The Artistic Home’s ‘The Sugar Wife’ Is A Sharp Witted Slow-Burn
A slow-burning, character-driven drama with sharp wit and an undercurrent of tension, The Sugar Wife draws you in with humor and measured storytelling before revealing something far darker beneath the surface.
One of the things that I love most about plays is that you never quite know what you are going to get. You may be familiar with the material, or it might be brand new to you, but every director is going to have their own way of interpreting it. Their own way of presenting it. So, despite what you may think you might see, you are almost always in for a surprise.
The Sugar Wife is set in 1850s Ireland, where Quaker wife Hannah tends to the poor while her husband, Samuel, runs a thriving business. Inviting philanthropist Alfred Darby and his companion, Sarah Worth, into their home so that Sarah might speak to the locals about her history and the abolitionist movement, what starts with polite interactions quickly becomes something unexpected.
Written by Elizabeth Kuti and directed by Kevin Hagan, this is one of those plays that is so slowly-burning that you can actually watch it spark from a flicker of a match, begin to sizzle, and rage into a roaring fire. But you never feel the time passing because each moment is relevant, each vignette an additive.
The Sugar Wife is very funny, and I found myself laughing quite a bit. The sarcasm is often biting, and the characters are intelligent, although some are more worldly than others.
And while there is quite a bit of humor in the script, there is always an underlying veil of tension. The first act is informational and descriptive. You meet the characters, learn the relationships among all parties, and understand how they see themselves. But the second act is meatier, darker, and you suddenly realize that you’ve been slowly peeling an onion with the characters all along.
The ensemble is powerful, with steady performances and focused chemistry. Each has a different accent that reflects where they live (the American South, Ireland, etc.), and they are delivered beautifully. With Annie Hogan as Hannah, Todd Wojcik as Samuel, Ashayla Calvin as Sarah Worth, John LaFlamboy as Alfred Darby, and Kristin Collins as Martha, every actor shines.
On a long stage divided into three distinct sets, the audience sits on either side. In the middle of the seating on one side, Sarah Worth frequently stands at a podium to give an impassioned speech about what her ancestors have experienced.
In addition to the set, there are some stunning visual choices. Before the show begins, as the audience is filing into their seats, you notice that a woman is shivering in a bed on stage. She is there the entire time until the lights go out. But as you look around, you also notice that the four other actors have seats in the audience – one in each section on the long stage. They sit there, in thought, before the show begins, and return to those chairs when they are not part of a scene. Always in character, always heavily focused inward.
The lighting ranges from soft coverage to fierce spotlights, and those choices are only enhanced by the sound design. During the course of the show, you hear the sounds of the waves, thunder clapping, whispers, tea pouring, wind whistling, and more. They round out the immersive qualities and whisk you into the moments the characters discuss.
The Sugar Wife is a quietly powerful, affecting show that lingers long after the final bow. A character-driven piece, you will find that you want to take in every morsel of what they had to offer, making sure that you didn’t miss anything while rehashing it afterward.
The Sugar Wife runs for approximately 2 hours 40 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. This show is recommended for ages 14+.
The Artistic Home: The Sugar Wife Chicago Review – The Sugar Wife is playing at Theatre Wit through 5/3/26. Tickets can be purchased on The Artistic Home website. Theatre Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont in Chicago.