – Top sugar forum

Reddit is a site that gets a ton of volume. As a general forum for a huge range of topics, people come to Reddit to get information about virtually anything you can think of. It works for sugaring, too, on the subreddits that are related to the subject. If you don’t already know, a subreddit is a specific message board. For the best sugar daddy action, visit the /r/SugarBaby board. We should also warn you that sexy photos flood the page!

What it’s like for daddies:

This subreddit has over 80K users, making it more intimate than most but still giving you a ton of options. The best part is that it’s one of the only free sugar daddy sites on this list. Men aren’t allowed to post, but you can browse through the photos and proposals of the women on the page.

What it’s like for the babies:

You can post on this forum photos and a description of your ideal relationship. If a guy sees you on the page and is interested in pursuing you, he will direct message you through the platform! To post, you will need to go through a verification process, but it’s not complicated.

10.  Elite Singles – Dating site for educated daddies and babies

Elite Singles was not designed specifically for sugaring. It’s a premium dating site that caters toward educated and successful individuals looking for someone who is like-minded. As a baby, you should be seeking something serious when you join Elite Singles. This site is made for real relationships, not a one-time hookup. A majority of the people on this site are college-educated, regardless of age, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.

What it’s like for daddies:

Elite Singles is ideal for the man (or woman) who is interested in meeting an intelligent, independent person to shower with affection or anything else. One of the best things about Elite Singles is that nobody is flakey. People are genuinely searching for their other half and they aren’t greedy for cash because they are successful themselves.

What it’s like for the babies:

This is an app best suited for the baby who isn’t just in this for the money. You don’t need to be wildly successful to get on Elite Singles, but you should have a semblance of independence and perhaps a college degree (or working towards one). This isn’t the quickest way to find a sugar daddy, but it is a place where you’ll meet successful people.

11.  Established Men – Great for long-term sugar dating

If you couldn’t gather from the name, Established Men is a dating site created for successful men looking for a relationship. Men who are established and wealthy often don’t find much time to date around. This site makes finding a partner very simple. It’s not a hookup site but rather a place that caters directly to wealthy guys who want a relationship. Though not exclusively for sugar relationships, women aren’t charged for a membership, making it feel like a free sugar daddy site for them.

What it’s like for daddies:

Established Men is not a free sugar dating site for men, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you are, in fact, established. Through the platform, you are able to send gifts and interact with the beautiful ladies that this website attracts. There are new members daily, so you’ll never run out of options!

What it’s like for babies:

Step into the world of Established Men. These are individuals who know their worth, so they might be tough to please. What’s nice about the site is that these guys aren’t expecting you to come to them with a set arrangement. They just want to spoil someone special with bags, shoes, and more.

12.  RichMeetBeautiful – Encrypted sugar daddy site

Contrary to popular belief, RichMeetBeautiful is not just for rich men. Anyone who is reasonably well off can still engage with beautiful men and women through the platform. It’s also one of the most secure sugar dating sites because it uses encryption security.

What it’s like for daddies:

RichMeetBeautiful claims to be rich in several ways: experience, romance, passion, style, and so on. It also explicitly says “no sugar dating” on the homepage. You’re probably asking yourself why it even made the list. It’s a site for successful individuals to meet one another through a scientific matchmaking algorithm. If you want to find a younger woman to spoil, you will absolutely be able to.

What it’s like for babies:

RichMeetsBeautiful is not explicitly for sugar dating. It is a site where you can converse with men who enjoy spoiling their significant others. It’s built for long-lasting relationships, so be prepared to meet people who want to find real love.

13.  Miss Travel – Best for the adventurous

Miss Travel puts an exciting spin on sugar dating. Rather than finding a companion locally, this site encourages people to find partners from places they’d love to travel to! It adds a whole new element to the fun of sugar dating, and women can join this site for free.

What it’s like for daddies:

SDs in open relationships or looking for fun outside of a relationship love to use this site while they travel for business. However, it’s also convenient for men who want foreign women to come to them. There are a ton of beautiful women who use Miss Travel because they are looking for an adventure with a well-to-do man.

