Sweat at The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh*****

Hailed by director Joanna Bowman as ‘one of the great playwrights of the 21st century’, Lynn Nottage’s play would stand out as a searing social study of the marginalised in America whenever it was written. But for it to have premiered off-Broadway just before Donald Trump was sworn in as the US’s 45th president in 2016 makes me wonder if Nottage doesn’t have supernatural powers.

In today’s America it rings even more true as she holds up a mirror to how society is threatened. Having spoken to steel mill workers in homeless shelters, police stations and abandoned factory plants, in a small, impoverished town in Pennsylvania, she brings to the stage the shuddering reality of lives lived on the edge as workers are crushed by greedy bosses, money runs out and relationships suffer.

Reality is the key word here. Under Bowman’s direction every single member of the cast presents well-rounded, compelling characters who totally draw us into their world as they fight for survival. You forget they are actors, so much so that in one violent scene I flinched, expecting someone to really get hurt!

It’s heart-breaking, and calls to account politicians and the rich and powerful who say they are working to give us better lives when all they are doing is sending us to hell in a hand cart! It brought me in mind of John McGrath’s 1970’s theatre company 7:84 – meaning seven per cent of the UK’s population own 84 per cent of its wealth. 

It’s not all doom and gloom, or rather it is, but these characters are made of strong stuff – some more than others – and as most of the action takes place in a bar there’s fun to be had when three women friends imbibe more than they should. At their centre is Debbie Korley, a pocket powerhouse playing Cynthia, who goes from being one of the girls on the factory floor to becoming a supervisor in an air-conditioned office – and that doesn’t go down well! It’s also plain to see why young Scottish actor Lewis MacDougall is already winning awards. His portrayal of the aggressive Jason exudes everything we fear from youths today who have gone down the wrong path.

Mention must be made of Derek Anderson’s striking lighting and Patricia Panther’s atmospheric sound which together help bring Francis O’Connor’s sleek set to life.

To nit-pick, I found displaying different dates, going backwards and forwards in time, confusing, and towards the end of the play on opening night both Lucianne McEvoy as Tracey and Manuel Pacific as Oscar tended to drop their voices. But it did nothing to detract from this magnificent production.

Image: Mihaela Bodlovic

Sweat is at The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh until June 13

lyceum.org.uk