A sweeping state-of-the-nation play that embraces huge political and economic ideas in a magnificent gritty social drama. Nottage’s stunning writing pits friend against friend as social and racial tensions, once buried by a sense of solidarity, soon rise to the surface in this breathtaking drama. 

Divide and conquer.

If it wasn’t for the accents, I could have sworn I was watching a play set in a Salford pub, ‘by the gas works wall…;

Sweat explores themes familiar to us all. It was only the night before, I heard the harrowing tales of when friends are set against friends, in the name of politics, the ruling factions and power and privilege.

Very recently, there has been a series of documentaries detailing stories of those directly and indirectly affected by, and pitted (definitely no unfortunate pun intended) against each other in the wake of industrial action against the closures of the collieries. Scab was common parlance in 84/85 and workers wrestled with fighting for their livelihoods in the long term and putting food on the table for their families in the short. Communities were divided, friendships challenged, families were torn apart, lives were left in tatters.

And as this revival’s director Jade Lewis, says about her thoughts when experiencing it for the first time,

…it was a real reflection of modern society and how decisons from those higher up in regards to industries and institutions, affect ordinary humans and their relationships.

And so to this revival of Sweat at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Lynn Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer-Prize winning drama, directed by Jade Lewis 

Tracey and Cynthia are best friends, and after 20 years on the factory floor their friendship is ingrained with the sweat of shared manual labour. Together, in this small Pennsylvanian town, they have celebrated birthdays, stood firm for each other and laughed until they cried.

But as fat-cat factory owners look for cheaper options, where unions are no trouble, and employees will work for less, these women are about to have the rug pulled out from under everything they know.

In the spirit of all great productions at Royal Exchange, the set was sparse, without unnecessary distractions. Occasionally revolving, the in-the-round nature of the theatre allowed intimate, immersive access to all scenes played out as we were invited into, for the most part, a bar in early 2000’s Pennsylvania.

As the story begins with Jason (Lewis Gribben) and Chris (Abdul Sessay), individually meeting with their probation officer, Evan (Aaron Cobham), they’ve each been released from prison, with tensions apparent between the two. And so immediately many questions are posed.

The production plays with time as we’re taken back in time to witness the build up of actions which lead to two friends, their mothers, Cynthia (Carla Henry) and Tracey (Pooky Quesnel), equally if not more close, torn apart by unemployment, violent criminality, and addiction.

Not to mention low-life husbands and stealers of fish (Brucie played by Chris Jack) which led to one of the finest lives ever uttered on stage…

And at this point I want to applaud the, at times, rapid wig and tattoo applications and removals of Jason and Chris, as each travels back and forth between their pre-prison and post-prison selves. I kid you not when I say that I, perhaps, spent a highly disproportionate amount of time, being impressed by this. You may mock my slightly tongue-in-cheek almost child-like fascination to such details, but reader, it is these details which contribute to the magic of theatre (insert wide-eyed, smile emoji here, if you will…).

I was there, with those women as they drank, danced and cavorted with those friends in the bar, filling their boots, and glasses, with not a care in the world as they finished up another hard but happy week at work at the plant, and let their hair down, in crushed velvet attire and boot cut jeans, At this point I need to highlight the excellent, comedic acting skills of Kate Kennedy as Jessie, whose depiction of the highly imbibed friend to both women, created much-needed mirth to cut through sometimes heavy scenes, and was deliciously delightful. One-woman show for Jessie please!

Sweat took us all on a either directly or indirectly relatable journey of human struggle and how life can quickly kick you down into the gutter.

The trusty bar-owner, Stan, pitch-perfectly played by Jonathan Kerrigan, and trusty side-kick Oscar (Marchello Cruz) acted as the main-stays, as each principle character, came and went, their moods, manners, their dress, the contents of their pockets changing, fluctuating, as actions at the plant impacted on their hopes, dreams, lives and relationships, until a devastating ending that left this audience member, literally open-mouthed.

And here, with a soupcon of spoiler about it, it’s not just wig and tattoos that stop me in my tracks, good reader…the fight scene in front of my stage-level eyes, took my breath away.

Like a viewer of close-up magic trying to catch the moment where the illusion takes place, I found myself flinching, gasping and wholly suspending disbelief as each blow landed on stage.

And so this revival, in the round with virtually no place to hide for the players, hit hard both literally and figuratively, with, sadly for society as the decades continue to roll, much to recognise and relate to. Bravo to a talented cast who each brought depth, humanity and often, (believe it or not), great comic timing, to this gritty tale.

Sweat is at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, until 25 May. For further detail and to book visit https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event/sweat/.

Production images – Helen Murray

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Aaron Cobham
Evan

Marcello Cruz
Oscar

Lewis Gribben
Jason

Carla Henry
Cynthia

Chris Jack
Brucie

Kate Kennedy
Jessie

Jonathan Kerrigan
Stan

Pooky Quesnel
Tracey

Abdul Sessay
Chris