What it’s like for babies:

Ever wanted to travel the world? This is one of the best ways to make that happen. The daddy you find will likely pay for the entire trip. There’s also an exciting “Create a Trip” feature that allows you to plan a wonderful vacation right there on the site.

14.  Wealthy Men – A no-frills approach to sugaring

Wealthy Men is the most straightforward sugar daddy website available to users, and it’s very reliable too. It promises young women that they will meet the wealthy man of their dreams. And, it has a guarantee for its paid members that they’ll find someone in three months. Members can rest assured that Wealthy Men will absolutely work for them.

What it’s like for daddies:

We’ll be honest: Wealthy Men does not make it that easy on the guys initially. You will have to prove that you make at least 85K by providing documentation stating so and comment on how much you’re willing to spend on a baby. While this is annoying, it maintains the integrity of the site.

What it’s like for babies:

This is one of the best sugar daddy sites out there. The financial aspect works in your favor. But you’ll want to pay for it, as the free version doesn’t allow for messaging.

15.  AgeMatch – Best for relationships with significant age gaps

AgeMatch doesn’t market itself as a sugar website. Instead of sugar daddies and young models, it pins itself as a dating platform for people with a very large age gap between them. This works for arrangements because most of the companionships on this site are between successful older men and stunning younger women.

What it’s like for daddies:

Some men don’t want arrangements and prefer the idea of spoiling someone who enjoys their company. For those types, AgeMatch is perfect. You will feel like you are on a real dating site and not a shady or seedy arrangement site, which is a nice alternative to the normal setup.

What it’s like for babies:

The expected age gap works in your favor, but the fact that sugaring is more implied than explicit does not. You won’t be asked about your preferred arrangement. However, there are plenty of wonderful successful older men at your disposal and you are welcome to present them with your terms.

16.  Sudy – A sugaring mobile app

Sudy is a fantastic app in terms of usability. It functions really well and is set up in such a way that makes it easy to meet someone new. There are some things about Sudy that aren’t perfect, which is why it’s at the bottom of our list, but it’s certainly a great option for someone who would rather use their phone than a desktop to find a date.

What it’s like for the daddies:

To join, you’ll need to make over 200K. Once you verify this, you will be introduced to the world of beautiful ladies (there’s a 4:1 male to female ratio). Gorgeous women like to know that you make enough to entertain them, so the verification works in your favor. Sources report having trouble deleting their profiles though, so that might be a turn-off for you.

What it’s like for babies:

There are more women than men, which means it’s competitive. But at the same time, Sudy is also very safe. The Sudy staff work tirelessly to moderate the platform and remove suspicious or fake profiles.

17.  SugarBook – Great for alternative arrangements

Sometimes arrangements aren’t all money-based. There are ambitious women (or guys) out there who desire connections, advice, opportunities, and financial help. Sources say that SugarBook is ideal for that type of relationship with a sugar mama or sugar daddy because each interaction begins by laying out expectations for one another.

What it’s like for daddies:

You will need to verify your income before getting accepted to SugarBook. This is technically a free sugar daddy site for men, but the premium option will show you many more profiles. We’ll admit that it’s limited on the free side.

What it’s like for babies:

You can join for free or pay for more features, that’s totally up to you. Try the free version first, though, because the features just include access to more daddies and a more specific search. You might find what you’re looking for on the free version alone. You’ll have a chance to create a profile where you can explain what you’re interested in.

Have Questions About Sugar Daddies and Babies? Here Are Some FAQs

What Does a Sugar Daddy Do?

A sugar daddy’s role is relatively simple. His “job” consists essentially in using his wealth to spoil the sugar baby. This might include fancy dinners, high-end alcohol, even vacations all around the world. In return, the sugar daddy expects a certain degree of companionship. 

Where Can I Find a Sugar Baby?

Finding a sugar baby is basically the same process as finding a sugar daddy. You simply need to leverage the sites and apps that exist specifically to unite would-be sugar babies with sugar daddies. One of the best sites for this is Seeking, though there are many others (the reviews for which you can see in the above article). 

