Tension in the Rust Belt

Sweat – Goodman Theatre

Lynn Nottage deservedly won the 2017 Pulitizer Prize for Drama for this mesmerizing and revealing drama about race, economy and humanity. The background for the writing of the play is almost as fascinating as Ms. Nottage’s drama, itself. In 2011, the playwright began interviewing residents of Reading, Pennsylvania, which the US Census Bureau had declared as one of the poorest cities in America. Through this extraordinary drama we see the faces and hear the voices of the real people who suffer from the de-industrialization of America.

The play opens on a parole officer conducting his exit interview with two ex-convicts. One is a young, white skinhead, covered in offensive tattoos; the other is a soft-spoken, well-groomed young black man, holding a Bible. We’re not sure, at this point, who these two young men are, what’s their relationship or what went down that sent them to prison. By the end of the play, we fully understand.

Then the curtain rises on scenic designer Kevin Depinet’s gorgeous, meticulously detailed blue collar bar setting. It’s eight years prior to the first scene. We meet three women, all machine workers in the Reading factory, who’ve been close friends since they were children. Cynthia, Tracey and Jessie have worked on the floor of the steel plant for over twenty years. Together they’ve shared with each other their observations, aspirations, problems and complaints, along with their own relationships with their children, an estranged husband and the managment and co-workers of the factory. Stan, the affable bartender, was once employed at the company. However, he suffered an injury that prevented him from returning to his job. But, acting as a sage and a sounding board for his customers, Stan cautions the three women, along with Cynthia’s son Chris and Tracey’s son Jason, that “You know, you could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico.” None of his friends take him seriously, although this casual comment becomes a soothsayer’s warning to the group.

Nottage’s play truly plumbs the soul of the common, hardworking men and women who keep this country humming. The playwright balances each character’s personal struggle to earn a decent living and trying to make ends meet, with jealousies, suspicion and trying to keep friendships strong and alive. All of this is skillfully set against the continually evolving changes in this country, especially since the 2016 election. These are, after all, the forgotten people who voted our 45th President into office. They blindly believed that, by putting their faith and trust in someone who wasn’t a politician, life and the economy would improve. In Lynn Nottage’s stirringly realistic drama, laced with moments of gut-wrenching truths and hard-hitting humor, we experience the havoc that the current administration has continued to wreak upon this nation.

Directed with grit, passion and a profound understanding of these hard-workers and the world they inhabit, Ron OJ Parson once again fires up audiences with his gut reaction and guidance. It’s hard to imagine a finer cast to bring Ms. Nottage’s story to life. Tyla Abercrumbie, so brilliant in Goodman Theatre’s “Magnolia,” is magnificent as Cynthia. She makes every theatergoer understand the pain and helplessness her character feels when placed in the uncomfortable, unenviable position of having to supervise her friends and co-workers during a difficult economic situation. She’s caught between a rock and a hard place: her desire to finally improve her own economic situation contrasted with her devotion to her longtime friends. Cynthia’s relationship with Brucie, her ex-husband, nicely played with raw emotion by Andre Teamer, shows a woman who knows her own strengths and won’t be seduced by a smooth talker into compromising her standards. In addition, Ms. Abercrumbie portrays a loving, caring mother with Chris, her hardworking, goal-mindedson, who’s played with intelligence and dignity by Edgar Miguel Sanchez. 

As Tracey, Kirsten Fitzgerald is a force of nature. She deals with her son in a way that lets him know he’s not going to be able to walk all over her. She’s not a woman to be crossed or compromised, but her Tracey is one tough cookie who’ll stand up for her rights, as well as those of her friends. However, as tensions mount at the factory, and Tracey’s seniority is passed over for a promotion, suddenly her true colors begin to show. The subject truly becomes black and white, in more ways than one. With racial relations becoming tense, that’s when Ms. Fitzgerald turns into a lioness fighting for her very life.

Be it at the Court, Northlight, Steppenwolf or Lookingglass, Chaon Cross is always a treat in any role she plays. As Jessie, the third Musketeer in this trio of good friends, Ms. Cross plays that buddy who listens more than she contributes to a conversation. But Jessie seems to be on her own road to destruction, burying her pain in a cocktail shaker. From what Ms. Cross shows us in this play, there’s probably few actors on the Chicago stage who can convincingly play an inebriated character with more dignity and humor.

Keith Kupferer, another Chicago veteran of several stages, and so wonderful in “Support Group for Men,” is terrific as Stan. For the majority of the play, Kupferer’s character is understated and understanding. He’s a likable guy, serving up beer and gimlets, while going easy on personal advice. That is, until tensions escalate toward the end of the play and Stan tries to help his friends, ending up in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Mike Cherry is very good as Tracey’s mild-mannered son, Jason. It isn’t until much later in the play that audiences realize that, majorly transformed physically, this is the same young man who would eventually become a radical skinhead in the present-day scenes. Steve Casillas plays, by far, one of the most likable, sympathetic characters in Lynn Nottage’s play. As Oscar, Stan’s young Columbian bar assistant, we go through much of the play casually observing this kid hard at work, taking out the empties, scraping gum from under the tables and running errands for his boss. He’s almost forgotten, practically part of the set dressing. And then, wisely, Ms. Nottage writes a stirring scene wherein we learn so much more about his admirable young man. By the last scene, our understanding of and feelings for this kid have grown so much that the final image we take with us from this terrific play is unforgettable.

In this exciting, Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Lynn Nottage shows why she’s earned the title of one of the finest living contemporary playwrights in America. Staged with empathy and energy by master director, Ron OJ Parsons, this talented cast reminds audiences of how the 2016 election duped a great segment of our blue collar population and the continued disastrous effects of this administration’s careless blundering. We have names and faces to go with the statistics that inform us that this country’s economics have changed…but for the worse.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas           

Presented March 9-April 14 by the Goodman Theatre in the Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-443-3800 or by going to www.Goodmantheatre.org/Sweat.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.