BWW Reviews: Odets Classic AWAKE AND SING! at Huntington Theatre Company

Awake and Sing!

Written by Clifford Odets, Directed by Melia Bensussen; Scenic Design, James Noone; Costume Design, Michael Krass; Lighting Design, Brian J. Lilienthal; Sound Design, Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen; Casting, Alaine Alldaffer; Production Stage Manager, Emily F. McMullen; Stage Manager, Jeremiah Mullane

CAST (in order of appearance): Michael Goldsmith, David Wohl, Annie Purcell, Will LeBow, Lori Wilner, Kevin Fennessy, Eric T. Miller, Stephen Schnetzer, Nael Nacer

Performances through December 7 at Huntington Theatre Company, BU Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA; Box Office 616-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org

It is a signal of good writing and significant dramatic impact that a play which premiered in 1935 can be relevant nearly eighty years later. Clifford Odets' classic Awake and Sing! is grounded in the dire economics of the depression era and the circumstances of a Jewish immigrant extended family struggling to survive in their overcrowded Bronx apartment. Informed by her own family history, Obie Award-winner Melia Bensussen directs the Huntington Theatre Company production with intensity and an inherent understanding of the challenges faced by the Bergers and their ilk.

Following the success of the season opener Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, set in the 1960s, the Huntington launches the way-back machine again to mine the literary riches of Odets' landmark work, the first to feature a Jewish family at its center. Like Bensussen, the playwright knew these people intimately and provided them with a soapbox to stand on to tell the world about their troubles. Most of their neighbors and countrymen were having a hard time, too, but Odets suggests that the Jewish experience had its particular difficulties. Surely, they had it better than the Jews in the old country, but the cultural differences - most notably persecution and the role of the Jewish mother - had far-reaching effects on every member of the family.

Bessie Berger (Lori Wilner) is the engine that drives the family, pushing her children Hennie (Annie Purcell) and Ralph (Michael Goldsmith) toward the future she has in mind for them. No one is exempt from her control, including her nebbishy husband Myron (David Wohl) and her father Jacob (Will LeBow). A tired old Marxist, Jacob is the heart of the story and tries to inspire his perpetually discouraged grandson, suggesting that he can change the world into what he wants it to be. Unfortunately, Jacob is too old and too tired to follow his own mantra. Like Moses being denied the chance to enter the Promised Land, he has to be satisfied with listening to his Caruso recordings and trying to pass the baton of righteousness to the next generation.

LeBow's performance is inspired and he seems born to this role. Whether he is coaxing Ralph, dodging his daughter's invective, ranting at the injustices of the world, or just kibitzing at the dinner table, he infuses Jacob with humanity and integrity, eliciting our respect and making him one of the most watchable characters in the play. Some of the air goes out of the room after he makes his exit. Wilner is electric, like a human cattle prod keeping her herd in line. This strong woman is overpowering and barely sympathetic, but there are moments when she lets us see that she does what she does out of love. Her kinetic energy contributes to the manic family dynamic; when she finally winds down, it seems out of character, but underscores how much effort goes into maintaining her resolve and the depth of the emotional blow she suffers.

Despite showing her defiance, Hennie is ultimately her mother's daughter. Purcell convincingly transforms from the independent young woman with a mind of her own into conformity with the role expected of her by Bessie and society. Her unhappiness is expressed in every sluggish move she makes, until she bursts to life after she makes a momentous decision. When she engages with the two men who desire her, the Berger's boarder Moe Axelrod (Eric T. Miller) and her husband Sam Feinschreiber (Nael Nacer), Purcell is alternately relaxed or stiff, flirtatious or cold, and wears her emotions on her face.

As Ralph grows during the course of the play, Goldsmith hits all of the right notes. He is whiny and boyish at the start, but matures as the result of a series of events. He has his share of heartache with an unseen shiksa girlfriend who is dismissed by Bessie; he absorbs the teachings of his grandfather; he becomes aware of a family secret that diminishes his respect for his mother; he understands the message of the title in a thunderbolt moment that changes his life. It is fascinating to watch Goldsmith gradually adjust his physicality as Ralph develops from an overgrown adolescent to a thoughtful young man.

Miller is worth watching as the brash, outspoken Axelrod. He has a tendency to shake things up in the household and may be the one person beyond Bessie's reach. As Uncle Morty, her wealthy businessman brother, Stephen Schnetzer conveys that he is his own man, but can't escape her occasional digs, sugarcoated as they may be. However, you can feel his relief that he doesn't have to live there or take responsibility for Jacob, other than to contribute five bucks a week. Myron is a strange guy, with sort of a "What, me worry?" demeanor that Wohl plays to a tee. He gets a lot of laughs because many of his lines seem to come out of left field, but he serves a purpose in the family as a buffer. Nacer gives a nuanced performance, virtually fading into the background to reflect his character's place in the family constellation. Kevin Fennessy plays the German janitor (Schlosser) with a mix of annoyance and urgency. Credit to dialect coach Christine Hamel for spot on accents for Sam, Bessie, Jacob, and Schlosser.

As expected at the Huntington Theatre, the scenic design is outstanding with an upstage wall of apartment doors, and set pieces that slide into place downstage to create the front room and dining room of the Berger's modest flat. The furnishings, Michael Krass's costumes, and wig designs by Jason Allen are evocative of the 1930s. Lighting Designer Brian J. Lilienthal sets mood and time of day, and designers Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen synch the sounds of the doorbell, old-fashioned telephone rings, and Jacob's opera records perfectly.

Bensussen and her strong cast deliver both the personal and the political messages in the play with the passion they deserve. Their fully realized performances make the characters come alive, with all of their flaws and strengths. Odets did not make them all endearing, but he gave each of them a story and made them all interesting. He teaches lessons about family life, including cautionary tales, but he offers hope for a better future if we heed his advice to Awake and Sing!

Photo credit: T. Charles Erickson (Will LeBow, Stephen Schnetzer, Michael Goldsmith, Lori Wilner, Eric T. Miller)

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