What Does a Sugar Baby Do?

A sugar baby simply provides companionship to a sugar daddy. In exchange for being spoiled and receiving gifts, dinners, vacations, etc., a sugar baby is expected to provide companionship and affection to the sugar daddy. This isn’t necessarily always sexual, as that depends on the sugar daddy and the terms that you establish. It’s a good idea to be upfront about expectations from the get-go to ensure that everything goes smoothly. 

Is It Ok to Have a Sugar Daddy?

Some people may be wondering if it’s morally okay to have a sugar daddy. Well, that depends. Is the sugar daddy married with kids and doing this on the side without anyone knowing? That’s definitely a questionable thing to do morally speaking. But if no one else is at risk of being hurt by the relationship, and everything is consensual, then it’s perfectly okay to have a sugar daddy. 

Are Sugar Daddy Sites Legit?

Sugar daddy sites can definitely be legit. That said, sugar relationships have become more popular and so many sites have popped up lately. Not all of them are legitimate, so it’s important to be careful. A good idea would be to stick with the sites reviewed above, especially the biggest and most well-established ones. 

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Back in 2016, I climbed up the narrow stairs at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park to see a young solo performer embody the residents of a memory care center in Dallas. Based on John Michael’s own two-year stint as an activity planner at such a center, Dementia Me took the form of a birthday party for a 90-year-old resident who doesn’t actually know it’s his birthday. The residents, represented by balloons with faces drawn on them, were all voiced by Michael. 

The piece provided an early insight into the mix of black humor, empathy, and introspection (he calls himself “a trauma clown”) that Michael honed with his 2017 follow-up, Meatball Séance, produced at now-defunct Mary’s Attic. In that piece, Michael attempted to channel the spirit of his dead mother, Liz Colgin, by making her favorite meatball recipe during the show, while pulling various audience members onstage to play his boyfriend and assist with chopping garlic and parsley.

Meatball SéanceFri 9/9 and 9/16, 9:30 PM, Mon 9/12, 7:30 PM, The Raven Room at Redline VR, 4702 N Ravenswood, Ste. B, tickettailor.com, $15

Since that premiere, Michael has taken Meatball Séance around the world, with performances in Dallas, Saint Louis, Indianapolis, Orlando, Norway, Sweden, Winnipeg, Edinburgh, Ottawa, and Toronto. Along the way, he’s also experienced other losses that have deepened his connection to the show’s themes of confronting grief. His close friend, Ken Ballard, who is identified in the show as “Best Friend” and “Fun Monster,” died at the age of 43 in January of 2021. (A former Iowa Mr. Leather, Ballard’s death was the subject of a long tribute in Windy City Timesby Carrie Maxwell.) Michael has updated the show with references to Ballard’s passing, and he’s also working on another show (tentatively titled Spank Bank Time Machine) about their friendship.

Meantime, Meatball Séance remains a way for Michael to keep alive the memory of his mother, who died in 2014. “I remember doing it and writing it because I watched—you know, all my life, there would be that trope in television where, when someone loses someone they love, they’re able to talk to them,” says Michael. “And I wasn’t able to do it when I lost my mom. I forgot all about her. People would comment when they first saw [Meatball Séance] that what they loved about the show was how well I was able to evoke her, despite having so little detail of what she was like. Everyone kept saying that that was the choice. It wasn’t the choice. But it came off that way. And it also led me into realizing when you make things universal and archetypal, people can see themselves in it. And when I say ‘Mom,’ every time in that show, eventually people start to think of their moms.”

In addition to her gift for making killer meatballs, the Mom we meet in Michael’s show also loves dancing around the kitchen to Fleetwood Mac—audience members who like to dance along make for particularly good participants. And as he’s done the show, Michael has found that more and more of his mom has returned to him.

“I’m able to make up what she would say about a situation now, but I wasn’t before. And I’m able to imagine conversations with her vividly now, but I wasn’t able to do it before. And I think the show is a subversive kind of approach to grieving in a different way. It’s so American to say, ‘Everyone grieves in their own way,’ which feels like code for ‘So let’s not talk about it.’”

