It’s proven itself to be a sell-out, Olivier Award-nominated smash-hit at the Donmar Warehouse. And now Sweat will see the Donmar cast return to the production for its West End transfer, it has been announced.
Clare Perkins, who is currently starring in Emilia in the West End, will leave that production early to rejoin fellow returning Sweat cast members Leanne Best, Osy Ikhile, Wil Johnson, Stuart McQuarrie, Martha Plimpton, Sule Rimi and Sebastian Viveros.
Leanne Best (Jessie), Martha Plimpton (Tracey) and Clare Perkins (Cynthia) in Sweat at the Donmar Warehouse (Photo: Johan Persson)
Sweat, nominated for the Best New Play award at the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard, will play a limited 6-week run at the West End’s Gielgud Theatre from Friday 7 June – in total, 50 performances only.
The play is directed by Lynette Linton, and is based on playwright Lynn Nottage’s observations during her time living in Reading, Pennsylvania – officially one of the poorest cities in the USA. Over her two years of residency, Lynn observed a city divided by racial tension and the collapse of industry.
As a result, she went on to write the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, exploring the relationships, resentments and fears of a community left divided by de-industrialisation. The show has enjoyed massive acclaim at the Donmar Warehouse, and now embarks on a new chapter in the West End.