Men Should Weep: The Struggle of Life

Family life inevitably includes periods of struggle and conflict, and in times of economic hardship, such tensions can frequently rise to the boiling point. Set in Glasgow, Scotland during the Depression Era of the 1930s, Men Should Weep portrays the struggle of the poverty-stricken Morrison family, and focuses particularly on the hardships endured by women.

Maggie, the mother and housewife, embodies the struggle and constant pressure women face in keeping the family upbeat while spirits are low from the lack of money. While her husband John is unemployed throughout most of the play, Maggie demonstrates that the job of a mother is one that never disappears. There is always work for them, and more times than not, it is taken for granted. Shopping for groceries, making the meals, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and above all, serving as a warming presence to her fellow family members, are just some of the tasks women constantly must attend to, and the only reciprocation they can expect and hope for is affection and appreciation from the people they serve and love.

The set design, a two-floor apartment building with the Morrison living room front and center, compliments the mood of the play beautifully. Neighbors frequently come in and out to visit, lending a sense of community that the characters embroiled in strife hunger for. The text is spoken in a sharp and biting Scottish dialect, and while at times it was quite difficult to understand, it adds character to the words and pairs well with their tone and inflection. The costumes are also well-suited to the time, and help fully immerse the audience in the mood of the era. Finally, the subtle but noticeable use of jazz music to accompany the scene changes adds a wonderful touch, and fully brings the 1930s spirit to life.

While one should certainly not attend this play in hopes for an uplifting night at the theatre, it resonates soundly with the current economic downturn we find ourselves in, and achieves its purpose of highlighting in particular the individual struggles of women in these difficult conditions.