Awake and Sing!
In A Noise Within’s rare staging of 1935’s Awake and Sing it appears that playwright Clifford Odets had nothing on Eugene O’Neill for a dysfunctional family. The difference, dear friends, lies in the intention of the author and the execution of that memory.
Odets was less interested in plumbing the depths of his family dynamic than in demonstrating his political views in the depths of the Great Depression. The fictional Berger family operates in limbo. Individually, each is anxiously awaiting better conditions, fretting that the day may not arrive in time. As an audience we hold our collective breaths, watching as each character fails him or herself in personal ways.
Like O’Neill, Odets had a sensitive ear for the dialect and cadences of his family’s speech; but, unlike him, Odets’ family implodes from outer conditions rather than inner turmoil. Odets’ fame occurred because of his surroundings as well. His play, with characters wearing their psychological depths on their sleeves, helped to put the fledgling Group Theatre and a new style of (method) acting on the map.
The cast of ANW stalwarts takes up the challenge of this 75 year-old play, smoothing the rough edges while delivering deeply emotional characterizations that the play demands. Their Bronx accents may wander a bit, but the authenticity bred of tight-knit ensemble does not waver. Under Andrew J. Traister’s baton, the cast members exude a sense of claustrophobia as they obit around Deborah Strang as the matriarch, Bessie, walking a tightrope of strain. Len Lesser as Jacob philosophizes endlessly; Joel Swetlow cowers from life; and David Lengel as Sam Feinschreiber (who marries into this tribe) opts for capitulation to Bessie’s will. It leaves the children --- daughter Hennie (Molly Leland), son Ralph (Adam Silver), as well as the boarder, Moe (sensational Daniel Reichert) --- to spark resistance. Alan Blumenfeld as rich Uncle Morty provides the capitalist view, and Alan Waserman contributes as the super, Schlosser.
After dishing up this seething cauldron of human lives, however, Odets’ philosophy dictates that a ray of hope should shine through the desperation and despair, leading to the cheesy ending that ANW actors negotiate brilliantly.
The stylistic realism that the company does so well augments the whole. The aged set pieces and crumbling infrastructure designed by Michael C. Smith are comforting; the costumes by Julie Keen, authentic; lighting by James P. Taylor has to blend with the plots for three other plays. Here, they are unchallenging but appropriate. As usual meticulous attention to the details of properties (Merrianne Nedreberg) as well as hair and make-up (Monica Lisa Sabedra) are unobtrusive but so appreciated.
Awake and Sing performs in repertory with Much Ado about Nothing and The Playboy of the Western World through May 23rd at 234 S. Brand Blvd. in Glendale, CA 91204. Tickets are $40 to $44, with student and senior prices available. Phone (818) 240-0910 x 1; or online, visit www.anoisewithin.org.Other reviews of the same show:
Dale Reynolds
Carol Kaufman Segal
MR Hunter