Randuwa II: The Keegan Theatre: Sweat

It's interesting how different playwrights seem to be the cat's meow for a season or two in the DMV. In the past it's been works by Athol Fugard, Paula Vogel, Lynn Gunderson....and this past season the darling was Lynn Nottage. I honestly like this. The opportunity to experience more than one work by a prolific and acclaimed playwright is a great way to better understand them, to appreciate their talent, to recognize their style.

"Sweat" is the third of Nottage's works I've seen. The previous two were "Milma's Tale" and "Intimate Apparel." Each of these is as different as "Octopus" - "Electron" - "Banjo". What they all have in common is a desire to stab the human heart into a deeper awareness of it's capacity to care.

Realizing that "Sweat" actually won a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2017 for what the Pulitzer committee cited as "a nuanced yet powerful drama that reminds audiences of the stacked deck still facing workers searching for the American dream," I respectfully offer the following observations. 1) It is the most ambitious work in terms of diversity of characters of the three plays I've seen. 2) As it bounces between specific dates in the years 2000 and 2008 with events tailored to Reading, Pennsylvania--the bouncing was not always an asset to the accessibility to the themes. I recognize that this disregard for linear story-telling is in vogue, and it works sometimes. 3) I appreciated the ways in which she sought to create rounded characters with such a diverse and varied cast, but also felt that some stereotyping was predictive and flat. Finally, 4) I was genuinely surprised by the apex moment of the play. I can see how it would leave any visitor feeling exhilarated by the experience.

Now, onto this production.

I loved the set! I'm sorry that's a rather banal place to start, but honestly. It was beautiful on every level.

I wasn't as impressed by the sound design. Every scene is introduced by a snippet of a radio program. A little monologue announcing the date and then the highlight of national and local news for that moment in history. Each was presented flat. There was no actual radio depth--the slightly echo-ey reverberation that is easily recognizable as transmitted on a AM/FM radio. I felt like this was an epic fail on the part of the sound designer.

The ensemble cast was full of wonderful performances, and a few that were one-dimensional. I loved the work of Lolita Marie as Cynthia. She was powerful yet restrained in her portrayal of Black woman who finally get's her break in life only to discover that she is being used by a heartless corporation to betray her friends. You could just feel the tension between the themes and want to collapse with her at the final realization. Jamil Joseph as her son Chris was also a stand-out performance. His ability to convey a young man with the opportunity to escape the treadmill of manual labor while choosing his loyalty to his best friend and family first resulting in paying an unfair price within the criminal justice system--just ripped at my heart.

On the down side is Susan Marie Rhea. She is a founding member of this company and technically a flawless actor with an out-sized presence on any stage. And therein lies the rub. I've had the privilege of seeing her perform in three other Keegan plays, and always she is the angry, wounded, over the top character. There doesn't seem to be any nuance to her performances. And they are exhausting in their tornadic presentation. Granted, her character, Tracey, had every reason to be angry and aggressive, but when you play your stereo at 12 all the time...you miss the lyrics out of conscious self-preservation.

The other flat performance was from Jon Townson as Stan. Arguably the lynch pin to the entire play, he constantly rattled off his lines as if he were the only person on the stage. And when it mattered most, his presence on stage felt comedic rather than profound. It wasn't so horrible that I could reign in my darker angels and experience the moment for the playwright's intent, but the mere fact that I had to do this work was enough to lessen the moment.

Given the pluses and deltas on this one, I did not stand up with others at the end as we presented our real time ovation for the performance.