The Cradle Will Rock

St. Mark's in the Bowery and Downtown Music Productions at Theatre 80 as part of Howl! Arts Project 2010

Reviewed by Erik Haagensen

September 03, 2010


Photo by Nathaniel Siegel
A Sept. 3 New York Times op-ed piece from Robert B. Reich, President Clinton's secretary of labor, contains some depressing statistics. Only 7 percent of America's private labor force today is unionized. Worse, in 2007 the richest 1 percent of American families took in 23.5 percent of America's total income (up from only 9 percent in the late 1970s). Reich goes on to argue that this drastic monetary imbalance is key to the economy's crash and must be restructured before recovery can happen. In such a context, Marc Blitzstein's fierce and funny musical satire "The Cradle Will Rock" resonates powerfully, despite (or perhaps because of) being 73 years old. The show retains every drop of its passion as it slices mercilessly at the dark heart of untrammeled American capitalism, even if director Larry Marshall's production, being presented at Theatre 80 as a fully staged reading, is on the uneven side.

Long before Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck began churning up the masses, Blitzstein was taking aim at public figures who use patriotism and religion to manipulate the average Joe into voting against his own economic interests. One of his main characters is the Moll, a sort of amateur prostitute (because she can't make enough at her job to eat), but "Cradle," at the famous suggestion of Bertolt Brecht, examines prostitution in all its forms. Character names such as Mr. Mister (a steel magnate who virtually owns the mythical Steeltown, USA, where the action is set), Mrs. Mister (his artist-sponsoring wife), Larry Foreman (the unionizing hero), and Ella Hammer (a worker who's union-supporting brother is pushed into a ladle at the steel plant) are indicative of the musical's Brechtian style and political views. The classic score of the largely sung-through show marries biting satirical comedy ("Hard Times," Mrs. Mister's musical manipulation of the Rev. Salvation) with deeply felt emotion (Ella's "Joe Worker," the Moll's "Nickel Under the Foot") and bursting triumph (the title song). And because Blitzstein wanted to make art for the people, he never forgets to entertain while preaching.

Marshall's production errs too much on the side of naturalism, only fitfully finding the kind of heightened style necessary for "Cradle" to really rock. The director is also saddled with some performers who are in over their heads. Nevertheless, the material largely shines through, and there are some successful performances. Brian Henry does disciplined, focused work as he switches between the wildly divergent characters of frivolous Junior Mister, goodhearted lug Gus Polock, and a Gent interested in the Moll. As Gus' wife, Sadie; Sister Mister; and a reporter, Ryan Cahill makes an assured New York stage debut. Darcy Dunn sings well as Mrs. Mister while ladling out the character's manipulative charm. Zak Risinger gives Yasha, the violinist, an intriguingly lavender touch, and Paul J. Malamphy is a properly dominating Mr. Mister. As Larry Foreman, Charles Baran is an unusual choice, but his strong meat-and-potatoes take on the part works, even if it misses the touch of romanticism Blitzstein bestows on his hero.

Laura Stilwell's choreography sometimes interferes rather than enhances, but she does a terrific job on "Honolulu," in which the feckless Junior Mister is persuaded to take a job as a journalist in Hawaii, intended to get the embarrassing young man out of the way. And it's immediately clear that the music is in loving hands from the fervor and precision with which music director Mimi Stern-Wolfe plays it.

"Cradle" has been recorded at least three times: the original 1937 Broadway production (the first original Broadway cast album ever made), a 1964 Off-Broadway production featuring Jerry Orbach as Larry Foreman, and the Acting Company's superb 1983 Off-Broadway production, with Patti LuPone as the Moll and Sister Mister. I have them all, but I confess I never got the show until I saw that 1983 production, which made me a fan for life. For that reason, "Cradle" neophytes might consider taking advantage of this all-too-rare chance to catch it in action, however imperfect the production. Considering America's current economic and political shape, Blitzstein's penetrating voice is needed more than ever.



Presented by the Actors Fund as part of Howl! Arts Project 2010 at Theatre 80, 80 St. Mark's Place, NYC. Sept. 2–29. Remaining performances: Fri., Sept. 3, 8 p.m.; Tue., Sept. 28, 8 p.m.; Wed., Sept. 29, 8 p.m.(800) 838-3006 or www.brownpapertickets.com.
 
 
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