BWW Reviews: THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, Arcola Theatre, November 2010

Kevin Sherwin

When it comes to troubled journeys to the stage, high-profile bad-buzz magnet Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (coming to a theatre near you, maybe, sometime) has nothing on the original 1937 production of Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock. Originally primed to open on Broadway with a flashy set and full orchestra, the show was shut down and theatre padlocked due to budget cuts and political squabbling. On opening night the audience was led to a different theatre nearby where a solitary piano accompanied the performers singing from their seats in the stalls, forbidden as they were by Actors' Equity from doing so onstage.

It is a single piano, too, that provides the instrumentation to this new production of the musical at the Arcola Theatre. The story is one of corporate greed and corruption, as the villainous Mr. Mister (Aaron Shirley) takes maniacal opposition to a steelworkers' union. Members of his so-called Liberty Committee, a collection of 'distinguished' locals, are mistaken for union organisers, arrested and brought to night court. Thus, their stories are played out in a series of Act One vignettes detailing how they were led to an anti-union stance.

The material is certainly of its time and it's always interesting to see how a once-contemporary text can resonate decades later (a placard reading ‘Cuts Cost Lives' is loud and clear) but I found it a struggle to become invested in the story or to care much about the initially abstract issues presented.

Act Two is instantly energised by the arrival in court of steel worker Larry Foreman (a charismatic Chris Jenkins). Jenkins commands the studio stage, passionately stating - and singing - his case to the courtroom and directly to members of the audience. Shortly afterwards, Ella Hammer (Josie Benson), wife of an injured worker wrongly accused of having been intoxicated at the time of his accident, enters quietly and sings the intense, accusatory 'Joe Worker'. Suddenly the show develops a beating heart with the reason to care immediately apparent; it just comes a little too late, at least for me.

The rest of the cast are uniformly great, and under Mehmet Ergen's direction frequently very amusing. Particularly good are Alicia Davies as downtrodden but optimistic prostitute Moll, and Adey Grummet, stealing the first act as Mrs Mister. The score is daintily charming, though it's slightly regrettable that so much of the ensemble singing is written in unison; there are some really strong voices here that are perhaps not best served by this material or its arrangement. Lighting and staging are simple and effective, the latter aided by the presumably ever-present steel (or at least steel-looking) fixtures in the space.

An assured production of a musical that's not quite as interesting as its own origins, The Cradle Will Rock should be seen less for its subject matter, but for its accomplished cast and the many moments of wit and warmth they bring.

 

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