Cradle Will Rock (musical satire) (excerpts) (1982)
Title
Cradle Will Rock (musical satire) (excerpts) (1982)
Subject
Great Depression
Satire in art
URL
Moll's Song (I'm Checkin' Home Now)
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Introduction by John Houseman for its 1982 revival by PBS
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Description
Content description from Acting Company (http://theactingcompany.org/plays/2017-18-season/the-cradle-will-rock-1982-83#overview) :
When first produced in 1937, The Cradle Will Rock, combined musical comedy form with a strong pro-labor statement in the midst of the Great Depression. The play is a satire on the evils of a town run by a corporation demonstrated in a series of rapidly sketched scenes with music: ballads, production numbers, extended sections of recitative. These show the control of Mr. Mister, archetypal capitalist and war profiteer exerts over the mythical Steeltown USA.
One scene shows Mr. Mister’s cozy relationship with Editor Daily, culminating in an arm-flapping dash/duet sung to “The Freedom of the Press.” In another scene the president of the university parades his compliant professors before Mr. Mister; in yet another scene, two artists, Dauber and Yasha, alternately fawn over and snarl at Mrs. Mister – hungry for patronage, despising their own dependency.
This production was staged by Mr. Houseman in the style of the 1937 original. Performed on a bare stage, the production incorporates Brechtian staging techniques with the on-stage piano player again delivering scene-setting announcements.
Ephemera: none available
Limitations: This page displays video content associated with a videotape in the CCDR Collections audiovisual library recorded by Joann W. Kealiinohomoku. Please be advised that, because this videotape has not yet been digitized for direct access, we cannot guarantee that the video content on this page is an exact match with the content originally recorded by Dr. Kealiinohomoku. We also cannot guarantee function or access for re-hosted video content.
When first produced in 1937, The Cradle Will Rock, combined musical comedy form with a strong pro-labor statement in the midst of the Great Depression. The play is a satire on the evils of a town run by a corporation demonstrated in a series of rapidly sketched scenes with music: ballads, production numbers, extended sections of recitative. These show the control of Mr. Mister, archetypal capitalist and war profiteer exerts over the mythical Steeltown USA.
One scene shows Mr. Mister’s cozy relationship with Editor Daily, culminating in an arm-flapping dash/duet sung to “The Freedom of the Press.” In another scene the president of the university parades his compliant professors before Mr. Mister; in yet another scene, two artists, Dauber and Yasha, alternately fawn over and snarl at Mrs. Mister – hungry for patronage, despising their own dependency.
This production was staged by Mr. Houseman in the style of the 1937 original. Performed on a bare stage, the production incorporates Brechtian staging techniques with the on-stage piano player again delivering scene-setting announcements.
Ephemera: none available
Limitations: This page displays video content associated with a videotape in the CCDR Collections audiovisual library recorded by Joann W. Kealiinohomoku. Please be advised that, because this videotape has not yet been digitized for direct access, we cannot guarantee that the video content on this page is an exact match with the content originally recorded by Dr. Kealiinohomoku. We also cannot guarantee function or access for re-hosted video content.
Original Format
TV broadcast recorded off air by JWK: Betamax tape
Creator
Marc Blitzstein (writer)
John Houseman (director)
Publisher
Public Broadcasting Services (PBS)
Date
1982
Citation
“Cradle Will Rock (musical satire) (excerpts) (1982),” Cross-Cultural Dance Resources Collections, accessed April 25, 2024, https://ccdrcollections.omeka.net/items/show/394.