Written by orange• May 20, 2025• 6:56 pm• Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Playhouse, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

Sweat @ Costa Mesa Playhouse – Review

Photo credit: Michael Serna

Written by Daniella Litvak

Costa Mesa Playhouse has a knack for choosing haunting plays. I am referring to the kind of plays that linger with you after the curtain call—the kind of plays where the image of the last tableau will not leave your mind. Sweat is no exception.

A long time ago, in the year 2000, there was a sports tavern in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was the favorite hangout for the floorwalkers at Olstead’s Steel Tubing: Cynthia (Amberlin Morse), Tracey (Stacy Castiglione), and Jessie (Darri Kristin). Cynthia and Tracey’s sons, Chris (Bryce Johnson) and Jason (Dylan Smith), are best friends who have followed in their mothers’ footsteps — working the floor at Olstead’s and hanging out at the tavern. Their lives are disrupted when Olstead starts cost-cutting and outsourcing the work, ultimately leading to a lockout. Tensions rise. Friends become enemies. And when a line is crossed, there is no going back for anyone.

Story:

Sweat deals with a lot of heady, interesting topics. It’s very dialogue-driven. It’s also on the long side for a non-musical stage show, two hours plus intermission. The flow would have been better if some of the scenes had been compressed.

Acting/Set Design:

As Stan, the tavern’s bartender, Neil Switzer is the emotional center of the play. Smith and Johnson have an easy, lived-in chemistry between them, so it is absolutely believable that their characters are best friends who go way back. The relationship between Jose Orozco, playing Oscar, who works as a busboy at the tavern, and Castiglione’s characters was more on the antagonistic side of things, but was also compelling.

The tavern is the main setting. Michael Serna’s set design captures the atmosphere and character of a sports bar in a rust belt town well. The banner featuring the logos of various professional sports teams based in Pennsylvania was a nice touch. The video clips and music featured throughout were well chosen. The sound was clean and clear.

Costumes/Overall :

The costumes in Sweat are not flashy or glamorous—appropriately so. Similar to the set design, Andrea Birkholm’s costume design does a good job of showcasing the characters and their circumstances. For instance, when a character changes jobs, her costume reflects it. In one scene, both Chris and Jason are wearing red plaid, which highlights their close relationship and how, at that moment, they were on the same wavelength.