Michael notes that doing the show after the COVID-19 shutdown and the loss of so many lives has added more heft to the material, even though he doesn’t address the pandemic directly. Ballard’s death wasn’t related to COVID, but Michael says, “When I lost my mom, I didn’t know what to do. And when I lost Ken, I knew what was gonna happen. I knew I was gonna, you know, be in a lot of pain, but I knew I was gonna be able to talk about how special he was to me around the world. In my underwear.” (Michael performs in an apron and sparkly briefs; when we talk, he asks me to point out that he actually got a sponsorship for his underwear from Andrew Christian.)

A good portion of the show is also about how erotic desire and the yearning for romantic connection can become even stronger in the wake of grief. Says Michael, “When someone you love leaves, you wanna make love, you wanna feel less alone. My best orgasm happened when I lost my mother, like right-right after. And we’re so scared to talk about that, but I mean, I think it’s really beautiful.”

Though audience participation isn’t everyone’s bag, Michael finds that, particularly since the shutdown, there is a hunger for that connection, too, and he says Meatball Séance is “like a manifesto of the kind of theater I wanna make. I mean, we didn’t do theater for so long and we missed it. We missed being together.”

Black Excellence Awards nominees announced

Earlier this week, the African American Arts Alliance (AAAA) of Chicago announced the nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Excellence Awards, established to honor “the outstanding works of art by African Americans in theater, dance, music, film, literature, visual arts, and digital media.”

In the theater category, the nominees included productions at Black Ensemble Theater (It’s Just Like Coming to Church, Grandma’s Jukebox); MPAACT (Pulled Punches); Congo Square (What to Send Up When It Goes Down); Court Theatre (Two Trains Running); Northlight Theatre (Intimate Apparel); TimeLine Theatre (Relentless); Writers Theatre (Pearl’s Rollin’ With the Blues: A Night With Felicia P. Fields); and Theater 47 (Living All Alone . . . the Phyllis Hyman Musical). 

In dance, nominees included South Chicago Dance Theatre; Praize Productions; Vershawn Sanders-Ward of Red Clay Dance for Blackbird; Trevon Lawrence and Anthony Sampson for React; Kevin Iega Jeff of Deeply Rooted for Surrender; and Joel Hall for Four Women. Additionally, Muntu Dance Theatre will receive a special award in recognition of its 50th anniversary. 

The awards will be presented Monday, November 14, at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark. For information and tickets ($50), visit aaaachicago.org.

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Back in 2016, I climbed up the narrow stairs at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park to see a young solo performer embody the residents of a memory care center in Dallas. Based on John Michael’s own two-year stint as an activity planner at such a center, Dementia Me took the form of a birthday party for a 90-year-old resident who doesn’t actually know it’s his birthday. The residents, represented by balloons with faces drawn on them, were all voiced by Michael. 

The piece provided an early insight into the mix of black humor, empathy, and introspection (he calls himself “a trauma clown”) that Michael honed with his 2017 follow-up, Meatball Séance, produced at now-defunct Mary’s Attic. In that piece, Michael attempted to channel the spirit of his dead mother, Liz Colgin, by making her favorite meatball recipe during the show, while pulling various audience members onstage to play his boyfriend and assist with chopping garlic and parsley.

Meatball SéanceFri 9/9 and 9/16, 9:30 PM, Mon 9/12, 7:30 PM, The Raven Room at Redline VR, 4702 N Ravenswood, Ste. B, tickettailor.com, $15

Since that premiere, Michael has taken Meatball Séance around the world, with performances in Dallas, Saint Louis, Indianapolis, Orlando, Norway, Sweden, Winnipeg, Edinburgh, Ottawa, and Toronto. Along the way, he’s also experienced other losses that have deepened his connection to the show’s themes of confronting grief. His close friend, Ken Ballard, who is identified in the show as “Best Friend” and “Fun Monster,” died at the age of 43 in January of 2021. (A former Iowa Mr. Leather, Ballard’s death was the subject of a long tribute in Windy City Timesby Carrie Maxwell.) Michael has updated the show with references to Ballard’s passing, and he’s also working on another show (tentatively titled Spank Bank Time Machine) about their friendship.

