The Abbey Theatre in Dublin is currently showcasing “The Sugar Wife”, an enlightening play previously reviewed by Fintan O’Toole in 2005, who attributed distinctive resemblances to the literary style of George Bernard Shaw. It’s undeniable, the play is fraught with ethical issues and political conundrums. Echoes of George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell can also be discerned, teasing out the hypocrisies of Victorian societal norms. The recent reprise, directed with finesse by Annabelle Comyn, brings into focus the compromises that consumers continue to make within a capitalist system heavily skewed towards imbalance.
A quintessential Dublin-based business becomes a metaphorical backdrop, as the protagonist Samuel Tewkley, a Quaker operating a tea and coffee importing enterprise, makes a strategic shift towards oriental cafes founded on co-operative values. While he grapples with logistics for storing incoming sugar, his spouse Hannah lends her time to aid the impoverished syphilitic population.
While grappling with marital issues, their maintained equilibrium is disrupted by unexpected guests – Sarah Worth, a recently liberated American slave, and her partner Alfred Darby, who are in town to deliver talks. Hannah is open to hosting these guests, while Samuel voices skepticism – “having an Africa at the meal table!”. Eventually, he relents and the ensuing interaction challenges Hannah’s entrenched beliefs.
Siobhán Cullen, portraying Hannah with a vulnerable dignity, navigates the complex emotions aroused by an often challenging religious faith. As the plot escalitates, it’s revealed that Samuel, essayed with intriguing complexity by Peter Gaynor, views moral dilemmas through the lens of practicality, hinting that “the good might overshadow the harm.”
Popularly recognized for his role in The Young Offenders TV show, Chris Walley personifies Alfred Darby, a photographer and activist, with a good deal of arrogance, yet with an apt perception. His portrayal as a self-important person is not far from accurate. Sarah Worth, portrayed unflinchingly by Tierra Porter, is an unemotional driving force in the midst of all the ethical complexities. On the other hand, Hannah undergoes transformations as a result of unfolding revelations and deceit, appearing profoundly different in later instances of passionate transcendence.
The setup by Paul O’Mahony exuberates Quaker simplicity, and no doubt it’s deliberate. The neat wooden shelves in the backdrop ascend as the second act climaxes. The lighting by Paul Keogan, adhering to this aesthetic, casts elegant shadows off the minimalist furniture. The production, though, could have incorporated a bit more humour. The ultimate resolution does not entirely make up for the sombre first hour.
Yet, it still stands as a proficient adaptation of a significant play that continues to remind us of those who suffer to supply our daily commodities, like sugar or even copper for our mobile phones. Local trivia enthusiasts will definitely relish in noting that the story initiates and terminates in the premises of the present-day Irish Film Institute.
The Sugar Wife continues its run at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin until Saturday, July 20th.