Event

The Cradle Will Rock

On a June evening in 1938, director Orson Welles, producer John Houseman, and the cast and crew of Marc Blitzstein's new Broadway musical THE CRADLE WILL ROCK were locked out of their theater on opening night by armed servicemen under orders from the Federal government. Without costumes, sets, lights or sound, Welles and Houseman found an unused theater, rented an upright piano, and marched their audience up Broadway for what has become the most historic theatrical opening ever recorded. As legend has it, the entire libretto -- performed from the audience by actors forbidden to step onto the stage -- received a 40-minute standing ovation.

This timely, controversial musical about greed, corruption and the plight of the worker was presented initially last year by Downtown Music Productions, East Village Concert Series and St. Mark's Church in the Bowery, and makes a return engagement to the HOWL! Arts Project 2010.

"The current economic crisis makes it an opportune time to hear this leftist theatre piece," wrote Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times last year. "THE CRADLE WILL ROCK is a landmark music-theatre work that audiences have heard about but seldom get to see. This bare-bones performance, with a cast of 19 singing on book and being accompanied only by piano, was appropriate to the piece," he added in his review.

THE CRADLE WILL ROCK features book, music and lyrics by Marc Blitzstein. The creative team includes director Larry Marshall, music director Mimi Stern-Wolfe, artistic coordinator Jeannine Otis, and choreographer Laura Stilwell.

Initially presented by St. Marks in the Bowery and Downtown Music Productions, this revival of THE CRADLE WILL ROCK costars Charles Baran, Ryan Cahill, Darcy Dunn, Gavin Esham, Brian Henry, Paul Malamphy, Marcus Moss, Jeannine Otis, Zak Risinger, Tom Savage, Michael Schilke, Greg Senf, Steve Sieck, Mark Singer, Go Takeuchi, and Laura Wolfe.

Door proceeds to benefit The Actors' Fund for HOWL! HELP.