There have been countless Jewish plays written; some great, some mediocre. Very few, however, have been able to define the struggles of an entire time period while, at the same time, appealing to a universal audience. Zelda Fichandler, Founding Director of Arena Stage, achieves this goal with Clifford Odets' "Awake and Sing" in her return to Arena Stage in over a decade.
Originally published by Odets in 1935, the play portrays the struggle of a Jewish family during the Great Depression in New York City to maintain the life they've grown accustomed to in the face of hardship. In addition to focusing on the historical aspects of the 1920s, the play also reflects a growing dichotomy between the "old world" values and traditions of immigrants an first-generation Americans, versus the "new world" values of the younger generation.
The play centralizes around the mother Bessie Berger (Jana Robbins), who despite the financial troubles of the family remains stalwart about maintaining a sense of pride and adherence to tradition. Acting as the emotional head of the household, Bessie maintains a sense of orderliness in her house and uses her "Jewish guilt," an infamous trait of the Jewish mother, to preserve the tradition and respect of the family. Her controlling nature leads her husband, Myron (Steve Routman) to be a very soft-spoken character. After years of marriage Myron now attempts to avoid all confrontation and obey the will of his over-bearing wife.
Myron's soft-spoken language often added some light-hearted comedy to an otherwise dramatic play when while in the heat of an argument between characters he would casually attempt to change the subject by interjecting the day's news. These comedic moments allowed for an atmosphere that was not overpowered with drama and tension and added another dimension to "Awake and Sing."
The play is set in The Berger's modest apartment and the set design masterfully captures the family's struggle to remain in a state of normalcy. Set Designer Andromache Chalfant beautifully captures the Victorian style of the 1920s and 1930s and the use of the bold red and blue colors not only creates contrast between the two rooms, but also symbolizes the divisions that frequently occur throughout the play.
This separation also stood as a testament to the excellent stage direction of Fichandler by creating scenarios where characters that were in quarrel with one another would often sit on the opposite side of the small apartment often divided by the curtain running down the middle of the set.
Ralph Berger (Adam Green), the young and ambitious son, supports the family with his meager job, but rapidly grows tired of his simple life and dreams of making something of himself. Ralph is influenced mostly by his grandfather Jacob (Robert Prosky), who grew up under a repressive regime in Russia, and whose Marxist views lead him to preach about how life "shouldn't be printed on dollar bills."
In an attempt to defy his mother and create a sense of independency for himself Ralph falls in love with a young gentile girl. When news of Ralph's relationship with a gentile girl reaches Bessie the audience can't help but hear the bellowing of "Tradition, Tradition!" in the back of the audience's minds in sheer "Fiddler On The Roof" fashion as she swiftly dismisses their love affair as childish, and in doing so only pushes her son farther away.
The character Jacob had the most profound performance and Prosky's acting was nothing less than awe-inspiring. In the play Jacob lives in a state of constant patronizing from Bessie. Prosky exquisitely reflects Jacob's desire to "have young blood pump through his arms" and captures the restless state of the character.
Having come from religious oppression, Jacob turns against the common view of the "American dream" and instead only sees a world where financial oppression has taken control of people's lives, delivering beautiful monologues speaking out against such oppression. Seeing the hope and determination in his grandson's eyes, he decides to leave his inheritance, nearly $3,000, 