VIEWPOINTS – Urgent political theater is the name of the game this fall at The Public Theater: SWEAT, WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE & PARTY PEOPLE

We live in uncertain times, with the fate of our nation far from clear. This fall’s programming at the red-hot Public Theater reflects this sense of political and social unrest. Currently, there are a trio of mostly successful, politically-charged plays gracing its stages – Sweat by Lynn Nottage, Women of a Certain Age by Richard Nelson, and Party People by the theater collective Universes. Collectively, they give theater-goers a big picture sense of the social, racial, and economic discord that’s now tainting our great nation. As these plays urgently shout out, these troubles are as much political as they are personal.

The cast of "Sweat" at The Public Theater

The cast of “Sweat” at The Public Theater

Lynn Nottage’s Sweat (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) has had previous productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Arena Stage in Washington, DC. The play makes its long-awaited New York premiere at the Public. Director Kate Whoriskey, who has been attached to the play from the beginning, continues her duties here. I caught the Arena Stage production, and while the experience is by and large the same, New York audiences are getting a less broadly acted and therefore more authentic drama (some of the key roles have been re-cast). This meaty new drama about the closing of a steel-tubing plant in a small Pennsylvania town and its devastating effect on the community takes a few scenes to warm up, but once it hits its stride in the middle of the first act, Sweat – especially with this current cast at the Public – emerges as one of the hardest hitting dramas of the season. Politics, particularly trade and investment policies, are never addressed articulately. But the rage is certainly there, and its searing to behold.

The cast of "Women of a Certain Age" at The Public Theater

The cast of “Women of a Certain Age” at The Public Theater

With Women of a Certain Age (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), Richard Nelson concludes his second election year cycle entitled “The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family”. This third and final play continues in the style of his previous election year plays – intimate and seductively real time (the play is set on the evening of opening night), featuring acting of the highest quality. Ensemble acting, besides the peerless cast of The Humans on Broadway, doesn’t get much better than this. Patience is required for these chamber pieces. Indeed, as an audience member, you almost have to lean in to fully appreciate the delicate and subtle travails of the Gabriels clan, an educated, albeit lower-middle class, family that resides in Rhinebeck, NY (as did the Apple family before them). The beauty of these plays by Mr. Nelson (who also acts as director) is the opportunity to truly get to know and live amongst these people without rushing from plot point to plot point. And although politics is the looming elephant in the room, palpably charging the atmosphere, it’s never overtly discussed – as with Sweat.

The cast of "Party People" at The Public Theater

The cast of “Party People” at The Public Theater

Unfortunately, the heavy-handed Party People (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), which has been concocted by Universes (comprised of Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, and William Ruiz) fails to ignite the imagination like the previously discussed productions. It’s odd that the most overtly political play on the boards of the Public – Party People explores the ongoing impact of the original Black Panthers – would be the least successful dramatically. It’s perhaps telling that political theater can only be truly effective when approached via human stories, and not the other way around. The lively, energetic production was developed and directed by Liesl Tommy (who directed last season’s excellent Eclipsed, which ended up transferring to Broadway). Unfortunately, despite some accomplished performances, this music- and choreography-heavy production suffers from an overeager-ness to place meaning and importance onto itself – a common mistake that young theater-makers tend to make.

 

SWEAT
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 18 

WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through December 4 

PARTY PEOPLE
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 11

 

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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