When beliefs come with a price tag
Sublimation, in psychology, refers to a defence mechanism in which impulses or idealisations are transformed into something more socially acceptable. Written and performed by Frank Murdocco, the play follows Ethan, a recently divorced gay T-shirt maker, who one day receives a phone call from a mysterious client. The order offers him financial stability, but also challenges the political beliefs he holds.
Waiting for a call that would hopefully continue his application to extend his unemployment benefits, Ethan receives a phone call instead, ordering 600 T-shirts. The person on the other side of the phone offers him an extra $200 for delivery, and the T-shirts will simply say “Thank You, President Trump”. A liberal, left-leaning gay man, Ethan is desperate for money and has been unhappy for a long time, so he does not take long to accept the order. Gradually, more orders arrive, including T-shirts and mugs, mainly from organisations that champion deportation and MAGA values. At first, everything seems fine. He even meets a hot handyman who believes in all kinds of conspiracy theories, and despite their political differences, Ethan still sleeps with him. Meanwhile, Anna, the wife of Ethan’s late cousin and an immigrant from Poland, lives with her son in a neighbourhood largely made up of immigrants. When the community is hit by ICE raids, Anna goes to the state legislature to protest. There, she discovers that Ethan has been making merchandise for the anti-immigration groups behind the politics she is protesting against. Ethan now faces a choice between losing Anna, losing the money and any possibility of future orders, or losing everything he has and falling further into debt.
Murdocco’s writing is detailed, and some of his strongest moments come from the small ways Ethan’s political and economic position begins to change. In a scene about speeding, Ethan gradually and unconsciously starts to rely on the privilege that allows him to escape the consequences of his actions. Murdocco is equally compelling as a performer. He plays the different characters with enough distinction to make the exchanges work, including a remarkably convincing imitation of a particular kind of immigrant mother’s accent when playing Anna. His performance also has a slightly camp quality in its approach to gay body language and speech, without turning Ethan into a stereotype.
Sublimation is interested in the intertwined relationship between politics and economic status. It shows the cost of standing by what you believe in when money is not an abstract concern but something that determines whether you can pay your bills, keep your home or afford life-saving medication. The latter is not simply an outside example, but part of the economic reality presented by the play. Yet Ethan’s own relationship with money weakens some of this struggle. He assumes that the orders will continue indefinitely and spends the money, beyond his essentials, on a cruise rather than saving it or paying his mortgage. His later financial crisis therefore feels partly self-inflicted, even if that is also part of what the play wants to explore.
The title Sublimation points towards Ethan’s transformation. The play shows how he gradually becomes willing to comply with organisations championing right-wing politics, while his own economic circumstances give that transformation its immediate pressure. What feels less developed is who Ethan was before this process began and how exactly his beliefs change along the way. The play is strongest when it shows that political choices can become economic choices, and that economic choices can eventually reshape a person’s sense of what they are willing to accept.
Show listing:
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue: Studio at Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge
Dates: until 30th August
Time: 17:00
Ticket prices: £15.50 / concessions £13.50
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Age suitability: 14+ (Guideline)