Meantime, Meatball Séance remains a way for Michael to keep alive the memory of his mother, who died in 2014. “I remember doing it and writing it because I watched—you know, all my life, there would be that trope in television where, when someone loses someone they love, they’re able to talk to them,” says Michael. “And I wasn’t able to do it when I lost my mom. I forgot all about her. People would comment when they first saw [Meatball Séance] that what they loved about the show was how well I was able to evoke her, despite having so little detail of what she was like. Everyone kept saying that that was the choice. It wasn’t the choice. But it came off that way. And it also led me into realizing when you make things universal and archetypal, people can see themselves in it. And when I say ‘Mom,’ every time in that show, eventually people start to think of their moms.”

In addition to her gift for making killer meatballs, the Mom we meet in Michael’s show also loves dancing around the kitchen to Fleetwood Mac—audience members who like to dance along make for particularly good participants. And as he’s done the show, Michael has found that more and more of his mom has returned to him.

“I’m able to make up what she would say about a situation now, but I wasn’t before. And I’m able to imagine conversations with her vividly now, but I wasn’t able to do it before. And I think the show is a subversive kind of approach to grieving in a different way. It’s so American to say, ‘Everyone grieves in their own way,’ which feels like code for ‘So let’s not talk about it.’”

Michael notes that doing the show after the COVID-19 shutdown and the loss of so many lives has added more heft to the material, even though he doesn’t address the pandemic directly. Ballard’s death wasn’t related to COVID, but Michael says, “When I lost my mom, I didn’t know what to do. And when I lost Ken, I knew what was gonna happen. I knew I was gonna, you know, be in a lot of pain, but I knew I was gonna be able to talk about how special he was to me around the world. In my underwear.” (Michael performs in an apron and sparkly briefs; when we talk, he asks me to point out that he actually got a sponsorship for his underwear from Andrew Christian.)

A good portion of the show is also about how erotic desire and the yearning for romantic connection can become even stronger in the wake of grief. Says Michael, “When someone you love leaves, you wanna make love, you wanna feel less alone. My best orgasm happened when I lost my mother, like right-right after. And we’re so scared to talk about that, but I mean, I think it’s really beautiful.”

Though audience participation isn’t everyone’s bag, Michael finds that, particularly since the shutdown, there is a hunger for that connection, too, and he says Meatball Séance is “like a manifesto of the kind of theater I wanna make. I mean, we didn’t do theater for so long and we missed it. We missed being together.”

Black Excellence Awards nominees announced

Earlier this week, the African American Arts Alliance (AAAA) of Chicago announced the nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Excellence Awards, established to honor “the outstanding works of art by African Americans in theater, dance, music, film, literature, visual arts, and digital media.”

In the theater category, the nominees included productions at Black Ensemble Theater (It’s Just Like Coming to Church, Grandma’s Jukebox); MPAACT (Pulled Punches); Congo Square (What to Send Up When It Goes Down); Court Theatre (Two Trains Running); Northlight Theatre (Intimate Apparel); TimeLine Theatre (Relentless); Writers Theatre (Pearl’s Rollin’ With the Blues: A Night With Felicia P. Fields); and Theater 47 (Living All Alone . . . the Phyllis Hyman Musical). 

In dance, nominees included South Chicago Dance Theatre; Praize Productions; Vershawn Sanders-Ward of Red Clay Dance for Blackbird; Trevon Lawrence and Anthony Sampson for React; Kevin Iega Jeff of Deeply Rooted for Surrender; and Joel Hall for Four Women. Additionally, Muntu Dance Theatre will receive a special award in recognition of its 50th anniversary. 

The awards will be presented Monday, November 14, at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark. For information and tickets ($50), visit aaaachicago.org.

