Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Economic hardships drive hard-hitting dramas, then and now

• By drediman
• February 12, 2016
• No Comments

This week in our nation’s capital, I had the opportunity of catching two serious dramas – one a new work, the other an established classic. They were Lynn Nottage’s latest, the lumbering but blistering Sweat, at Arena Stage, and a somewhat misguided revival of the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie at Ford’s Theatre. What particularly struck me about these two American plays (especially when seen back-to-back as I did), despite being written in different eras and states, is how financial and economic instability can be potent ingredients for juicy, hard-hitting drama. Especially in this day and age, the issue of financial health hits close to home for a good majority of people in this country. This widespread concern can also be felt in contemporary playwriting. Indeed, recent plays like Stephen Karam’s extraordinary The Humans, Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew (the final play in her Detroit trilogy), and Elizabeth Irwin’s heartbreaking My Mañana Comes all deal with the heartbreaking realities of our post-financial crisis world.

Lynn Nottage’s hugely ambitious Sweat (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) at the gleaming Arena Stage, a co-production with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, chronicles the months leading up to mass layoffs at a steel mill in a small Pennsylvania town. Suffice to say, motivations get misconstrued and temperatures rise as the layoffs start becoming more of reality; everything becomes personal all of a sudden. Much like the late, great August Wilson, Ms. Nottage sometimes gets lost in the imagery and tough poetry of her characters’ language, which can at times result in some bulky scenes. But that’s neither here nor there. Once the wheels start turning, the visceral power and sheer force of the plot as it unfolds are pure dynamite (she did pen the powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning Ruined, after all). The production currently on view at Arena Stage is superb. Kate Whoriskey, a director with a keen sense for visual flair, has staged a muscular yet fluid production and has assembled a top-notch cast, three of which are new to the Washington run (Ms. Whoriskey’s production ran previously in Oregon). Interestingly, it’s these three that make the most impact. Johanna Day, Tara Mallen, and Reza Salazar all imbue their characters with a rich and complex inner life that feels utterly real – and frightening to behold.

Over at the historic Ford’s Theatre in downtown Washington, I attended a performance of that gorgeous Tennessee Williams’ memory play, The Glass Menagerie (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED). In the aftermath of the financial crisis, it’s hard not to focus on the Wingfield’s dire financial straights as the family, both individually and collectively, strives for success and happiness. This sense of empathy makes the play, especially in our current times, more potent and haunting. It’s always fascinating to revisit The Glass Menagerie to see how each director interprets the “gauze of memory” in theatrical terms. In this handsome Ford’s Theatre production, director Mark Ramont has envisioned the play as some sort of run-down movie in Tom’s mind (the production is literally set in a crumbling movie house). The concept is interesting, but it ultimately detracts from the delicacy so needed in making the play work. The same can be said of the acting. Although I was very much taken by how Mr. Ramont and his actors have navigated the quietly devastating second act gentleman caller scene (thanks largely to the lovely Jenna Sokolowski and charismatic Thomas Keegan as Laura and Jim, respectively), much of the first act fell flat thanks to some merely serviceably acting from the production’s Tom and Amanda (Tom Story and Madeleine Potter).

SWEAT
Regional (Washington, DC), Play
Arena Stage
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through February 21

THE GLASS MENAGERIE
Regional (Washington, DC), Play
Ford’s Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through February 21