Awake And Sing
It’s been seventy-five years since Clifford Odets first introduced us to the Bergers of the Bronx—a Jewish American family snared in the vicious struggle of economic survival during the Great Depression and seeing them now it is as if we are meeting them for the first time.
From within the modest apartment on Longwood Avenue, painstakingly detailed by Michael C. Smith, all hell breaks loose as the hysteria of poverty pervades the family dynamic. Dinner conversations turn into daily reports of yet another recently evicted neighbor but this will not be their fate...not if the autocratic matriarch Bessie Berger (Deborah Strang) has anything to say about it.
And she has plenty to say as she worries over making ends meet while her ineffectual husband Myron (Joel Swetow) plays fifty-cent sweepstakes in the hopes of winning a small fortune. Bessie has her hands full but her heart is devoid of any compassion or feeling as she focuses all her energy onto running and maintaining a home for her two adult children, Hennie (Molly Leland) and Ralph (Adam Silver) and her socialist-leaning father, Jacob (Len Lesser). Her concerns with appearances and her family’s future are the driving forces behind her seemingly monstrous manipulations. The title of the play comes from Isaiah 26:19, but it could just as well be called Good Intentions, for that is the road Bessie paves for those she desperately tries to save.
Using the characters as mouthpieces in a clash of ideologies and personal agendas, Odets laces every bribe and impasse with social and political commentary. The generation gap between the children and their elders counterpoints the shifting perspectives while Jacob spouts off Marxist philosophy from his armchair as his successful capitalist son Morty (Alan Blumenfeld) rejects such foolish notions from behind his tailored three-piece suit. Between all these polarities is Moe Axelrod (Daniel Reichert), a boarder with a cynical view of the world having lost his leg in the war but collecting on the checks Uncle Sam sends him. In all of these, Ralph shows the most promise, but finds himself trapped by circumstance and a responsibility to keep the bills paid. Hennie is the only one able to take flight, but even this freedom comes at a high price.
For all the drama that simmers until it boils over in a crashing fury, Andrew J. Traisters smartly directs with impeccable timing and an almost feverish pace. The rising tension does not take away much of the embedded humor, allowing for some levity in otherwise tragic moments. In this production, the truth behind Odets’ keen urban characters hit resonating notes with additional Yiddish put back in, all but removed in its original production by the Group Theatre.
The cast is first-rate and each gives powerhouse performances particularly Strang’s sympathetic but unyielding Bessie and Len Lesser’s tenderly wrought portrayal of an affable immigrant grandfather at odds within his own family. Fans of Seinfeld will recognize Lesser as the beloved character, Uncle Leo, but on the boards he is in his zone as he radiates immeasurable restraint and authenticity that simply shines. Reichert sizzles, especially in his scenes with the adorable Leland and Swetow finds the sweetness in Myron’s spinelessness. Silver is cast perfect, eerily conjuring a modern-day Odets with his eager expressions and Blumenfeld can do no wrong when given a role of a rascal he always finds a way to make him absolutely likable. [See my review of Theatricum Botanicum’s “The Miser” on StageHappenings.com] David Lengel as Hennie’s arranged husband and Alan Waserman as the janitor, Schlosser give terrific cameos respectively.
I was fortunate to attend the post discussion after the show with the cast, which was absolutely marvelous and fascinating. All the actors are a testament to the professional, superb quality of this repertoire company. They not only did their homework, but offered personal insights to their characters, Odets’ intent, and unanswerable questions regarding the plot and conclusion of the play. The audience members who stayed were invited to share their own thoughts and comments of the play and the dialogue between these veterans was a real pleasure and delight. Much thanks to the cast for their illuminating thoughts on the play and their personal journeys in these roles.
About the only negative comment I have is how apt and contemporary this play still is judging by our own current times. It only took seventy-five years to come around full circle to see the Bergers in similar circumstances we find ourselves in today. Granted, things may not be as bleak as they were then, but when we look upon the Bergers, we are really looking at ourselves. A Noise Within gives this classic a pulse and a purpose to hope for better days ahead.
For those who plan to see this and other shows now playing, “The Playboy of the Western World” and “Much Ado About Nothing,” should know the upcoming groundbreaking for the company’s new venue in Pasadena is in a few weeks. This will be their permanent home at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. It will feature a 350-seat state-of-the-art thrust stage and offer ample room for its ongoing commitment to education and theatrical programs. They have already raised almost $10 million towards their $13.3 million goal. If you would like to learn more please visit their website for more information on their exciting new home.
“Awake and Sing”
Runs through May 23
A Noise Within
234 South Brand Blvd.
Glendale, 91204
PH: 818-240-0910 x 1
www.ANoiseWithin.org