- The Cradle Will Rock
Infobox Musical
name= The Cradle Will Rock
subtitle=
caption=
music=Marc Blitzstein
lyrics=Marc Blitzstein
book=Marc Blitzstein
basis=
productions=1938 Broadway
1947 Broadway revival
1964 Off-Broadway revival
1983 Off-Broadway revival
1985 West End
awards="The Cradle Will Rock" is a
1937 musical byMarc Blitzstein . Originally a part of theFederal Theatre Project , it was directed byOrson Welles , and produced byJohn Houseman .The story
The musical is a Brechtian allegory of corruption and corporate greed. Set in "Steeltown, USA", it follows the efforts of Larry Foreman to unionize and otherwise combat wicked businessman Mr. Mister. Blitzstein portrays a whole panoply of societal figures: Mr. Mister's vicious, outwardly genteel philanthropic wife and spoiled children, sell-out artists, poor shopkeepers, immigrant families, a faithless priest, and an endearing prostitute named Moll. The piece is almost entirely
sung-through , giving it manyopera tic qualities, although Blitzstein (as he often did, even in his full-blown operas) included popular song styles of the time.The original production
Originally set to open at the
Maxine Elliott Theatre with elaborate sets and a full orchestra, the production was shut down due to "budget cuts" within the Federal Theatre Project—though it was widely believed that this was instead due tocensorship on the part of the government. The theatre was padlocked and surrounded by armed servicemen, ostensibly to prevent anyone from stealing props or costumes. They even impounded leading manHoward Da Silva 's toupee.On the spur of the moment, Welles, Houseman, and Blitzstein rented the
New Century Theatre and a piano, and planned for Blitzstein to sing/play/read the entire musical to the sold out house which had grown larger to fill the bigger theater by inviting people off the street to attend for free. Blitzstein encouraged cast members to say their lines from the audience, to exercise their right of free speech.Just after beginning the first number, Blitzstein was joined by
Olive Stanton , the actor playing Moll, who joined in from the audience, since she (along with the rest of the cast) was forbidden byActor's Equity to perform the piece "onstage". During the rest of the performance, various actors joined in with Blitzstein and performed the entire musical from the house. Actors sang across the theatre to one another.Many who attended the performance, including
poet Archibald MacLeish , thought it to be one of the most moving theatrical experiences of their lives. Performances to this day rarely use elaborate sets or an orchestra, instead preferring a spare set and single piano in homage to this event. The success of the production led Welles and Houseman to form theMercury Theatre . [The details of the first production were recounted by John Houseman in an introductory speech to a1983 production by The Acting Company, recorded by Jay Records, and are also included in Houseman's memoirs.]Later productions
*Following the impromptu opening and a brief run at the Venice Theatre (later renamed the New Century Theatre) in July of 1937, the production reopened on January 3, 1938 at the Windsor Theatre under the auspices of the new Mercury Theatre Company. It played a total of 108 performances.
*"The Cradle Will Rock" was performed shortly after its initial New York production by students atHarvard , with a youngLeonard Bernstein at the piano.
*The musical was revived on Broadway on December 26, 1947 at the Mansfield Theater (subsequently moving to the Broadway Theater) with a cast that includedAlfred Drake ,Will Geer ,Vivian Vance andJack Albertson . The production was directed byHoward Da Silva and played 34 performances.
*Blitzstein's rarely heard orchestrations were used in a February 21, 1960 broadcast by the New York City Opera featuringTammy Grimes and David Atkinson.
*The show was revivedOff-Broadway in1964 in a production starring Jerry Orbach, directed by Howard Da Silva. Leonard Bernstein acted as music supervisor.
*The Acting Company presented anOff-Broadway production in 1983, directed by John Houseman and featuring a spoken introduction by Houseman.
*The show was revived once again in 1985 featuring alumni members ofThe Acting Company this time inChautauqua Institution and London's West End. In this productionPatti LuPone played Moll and was honored with anOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.*William J. Norman has written a musical called "Un-American Activities" about the Orson Welles' and Blitzstein's original production. The musical features scenes from "The Cradle Will Rock."
The Tim Robbins film
In
1999 writer/directorTim Robbins wrote a semi-fictional film recounting the original production of "The Cradle Will Rock". The film, entitled "Cradle Will Rock " (without the "The") blended the true history of Blitzstein's show with the creation (and subsequent destruction) of the originalDiego Rivera mural in the lobby ofRockefeller Center (actually the Rivera mural was destroyed in1933 ). Several of the original actors from the 1937 production were included as characters in the film, notablyOlive Stanton ,John Adair , andWill Geer , while others were replaced by fictional characters. Leading manHoward Da Silva was replaced by the fictional "Aldo Silvano" (John Turturro ). AlthoughWill Geer played Mr. Mister in the 1937 production, for the movie he was recast in the smaller role of the Druggist and a fictional actor named "Frank Marvel" (Barnard Hughes ) portrayed Mr. Mister.The film's climax recreates scenes from the original, legendary performance of the show, performed by veteran Broadway performers
Victoria Clark ,Gregg Edelman ,Audra McDonald ,Daniel Jenkins ,Erin Hill , andChris McKinney .Robbins wrote a book ("Cradle Will Rock: The Movie and the Moment", published by Newmarket Press) about the original show, his adaptation, and the filming of the motion picture.
Notes
External links
* [http://www.thecradlewillrock.com The Cradle Will Rock: Fan site and research hub]
*ibdb show|id=2803|title=The Cradle Will Rock
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