HOWL is proud to present Downtown Music Productions in "The Cradle Will Rock," the historic musical theater work by Marc Blitzstein, whose allegory of corruption and corporate greed is as timely today as when it was premiered in 1937. Performances are September 21-24 at 8 PM, at the 45 Bleecker Street Theater, 45 Bleecker Street. This production was originally produced by Downtown Music Productions for their East Village Concert Series, in collaboration with St. Mark's Church in the Bowery.
Set in "Steeltown, USA," "The Cradle Will Rock" follows the efforts of Larry Foreman to unionize and otherwise combat wicked businessman Mr. Mister. Blitzstein portrays a whole panoply of societal figures, including factory workers, poor shopkeepers, immigrant families, a faithless priest, and an endearing prostitute named Moll.
The original production was part of the Federal Theatre Project and was directed by
Orson Welles and produced by
John Houseman. Set to open at the
Maxine Elliott Theatre (on West 39th Street) on June 16, 1937, the production was shut down, and the cast and crew were locked out of their theater by armed servicemen under orders from the Federal Government. Welles and Houseman were determined that the show go on, even without sets, costumes, lights, or orchestra. They found an unused theater - the Venice on 7th Avenue between 58th & 59th Streets - and a battered upright piano, and moved the show uptown. With most audience members traveling by foot, they made their way uptown, gathering curious onlookers along the way. By 9 PM, every one of the Ven
Ice Theater's 1742 seats were filled.
Blitzstein sat alone on stage at the piano, intending to play and perform all the roles himself. The cast, forbidden by Actor's Equity to perform onstage, was seated around the theater. Just after the beginning of the first number, the words were literally taken out of Blitzstein's mouth as
Olive Stanton, playing the character Moll, stood at her seat and began her song. Other performers took her lead, and performed the show from various locations in the theater. The audience went wild. By the following morning,
Marc Blitzstein was on the front page of newspapers across the country, and "The Cradle Will Rock" passed into theatre legend.
www.howlfestival.com
Monday-Thursday, September 21-24 at 8 PM
45 Bleecker Street Theater, 45 Bleecker Street (#6 train to Bleecker Street,
F, V, B. D trains to Broadway/Lafayette)
Tickets: $20
Reservations: www.brownpapertickets.com
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