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Event
The Cradle Will Rock
Presented by Theater 2020, Brooklyn Heights' Professional Theater
THE CRADLE WILL ROCK
Book, Music & Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein
Directed by David Fuller
Music Director, Pianist - Brian Fitzsousa
Choreographer - Judith Jarosz
Costume Designer - Sarah Constable
Production Stage Manager - Nat DiMario
Assistant Stage Manager - Kristina Voznick
CAST
Desiree Baxter* Dauber, Prof. Mamie
Debra Thais Evans* Rev. Salvation, Ella Hammer
Fred Frabotta Editor Daily
David Fuller* Gent, Mr. Mister, Bugs
Scott Harrison* Dick, Steve, Larry Foreman
Kate Holland* Mrs. Mister, Prof. Trixie
Zoe Kanter Yasha, Prof. Scoot
Ellen Martin Dr. Specialist, Pres. Prexy
Alex Shafer* Harry
Jeneen Terrana* Moll
Kristofer Thornton*Cop, Junior Mister, Gus
Hannah Viederman Sister Mister, Sadie, Reporter
*Member, Actors Equity Association
Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle will Rock was born in 1937 during the Great Depression. Cradle sings a tale of the downtrodden, the 99%, who ultimately rise together. In Cradle we see artists selling out to the wealthy, healthcare influenced by big money, the press owned by big business, the church controlled by its donors and war encouraged for corporate greed. Sound familiar? We laugh at the lampooned stereotypes, all the while discovering what our hero Larry Foreman knows: when we work together the Cradle Will Rock!
Upon hearing a rendition of the song, A Nickel Under Your Foot, Brecht encouraged Blitzstein: "Why don't you write a piece about all kinds of prostitution - the press, the church, the courts, the arts, the whole system?" He did and dedicated it to his friend, "to Bert Brecht."
Blitzstein called Cradle a labor opera, composed in a style falling somewhere between realism, romance, Vaudeville, comic strip, Gilbert & Sullivan, Brecht and Agit Prop. He wrote, "The characters in The Cradle Will Rock are two-dimensional; types, rather than individuals. In a sense they are cartoon characters, larger than life, sometimes even larger than theatre life. The Cradle is thus a kind of modern morality play."
Cradle's genesis, and the events surrounding its opening night, represent a seminal moment in American Musical Theater history. A video of the original producer, John Houseman, describing that amazing opening can be found here: https://youtu.be/_LDb0fn4Uek
The Cradle Will Rock, with its sharp, witty and sometimes poignant call to arms against oppression, is as timely today as when it was first performed in 1937.
+Equity Approved Showcase+
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LocationART/NY, The Great Room (View)
138 South Oxford Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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