Newcity Stage

Theater, Dance, Comedy and Performance in Chicago

“The Sugar Wife” Questions the Morality of Capitalism The Artistic Home stages the U.S. premiere of Elizabeth Kuti’s play set in 1850 Dublin.

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by Amanda Finn
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Two actors in period costumes stand facing each other on a dimly lit stage. The man gestures with open hands, while the woman, wearing a floral robe over a dress, listens intently. A dark wooden cabinet is in the background.

The Artistic Home’s “The Sugar Wife,” with John LaFlamboy and Annie Hogan/Photo: Joe Mazza, Brave Lux Photography

“There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.” That phrase, one that lives forever burned into my brain, rang out over and over again throughout Elizabeth Kuti’s “The Sugar Wife.” In a time when it feels we are constantly pushing back against the evils of billionaire overlords, corrupt business practices and private equity, it’s an important phrase. Because, whether we like it or not, we are all complicit in some way with the moral grey areas within capitalism. Exploitative global commodity chains have long been there, even if we don’t always see them.

That feels like the most pertinent point of this work in this moment in time.

Set in Dublin in 1850, it centers on Quaker couple Hannah and Samuel Tewkley (Annie Hogan and Todd Wojcik, respectively) as they prepare to welcome guests into their home. More specifically, they’re preparing to welcome freed American slave and public speaker/writer Sarah Worth (Ashayla Calvin) and her chaperone Alfred Darby (John LaFlamboy). Samuel owns a tea and sugar business, hence the play’s title, and the Tewkleys must come to terms with their business’ role in the world’s disenfranchisement of human beings.

That notion is terrifying to Hannah, aptly portrayed by Hogan, as she does what she can to be the good in the world. She frequently visits Martha Ryan (Kristin Collins) in the sanitarium as she struggles to be well after contracting syphilis. Hogan’s Hannah tiptoes through the stage at first, though she grows bolder in herself and her notions as the show goes on. It gives the audience a clear understanding of her journey as a character, ever evolving in her exploration of morality in a complex world.

Two women in historical costumes perform on stage. One stands by a bed, looking at the other, who sits on the bed with a suitcase. The scene is dramatic, with dark lighting and period furniture.

The Artistic Home’s “The Sugar Wife,” with Ashayla Calvin and Annie Hogan/Photo: Joe Mazza, Brave Lux Photography

At the same time there is the juxtaposition of Calvin as Sarah. In the Tewkley’s home, Sarah is buttoned-up, cautious, absorbing everything around her. So when she takes the podium for her speeches, it is electrifying. She is in her element. Breathing life into her family’s story, she does not hold back as her voice takes center stage in the room. Calvin’s embrace of this element of Sarah’s character gives this play more energy. At two and a half hours, that is something it needs at times.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no one scene in Kuti’s thought-provoking work that should be cut in its entirety—not having read the script, I’m not even sure it’s a text issue. It could very well be a pacing issue from director Kevin Hagan. Regardless, there are moments that linger a little too long, that lose their steam, when the actors must pick the energy back up from there. That ebb and flow of energy is taxing, especially for the cast in close quarters with the audience.

Yet, Kuti’s play has so much to remind us. As we flit from a news cycle of injustice to injustice, she reminds us of something important. No matter how well intentioned we are, how positive our actions, or bold our social justice, there is always something more to be done. Even if it’s scary, we must do it.

The Artistic Home presents “The Sugar Wife,” on stage at The Den Theatre, 1331 North Milwaukee, through May 3. Tickets available here.