Awake And Sing

The setting of this Clifford Odets play is the Bronx apartment of the Berger family, in many ways typical of the Jewish families of the era. A lower-middle-class family struggling through the Depression, the Bergers—Myron (Joel Swetow), Bessie (Deborah Strang), and their children, Ralph (Adam Silver) and Hennie (Molly Leland)—live in tight quarters with grandfather Jacob (Len Lesser) and the requisite border Moe Axelrod (Daniel Reichert). This is the kind of family that, with the benefit of historical hindsight, we know are only temporarily stalled on their ascent into the middle class and will likely emerge in later decades into relative comfort.

But, for now, the Bergers are mired in the daily struggle to put food on the table. Myron counts pennies and hopes to win at the races, while Ralph is stuck in a low-end job, and mother Bessie is pressing her daughter to marry a man who can provide for her. All the while, grandfather Jacob, a die-hard lefty of the old school, rails against the inequities of capitalism and the corruption of his other child, Morty (Alan Blumenfeld), who has made a success for himself in the schmata trade.

The tone of the play mixes moments of melodrama with stretches of stark realism. The cynical resignation of the parents is in marked contrast to the determined ideology of the grandfather and the burgeoning optimism of the children. Because Odets was of the younger generation, the rooting interest is for the children to break free from their parents, who are caught between the old and the new. It is Odets' hope that the children will "awake and sing."

Director Andrew J. Traister skillfully directs a talented cast. Strang is magnificent as the unrelenting matriarch, and Swetow is equally terrific as the weak, defeated husband. Reichert shines as the scheming, cocky boarder, and Silver and Leland are solid and sympathetic as the children. Lesser nearly steals the show several times as the wise and beleaguered grandfather, and Blumenfeld tackles the schmata merchant with great aplomb. David Lengel is also excellent as the daughter's hapless husband, as is Alan Waserman in the role of the building superintendent. Set by Michael C. Smith and costumes by Julie Keen complete the poignantly realistic tone of the piece.


Presented by and at A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. March 20–May 23. Variable schedule. (818) 240-0910, ext. 1. www.anoisewithin.org.