Pioneer Theatre Company’s Sweat

By Jason Hagey and Alisha Hagey

Lynn Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize winning play, Sweat, is presented with passion and poignancy by Pioneer Theatre Company on the University of Utah Campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sweat is an emotionally powerful play that weaves together the lives of nine characters, scrutinizing their friendships while examining race, economics, personal and collective identity, and what it means to be human. Dramaturg Alexandra Harbold  asks the question, “Is the “American Dream” still alive? And if so, who gets to pursue it?” Set in divisive economic conditions, Sweat takes us on a journey, through the lens of failure and shame in the town Reading, Pennsylvania, during a turbulent time of de-industrialism in the not-so-distant past still echoing in our lives this very day.

The play opens with two young men talking with an officer about having been in jail for the last eight years. At the beginning, we have no idea what they were in jail for. This moment creates a shadow that taints every other moment of the rest of the play, most of which is an ongoing flashback in a little industrial town – specifically, centered in the town bar. This specter of tragedy looms throughout, creating a suspense that is palpable with visceral tension.

A rare promotion becomes available at the local factory and best friends Tracy and Cynthia apply for the position in hopes of improving their income. As plant ownership decides to change tactic with the union, and one of the friends is promoted, the friendships are strained and societal norms crack and break. This is only compounded by the threat of factory ‘outsiders’ and the once stable town begins diving into its own socio political chaos. in this microcosm, Nottage brings to life a continuing national debate about what it means to be an American, an immigrant, in poverty, and illuminates the marginalizations of our society with a glaring spotlight into the darker crevices of humanity.

Director Mary B. Robinson’s  handling of characters, relationships, timing, and the emotional depth of the story is the work of an exceptional veteran talent. She creates a world that is enveloping, pulling the audience into its clutches and never letting go until she has squeezed it dry. By the end, all I could think was that I needed to go home and have a good cry. The silence across the audience is ponderous, pensive with comprehending the reality that we are forced to view head-on. In the end, the applause is well-deserved. Robinson gives us a world screaming with its reality, something so close to home that it opens on a low boil until at the very end when we realize the ugly, human suffering it has been building up to.

This raw and very real landscape is created by a talented collection of designers. Jason Simms (Scenic Designer), K. L. Alberts (Costume Designer), Aaron Spivey (Lighting Designer), Patrick Bley (Sound Designer), and Amanda French (Hair and Makeup Designer), weave together a tapestry that is at once familiar and also off-putting. You get the feeling of the popular TV show Cheers (the majority of the show takes place in a bar). Even though everyone knows everyone’s name, there is tension, and it is enhanced by the design lines, by the sparsity of music, by the seaming simplicity of the lighting, and by the well lived in and familiar hair and costuming.

Inhabiting this recognizable landscape is a seasoned and talented cast of actors. Sweat feels very much like an ensemble cast even though there are definite leads. It is this feeling of working together that connects with the message of the play to become even more powerful. Nottage gives us another contextual layer where the cast, both united and in conflict, subtly becomes one: one picket line, one scab, one person fighting for survival to pay the bills, and maybe enjoy a drink after a long day, surrounded by friends.

Callum Adams (Jason) navigates the role well. He is at once both calm and assured about his future, while boiling over with a hidden rage just under the surface. Hassiem Muhammad (Chris) plays a truly affable young man fighting to get out of the system. He loves openly and dreams out loud, but ultimately he is pulled back into the system that he was born to. Margot White (Tracey) is a woman we all understand. Understated but ambitious, always aware of what is ‘fair’ but willing to put in her fair share of work. At times you want to slap her, especially over her parenting choices, and at other times just reassure her that somehow it will all work out. White creates a complex woman that is relatable.

Nafeesa Monroe (Cynthia) is fighting against race, against sex, against decades of tradition. She is ambitious and seeks to do what is right and fair. Monroe plays a character who is stuck between two worlds well. There is hope in her, and devastation. Christopher Duval (Stan/Fight Choreographer) is touching. He is the keeper of the peace, the server of the drinks, and the voice of reason. Duval is deeply connected to the world of Reading, to the pulse of the Union, even while after an accident, now is an outsider. He is safe and his bar is a haven. You feel that in his character as well. Xavier Reyes (Oscar) has the incredibly hard job of being invisible while always visible. He is walking racism. Despite other characters dealing with their own issues of being an ‘other’, Reyes is the ultimate outcast. All the time, though, Reyes is human and loving. You can’t help but care about him, cheer for his successes, and understand his hard choices.

Susanna Florence (Jessie), Vince McGill (Brucie) and Jay Ward (Evan) all fill out the town. They live their lives of quiet desperation, of hope, of strength, of sorrow. Without their performances the world would be flat. Because of their strength, the story intensifies and the economic changes are given a face of real people.

Sweat at the Pioneer in Salt Lake is a challenging piece. The play pinpricks at your emotional flesh little by little. The sensation of reality, the pull of the narrative, the power of the characters, continues to gnaw at you even after the final curtain bows, after the applause subsides, and on your way home from the theatre. By the end, your heart will be broken, but there is the hope of change, of a kinder world, that surfaces right at the final moment – the final line of the play – that will keep you believing humanity can be better.

Pioneer Theatre Company presents Sweat by Lynn Nottage
University of Utah 300 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
March 29 – April 13, 2019, 7:00 PM Mondays – Thursdays Evenings, 7:30 PM Fridays and Saturday Evenings, 2:00 PMM Saturday Matinees
Tickets: $30 – $45
Contact: 801-581-6961
Pioneer Theatre Facebook Page

CONTENT ADVISORY: If it were a movie, Sweat would be rated “R” for language.