REVIEW: The Cradle Will Rock (IN Series)

Took me long enough! I’ve finally managed to catch an IN Series production in DC — the opera connoisseurs typically split weekends between DC and Baltimore for each show. The show in question is a controversial musical that I’ve wanted to check out for some time: 1937’s loudmouth Brechtian operetta The Cradle Will Rock, by Marc Blitzstein. The tight-90 being put on at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center (home of Theater J) is a packed affair, but its themes and ensemble make for a great outing of a rarely-produced work.

Book/Music

A bit of history: the piece was commissioned by the New Deal-era Federal Theatre Project as a means of economic relief for the flailing arts industry. After all, who could afford to go to Broadway those days? But in classic federally-funded arts fashion, the end product was something the government wasn’t particularly fond of — organized labor and resistance— they shut the play down merely days before its Broadway premiere. The show must go on, as always, and Blitzstein instead performed the entire thing himself onstage with just a piano. (The cast also wouldn’t go down without a fight, either, performing their roles from the audience in an all-time great loophole.) And that’s no easy feat, as Blitzstein’s book is dense; nearly a dozen performers rotate out of different characters and find themselves in unique situations as each of the ten scenes unfold. As an opera, it’s sung-through, which can be a turn off for some. Luckily, its modern English storytelling seldom leaves one adrift. The story follows the community of Steeltown, USA, who is under the iron thumb of one Mr. Mister, an industrial autocrat who has recruited the bulk of the town into a scab colony known as the Liberty Committee. The medium for plot movement is the courtroom, in which several committee members are on trial for pedantic things, like keeping a messy room or “soliciting”, under the sham charges of working in favor of unions. Each spends their scenes in good humor, with literate songwriting and clear belts (more below) — but the tie that binds doesn’t become apparent until the final third with the arrival of Larry Foreman, the union organizer who intends on rocking the cradle personally. For fans of Brechtian works, it’s the gold-standard. If you’re like me and are a bit neutral on the topic: it’s effective. I was a huge fan how little the book takes itself from a structural point of view, and then yet creates opportunities for political lore, allegorical conflict, and unique character development all in a one-act package. Its pro-labor leanings are still controversial topics today, and to see contemporary discussion represented so effectively in a 90 year-old play is a testament to the solidity of Blitzstein’s writing. 9/10

Acting

The ensemble is magnificent. When it comes to actors playing multiple roles, there’s a tightrope of believability that one can easily fall off of, but in this case the chemistry abides and allows the cast to support each other. As an added benefit, everyone has excellent voice work: especially of note are Teresa Ferrara’s Druggist and Marvin Wayne’s Larry Foreman, who explode into the auditorium in a bodacious final third. 9/10

Production

Off the bat I loved Yvette Pino and Kelly Rakell Foye’s happy costuming, which ranges from raggedy drapes to cartoonishly small hats and over-the-top animal pelts. Ethan Sinnott’s textured set reminded me a lot of the blocks in the 2017 revival of Falsettos in its simplicity, but was highly effective in managing director Shanara Gabrielle’s transitions and blocking. The real glue of the production is music director Emily Baltzer’s firey turn on the ivories throughout all ninety minutes of action, a daunting feat given her hands effectively never take a break. The EDCJCC’s stage is one of the smaller ones at this level of theatre in the region, and it always manages to impress me when they can pull off something as epic as this on it. 8/10

Viz

IN Series’ current season aesthetic draws from Greco-Roman pottery murals and clipped paper cutouts, creating a rugged feel to match their theme of banned pieces. Meanwhile, on-stage, industrial sheeting boxes over each other on a planked stage while an awkward piano is limelit from the side. It’s a bit claustrophobic, but sets the vibes right for an evening of struggled labor — and did I mention the plastered quotes about censorship and suitability that frame the stage? Excellent stuff. 8/10

Verdict

The Cradle Will Rock will remind you why it’s seldom produced and started off under fire; and at the same time, remind you why it caused such fervor in the first place, an excellent example of challenging theatre that persists to this day. 34/40