REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat focuses on the lives of a group of working-class Americans in a blue-collar town in Pennsylvania who are dealing with economic uncertainty, racial tensions, and fractured relationships. With an excellent cast and skilled direction, Stray Cat Theatre is presenting a compelling production of this emotionally charged and resonating drama.
...the cast under Chanel Bragg's effective direction are superb. Cindy Covington and Ryan L. Jenkins, who play Tracey and Cynthia, deliver powerhouse performances that capture the complexities of their friendship and the struggles they face. Covington exudes raw anger and unfiltered emotions but also vulnerability as Tracey clings to her livelihood as the world around her is on the brink of collapse. Her fiery confrontations and moments of despair are deeply affecting, and Covington does a fantastic job in adding depth to the character; her Pennsylvanian accent is also quite good. Jenkins is just as good giving a nuanced performance as Cynthia, who has to navigate the difficult transition from co-worker to boss while also dealing with family issues. Jenkins captures Cynthia's internal conflict as she tries to reconcile her loyalty to her friends with her need to support her family, resulting in a portrayal that is moving and empathetic.
Equally impressive are the performances of Ty Klassen as Jason and Tanner J. Conley as Chris, the sons of Tracey and Cynthia. Klassen presents Jason as a hot shot full of volatile energy, hardened by disappointment and fueled by misplaced anger. His physicality and emotional intensity make his downward spiral devastating to watch and also impressively delivered since Klassen has to switch several times to portray the character over the eight-year period. Conley, on the other hand, brings warmth and determination to Chris, who dreams of escaping the factory life through education, only to face crushing setbacks. Together, their performances highlight the generational impact of economic instability and lost opportunities, and the final scene they share with other cast members is heartbreaking.
In supporting roles, Walt Pedano is warm and sincere as Stan, the bartender and former factory worker who serves as a voice of reason and a confidant for the play's main characters. Roosevelt Watts Jr. is a bundle of raw emotions as Brucie, Cynthia's estranged husband who descends into addiction due to his unemployment. Ricky Araiza does an excellent job as Oscar, the hardworking Colombian-American busboy at the bar, representing the outsider who is often overlooked and taken for granted by the regulars. Raphael Hamilton is excellent as Evan, the parole officer whose no-nonsense demeanor contrasts with the emotional chaos of the events in Chris and Jason's lives, and Kim Richards does a lovely job in the small role of Jessie, a co-worker of Tracey and Cynthia who drinks heavily to try to escape her lost dreams.
Tianna Torrilhon-Wood's set does an excellent job in depicting the bar that the majority of the scenes are set in and, with the smart lighting design by Stacey Walston, works incredibly well with just a few small set elements to portray the other locations in the plot. The costumes by Jessie Tully authentically depict the factory clothes and character-appropriate outfits.
Sweat is a stirring and thought-provoking exploration of the struggles faced by America's working class. While it is set 20 years ago, the situations explored are still relevant today and the play has a raw honesty. While I wish the play were tighter and the characters more fully explored, with a stellar cast and an unflinching portrayal of economic and social issues, Stray Cat's production still resonates.