The name Clifford Odets probably means little to the modern theatergoer, but there was a time he was considered a titan of American theater.
Odets fit somewhere in between Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller. His “working class dramas” of the 1930s (like Waiting for Lefty) were extremely popular with audiences and influential with up and coming playwrights.
Awake and Sing! by Odets debuted on Broadway in 1935 and is considered a classic of American drama. The time-jumping plot, stylized dialogue, “leftist” themes and focus on the plight of a Jewish-American family made it somewhat of an odd duck amongst the usual Broadway fare of the day. Santa Rosa’s Roustabout Theater’s Professional Ensemble has a production running at the Luther Burbank Center through March 30.
It’s the tale of the trials and tribulations of a lower-middle class American family during the Depression. The Berger family consists of Bessie (Tamar Cohn), the intimidating matriarch of the family; her self-confessed failure of a husband, Myron (Jeff Coté); their unmarried daughter, Hennie (Ella Park); and their chomping-to-get-out-of-the-house son, Ralph (Logan Witthaus). Bessie’s father, Jacob (Jeff Savage), an avowed socialist, also lives with them.
Not losing the roof over their heads is the main force driving Bessie to interfere with Ralph’s relationship with a girl with no means and pressure Hennie into a loveless marriage with an immigrant (Jared N. Wright) with “good business sense.” She also takes in a boarder, Moe Axelrod (Bohn Connor), who’s a World War I vet that pines over Hennie.
The pressure builds in the cramped apartment as Ralph and Hennie seek to escape their circumstances. Grandpa Jacob may advertently (or inadvertently) provide the means to do so.
What was once considered revolutionary theater may seem a bit stale and hackneyed today, but it’s important for the building blocks of American theater to continue to be performed. One can sense the influence of Odets’ play on such classics as Long Day’s Journey into Night and Death of a Salesman.
Strong performances are the hallmark of Roustabout productions. Overall, the cast of North Bay regulars delivers, though there were some projection and dialect issues. Particularly powerful was the work done by Tamar Cohn and Logan Witthaus. Both embodied the battle between realism and idealism well.
Awake and Sing!, though showing every one of its 90 years of age, reminds us that our current societal/political battles are not new. Just unresolved.
‘Awake and Sing!’ runs through March 30 in the Carsten Cabaret at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. Fri–Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $28–$34 plus fees. 707.546.3600. roustabout-theater.org.
