Sweat

Sweat

Studio 54

May 21, 2017

Photo courtesy of Sweat

Sweat is a truthful telling of the social and economic events that took place in this country during the years 2000 through 2008 that allows us to clearly reflect on how America has become the divided nation it is today.  Through interviews and research, Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright Lynn Nottage has written authentic characters who struggle with challenges and face consequences that cause their lives to spiral out of control.  Her characters blindingly face their fears and frustrations head on. 

Tracey (played by Johanna Day), Cynthia (played by Michelle Wilson), and Jessie (played by Alison Wright) are close friends who have worked together on the factory floor in Reading, Pennsylvania for decades.  They are proud that they come from a long line of factory workers.  The year is 2000, and economic disruption is about to crumble the world they have come to know.  Cynthia accepts a promotion into a management position at the factory at the same time that the union contract is being challenged and factory jobs are being relocated to Mexico.  Non-English speaking residents are recruited as scabs during a union walk-out.  Fear, frustration, and betrayal build to heated anger and acts of violence from which there is no return.

Michelle Wilson & Johanna Day
Photos courtesy of Sweat

Johanna Day and Michelle Wilson shine in these brilliantly written, juxtaposed characters.  They build a relationship based on years of trust and reliability that brutally flips during the course of events.  They are the driving force that propels the action of the play.  Their portrayals are riveting, true, and genuine.  James Colby plays Stan, the bartender at the local watering hole.  His character is the neutral, rational negotiator throughout the play.  His portrayal is strong and warm-hearted.  Khris Davis and Will Pullen play younger workers at the factory who face a future with more choices than their parents.  These two actors complement one another amazingly well.  They create characters who face their challenges with opposite points of view.  They are viscerally connected and deliver powerful performances.  

Photo courtesy of Sweat

Kate Whoriskey masterfully directed this superb ensemble cast.  She skillfully builds tensions that explode with powerful human emotions.  The scenic design by John Lee Beatty is brilliant.  The set spins into place, keeping the pace moving quickly.  Lighting Design by Peter Kaczorowski sets a realistic tone, and Projection Design by Jeff Sugg keeps the audience grounded in the time period.

Will Pullen, James Colby, & Khris Davis
Photos courtesy of Sweat

What makes Sweat so powerful is that it is personal.  The emotional upheaval that takes place in the lives of the characters over the eight year span is understood and shared by every member of the audience.  Each character is clearly developed to present a different perspective of the effect of the economic changes in the working class during the years 2000 through 20008.  Ms. Nottage offers a glimpse of hope in the final moment of the play that empowers us to move forward with unity.

Domenick Danza