If you are interested in a play about finding a rowboat of hope in a river of despair look no further than the Group Rep’s production of Clifford Odets’ “Awake and Sing!” at The Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District running through Nov. 3.
This story of three generations of the Jewish American Berger family stuck together in a Bronx apartment facing the depression during the 1930s is an ode to the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.
Odets attempts to find meaning in human suffering and thereby triumph over desperation and anguish.
The characters here are drawn with an arc that begins with the Greeks and ends in the fertile ground of the renowned Group Theatre of the 1930s which redefined the course of American theatre, and of which Odets was a co-founder.
The undercurrent in this play is political and economical. Capitalism and Communism collide like two trains at midnight. Soon the riptide learns only to rely on the dollar bill, and self-expression becomes an aimless wanderer looking for love or anything close in trembling hands and weak stomachs on the highway of bleak banter.
Director Larry Eisenberg does a brilliant job in mining the romance, joy and innocence from what could be called a modern-day tragedy.
Darkness is never far from the Berger household, but Eisenberg and a fascinating and wonderfully-gifted cast manage to keep it from destroying the rhythm, cadence and mood of this modern masterpiece.
Standouts include Michele Bernath (Bessie Berger) who is convincing, flawless and transparent in a bravura performance.
Robert Gallo (Uncle Morty) whose realistic portrayal is dead-on and shows yet another side of this multi-faceted actor.
Stan Mazin (Jacob Berger) who shines in a different and complex role. In a performance that took this critic’s breath away, Mazin gives a beautifully-nuanced portrayal that nearly steals the show. Every moment seemingly measured yet spontaneous, this critic has never seen Mazin better.
Daniel Kaemon (Moe Axelrod) combines the stage presence and sensitivity to be one of the best stage actors in Los Angeles. Here, we, the audience, cannot take our eyes away from him when he is on stage, and wait for him to return when he is off.
Kaemon runs away with the play by listening on stage as much as speaking. His is a rare gift that this critic hopes will be seen on local stages again soon.
Helping further the message of the show are the lighting design of Kim Smith, the sound design of Steve Shaw and the costume design of Kim DeShazo.
All in all, “Awake and Sing!” works because it is the latest in what is fast becoming a long line of brilliantly conceived, practiced and performed masterworks under the tutelage of co-artistic directors Eisenberg and Chris Winfield.
The days of community theatre on Burbank Boulevard are no more. Instead, the Group Rep is awake and singing its own refrain.
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m. Talk-back Sundays with the cast after the show-Oct. 6 & Oct. 27. Tickets: $15-$22. (Admission: $22; Senior/Student: $17; Group 10+:$15). Friday Night Ladies Night-Tix half price for ladies. Reservations/Information: (818) 763-5990 Parking: Ample street parking on Burbank Blvd. And Cleon Ave. South of Burbank Blvd.