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“Not that it matters, but most of what follows is true,” reads the supertitle projected over a stage sparsely set with stools. Enter a small conference of artists tasked with establishing a school to nurture and transmit their craft. Amid the heady debate over whether history and technique are still relevant in a new world of abstract emotion comes a pressing question: “Marc, when do we get paid?”

Chagall in School Through 10/8: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-975-8150, grippostagecompany.com, $38-$42

Marc (John Drea) is Marc Chagall, who has the privilege and the pain of leading the school in Vitebsk, which is, for better or for worse, not Moscow, in the years after the Bolshevik Revolution. The others are traditional Yuri Pen (Fred A. Wellisch), the only one with any teaching experience; strong-willed Cubist Vera Ermolaeva (Daniella Rukin); Alexander Romm (Peter Ferneding), a dandy and a flirt; and fiery, pretentious El Lissitzky (Myles Schwarz). (“I paint what I feel, and what I feel does not exist in nature,” he declares.) The revolutionary spirit permeates their discussions on the nature and substance of proletarian art, the value of life studies postrevolution, or whether they ought to have among their numbers Kazimir Malevich, pioneer in the Suprematist movement, which is characterized either by pure feeling or pure geometry, depending on whom you ask. (Don’t ask David Yackerson, played by David Lipschutz, who also teaches at the school for reasons unknown to even himself.)

Chagall’s dreamy assemblages, saturated blues, with goats and hens as sentient as fiancées and brides all drifting in an alternate gravity, are no longer the fashion. “I should have been a lawyer”—or a farmer—or a soldier, he laments to Berta, his encouraging wife, who loves him more than diamonds. (As played by Yourtana Sulaiman, Berta is charming, sensual, saucy, and devoted to Moshka the man and Marc Chagall the artist with a conviction that is an extension of her own self-assurance. No man deserves such a woman—except Berta is not wrong: he is Marc Chagall.)

“I’m filled with the spirit of nonobjective feeling,” announces Malevich (Garvin Wolfe van Dernoot) when he finally arrives at the school with an angular modern dance break that puts Suprematism on a level with empathicalism as a philosophy of life and art. The intrusion of this tall blond Gentile in this dubiously utopian Jewish art commune amplifies the squabbles about whether or not artists should still paint fruit. But does a banana represent enthrallment to a defunct past or the right to freedom of expression?James Sherman’s Chagall in School, directed by Georgette Verdin for Grippo Stage Company, keeps these blood matters light yet loving. Projections of the artworks ground the evening in enough realism to remind us that art persists in spite of whatever humans suffer or say about it.

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If you didn’t know that Noël Coward was an actor as well as a playwright, you’d figure it out within minutes of seeing any of his plays: how else to account for the nearly limitless opportunities they provide for chewing the scenery? Entering fully into the Cowardly spirit, director Terry McCabe frees his Hay Fever cast to emote, pose, posture, and indicate to their hearts’ content. The result is precisely what Coward envisioned when he subtitled the piece “a comedy of bad manners”: a perfectly-wrought piece of early 20th-century snobbish entertainment.

Hay Fever Through 10/9: Fri-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Mon 9/26 and 10/3, 7:30 PM; City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, 773-293-3682, citylit.org, $34 ($29 seniors, $12 students and military)

Coward plays also pit Cool Kids breezily indifferent to convention against hapless Normies, and Hay Fever is no exception. Stephen Sondheim’s “Weekend in the Country” from A Little Night Music has nothing on the one at chez Bliss, where every member of the artsy family has invited a potential romantic partner without warning to each other or to Clara, the senescent maid riotously embodied by marssie Mencotti. On Ray Toler’s splendidly overstuffed set dripping with interwar tchotchkes, including a stuffed boar’s head with tassels, these nine people change partners and dance at the speed of the Charleston, as befits 1925. Despite the tiny playing space, McCabe manages to supply each member of the cast with room to roam, doors to slam, and couches to pretend to faint on. He also balances the sympathies expertly, so we’re simultaneously under the Cool Kids’ spell and rooting for the Normies to escape with what’s left of their dignity.

The show is silly fluff—nothing more. But consider how woefully short of fun we’ve been, and for how long, and go enjoy!  

