Production times can cause a lot of people to “Sweat” from nervousness, especially on opening night. The opening production for “Sweat,” directed by Pirooz Aghssa, took place in Quirk-Sponberg Theatre Friday, Feb. 8.
The production was originally produced on Broadway by Stuart Thompson and Louise L. Gund. “Sweat” is not suitable for children as it contains adult themes: strong language, drinking and major violence.
The play started with the actors utilizing the aisles and a voice narration of a radio personnel. The radio personnel give the audience an idea of what the time period is and what news is happening during that time.
The first scene starts with a questioning of the characters Chris and Jason after getting out of jail. They explain how they got into the situation that led up to that very moment.
After the first scene, the audience is taken back to a time before Chris and Jason were in trouble, where a group of people inside a bar are dancing, drinking and having a good time with one another.
The play starts off very intense, giving the impression of the theme being profound, but there are some comedic elementals throughout that give the audience a good number of laughs without overpowering or distracting its message.
The story follows back and forth to present time after all the complications occurred and to the time before to help tie the story together.
The utilization of the aisles to spread out the use of the stage were not the only things profound about the production, but the use of real items and circumstances, like stage fighting, to get the point and message across were too. The bar contained an actual beer on tap, poured drinks, smoking and other things that helped with the intensity.
Once the play came to an end, the audience members were allowed to ask cast and crew any questions.
After the Echo asked the cast about their biggest challenges faced when dealing with their characters, a few had something to say. According to one of the cast members, they felt learning the lines and being mean towards their fellow actors were a bit of a challenge for them. Another challenge was the final scene that left a few people in the audience with tears.
The play went well, judging from the reactions from the public and the response of the cast and crew during the Q&A portion. Everyone seemed to relate to the complications of the characters from either self-experience or knowing someone else who has gone through the same thing.
To view any other productions, Quirk-Sponberg Theatre will be showing Feb. 14-17. Can purchase your ticket before production time or visit https://www.emich.edu/emutix/ LBC credit is available after the end.
