At the Odyssey Theater in West Los Angeles through the end of this month is a terrific staging of the Clifford Odets’ classic, Awake & Sing. A three act play about three generations of a Jewish family in New York during the Depression, the story is about repression and overcoming it, about poverty and the attempt to rise above it, about the rich getting richer and the divide between rich and poor getting wider.
In broad terms, these subjects are all exceedingly relevant today. In personal terms as well, some things never change. If a pregnant girl is not immediately married off today, if old men no longer listen to Enrico Caruso for inspiration, there is still a desire for adventure, for freedom; there are still taboo relationships disapproved of among families; there are still mothers who cling to their grown children – we have a term for that now, helicopter parents. There are still the conflicts that beset a family over money or the lack there of, there are still the conflicts that represent dreams of a better life and the necessity for someone to buck up and shoulder the burden of keeping the family unit together.
But Odets asks, all of this at what cost? At what cost the quest for freedom? At what cost the persistence in keeping the family unit intact when maybe, just maybe, it would be better to let it fragment? At what cost to society when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and there is no way out but revolution?
This all sounds terribly weighty, and certainly the content is fraught with intensity. But what is the most pleasurable about this production, and the gift of Odets love for language and character through dialog, is the acting.
A showcase for every actor on stage, the emotional range that leads to a third act climax guaranteed to have you swiping at your eyes – this play depends upon stellar casting, and achieves it.
The matinee performance we saw had an alternate in the key role of domineering mama Bessie Berger; but Melissa Weber Bales more than aced the part. Every actor seethed with vitality, from Richard Fancy as un-self-examined rich Uncle Morty to Robert Lesser as sad father Myron Berger, Melissa Paladino riveting as Hennie who resents her arranged marriage to nebbish Sam Feinschreiber ( a touching Gary Patent), David Agranov as tough war vet turned petty criminal Moe Axelrod, James Morosini as Ralph, Hennie’s slightly wet-behind-the-years brother ( a difficult role in a part that seems dated in his unrequited love for an “orphan girl”), and a powerful Alan Miller as the pivotal grandfather, Jacob.
Director Elina De Santos gets emotions to a boil and lets them bubble over artfully; Odets fast and layered dialog does not disappoint. The Odyssey’s intimate seating plunges the audience directly into the well-designed Berger’s period living and dining area.
For a fine drama, something in and of itself to be thankful for this Thanksgiving; for a timeless approach to personal and political choices – Awake &Sing! Or awake and snag some tickets.
The Odyssey Theater is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda; check website at www.odysseytheatre.com for ticket availability.