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Six years ago, Lifeline Theatre unveiled the world premiere of Christopher M. Walsh’s Miss Holmes—a cunning gender-bent take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Baker Street polymath that predated the film Enola Holmes by several years (though not the young-adult series of novels by Nancy Springer). Now Katie McLean Hainsworth’s Sherlock and Mandy Walsh’s Dr. Dorothy Watson are back to solve more crimes and stir more shit in the patriarchal colonialist cesspool of Victorian London. 

As in the first outing, Sherlock and Watson are focused on helping wronged women while risking the wrath of Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft (Christopher Hainsworth), who is some sort of fixer for the deep state of the British empire. While Sherlock isn’t imprisoned in a mental institution at her brother’s behest this time, Mycroft still haunts the edges of the story, and sets in motion a couple of key plot developments.

Miss Holmes Returns Through 10/16: Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2:30 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM; open captioning Sat 9/17, 2:30 PM and Fri 10/7, 7:30 PM; touch tour and audio description Sun 10/2, 2:30 PM (tour begins 1 PM); Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood, 773-761-4477, ext. 703, lifelinetheatre.com, $45 ($35 seniors and active/retired military with ID, $15 students with ID)

At the heart of the story, though, is the burgeoning women’s rights movement in England, embodied in the push to overturn the Contagious Diseases Act, which empowered the government to detain and examine any woman accused of prostitution. Were men who frequented sex workers similarly detained? Surely you jest. Did people use the act to wreak vengeance on those women they deemed enemies? Yes—and that also provides a key plot point in Walsh’s somewhat convoluted narrative.

Josephine Butler (Julie Partyka), the head of the Ladies’ National Association, which leads the campaign to repeal the law, seeks out Sherlock’s assistance when one of her nurses, Priya Singh (Vinithra Raj), is suspected of killing Daniel Burke (Tommy Malouf). Burke is a conservative behind-the-scenes man of power and a money launderer (think Steve Bannon) who opposes the repeal of the act while also apparently availing himself of sex workers. Since Priya is Indian, it’s even less likely that she’ll get a fair shake from the deeply racist establishment if she comes forward than a white woman would. 

Sherlock and Watson have already examined the crime scene, thanks to long-suffering Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade (Linsey Falls), whose soft spot for Sherlock leads him to cut a few official corners from time to time. Sherlock has concluded it was an act of self-defense, and gets her “knitting circle” of women (her version of the Baker Street Irregulars) out looking after the on-the-run Priya, while the Mycroft-devised noose (or what his sister calls “the great grinding machine”) of extralegal state power around Sherlock, Watson, and Lestrade grows tighter. The bookish tutor, Mr. Worthington (Malouf), who is alleged by Priya’s pal, Olive (Hilary Williams), to have had a thing for Priya, also seems awfully sweet on Sherlock—which confounds the aloof detective (who is also mistrustful of men for good reason). 

The story feels a little overly expositional at times, especially in the first act (by contrast, the revelations in the second act come on at a rat-a-tat pace in Elise Kauzlaric’s staging), but the chemistry between Hainsworth’s Sherlock and Walsh’s Watson, as in the first outing, remains delightful—particularly as the latter tries to explain to her usually perspicacious pal that the men who are seeking her attention may actually be attracted to her for more than her investigative insights. Hainsworth’s habit of nervously flicking her index finger against her corseted midsection suggests not just a constantly roving mind, but also a woman who is, in her own way, trying to tap into her tightly wound emotional core.

Not all the climactic moments felt organically connected at the performance I attended, but I suspect that the rhythms will become more assured over the run. As it is, Miss Holmes Returns offers a blend of fan-service Sherlockiana with a healthy dose of sisterhood.

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In partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center, Babes With Blades’s interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays is exciting and subversive. From overt to subtle, disturbing to laughable, the production empowers a cast of female and nonbinary actors, some with disabilities seen and unseen, to portray the breadth of human experience in a way that’s visceral, violent, and most importantly, honest. Under the direction of Richard Costes, a deaf artist of color and disability advocate, the performance exudes open arms that are felt down to the diversity of audience members comfortable attending live theater that’s intentional in its accommodations and inclusion. At two and a half hours, the two-act is long but engaging, with open captioning a plus for all audience members, given the density of Shakespeare’s prose, and action-packed fight sequences a palate cleanser between soliloquies. 

Richard III Through 10/15: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; open captioning all performances 10/15, sensory friendly Sun 9/11-9/17, ASL Sat 9/24, audio description and touch tour Sat 10/1, ASL/audio description/touch tour/talkback Sun 10/9, livestreaming Sat 9/10 and Fri-Sat 9/23-9/24; Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, babeswithblades.org; $20-$35

Instead of presenting an ableist story at face value, BWBTC centers two actors with lived disability experiences as foils—Richard III (Aszkara Gilchrist) and Queen Elizabeth (Lauren Paige). While it’s easy to label who is good and evil here, these actors bring depth and gray areas, and the fact that they have disabilities is centered without making their subsequent choices feel like foregone conclusions. Gilchrist is positively Machiavellian while articulating, “I can smile and murder whilst I smile.” Her performance ranges from chilling to quite funny, well complemented by Paige’s passion and fury. Both actors’ canes ultimately exude more power than the swords that surround them, deliberately opening new, emotional entry points into a long-told story. Additional standouts: Pat Roache as a raging Queen Margaret and Kayla Marie Klammer, finding winning physical comedy among the tragedy as Lovell.

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“Not that it matters, but most of what follows is true,” reads the supertitle projected over a stage sparsely set with stools. Enter a small conference of artists tasked with establishing a school to nurture and transmit their craft. Amid the heady debate over whether history and technique are still relevant in a new world of abstract emotion comes a pressing question: “Marc, when do we get paid?”

Chagall in School Through 10/8: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-975-8150, grippostagecompany.com, $38-$42

Marc (John Drea) is Marc Chagall, who has the privilege and the pain of leading the school in Vitebsk, which is, for better or for worse, not Moscow, in the years after the Bolshevik Revolution. The others are traditional Yuri Pen (Fred A. Wellisch), the only one with any teaching experience; strong-willed Cubist Vera Ermolaeva (Daniella Rukin); Alexander Romm (Peter Ferneding), a dandy and a flirt; and fiery, pretentious El Lissitzky (Myles Schwarz). (“I paint what I feel, and what I feel does not exist in nature,” he declares.) The revolutionary spirit permeates their discussions on the nature and substance of proletarian art, the value of life studies postrevolution, or whether they ought to have among their numbers Kazimir Malevich, pioneer in the Suprematist movement, which is characterized either by pure feeling or pure geometry, depending on whom you ask. (Don’t ask David Yackerson, played by David Lipschutz, who also teaches at the school for reasons unknown to even himself.)

Chagall’s dreamy assemblages, saturated blues, with goats and hens as sentient as fiancées and brides all drifting in an alternate gravity, are no longer the fashion. “I should have been a lawyer”—or a farmer—or a soldier, he laments to Berta, his encouraging wife, who loves him more than diamonds. (As played by Yourtana Sulaiman, Berta is charming, sensual, saucy, and devoted to Moshka the man and Marc Chagall the artist with a conviction that is an extension of her own self-assurance. No man deserves such a woman—except Berta is not wrong: he is Marc Chagall.)

“I’m filled with the spirit of nonobjective feeling,” announces Malevich (Garvin Wolfe van Dernoot) when he finally arrives at the school with an angular modern dance break that puts Suprematism on a level with empathicalism as a philosophy of life and art. The intrusion of this tall blond Gentile in this dubiously utopian Jewish art commune amplifies the squabbles about whether or not artists should still paint fruit. But does a banana represent enthrallment to a defunct past or the right to freedom of expression?James Sherman’s Chagall in School, directed by Georgette Verdin for Grippo Stage Company, keeps these blood matters light yet loving. Projections of the artworks ground the evening in enough realism to remind us that art persists in spite of whatever humans suffer or say about it.

Read More