Photo Courtesy of SC Performing Arts
By Allan Vargas
“The Cradle Will Rock,” an 87-year-old musical comedy based on the American labor movement, would seem a candidate for the rocking chair.
Under the steady hand of director Ruff Yeager and his talented team, “Cradle” rocked. Marc Blitzstein’s 1936 comedy remains uplifting and loaded with wisdom, not to mention a bouncy period score.
“The Cradle Will Rock” takes place in the fictional American town of Steeltown. Its resident industrialist, Mr. Mister, forms the anti-union Liberty Committee when he discovers his employees are attempting to organize. Workers manage to sidestep the Committee’s actions in a brave attempt to subvert Mr. Mister’s grip on the town.
Actor Xochitl Ramos said the message resonates today.
“This is about the people in power and the relationship with the people,” she said. “Power doesn’t listen to the people.”
“Cradle” has 10 scenes that occur in different settings. In Scene Four, Junior Mister and Sister Mister brought audience members up to the main stage. Interactions with the audience was fun and inspiring.
Humor abound. In Scene Eight, Professor Scoot announced in front of Mr. Mister and the school president that she disliked having military training at her school. She is then unceremoniously dragged out of the room, which drew hearty laughter.
Michael Buckley’s brilliant lighting carried the show visually and music director Imahni King helped the 1930s music feel crisp and tuneful. Cast members created a comedic atmosphere that permitted a serious undertone.
Clarissa Contreras (Mrs. Mister) said preparation was rigorous.
“A lot of singing,” she said. “As well as running lines.”
Expressive body language was central to the show, said actor Santiago Gordillo.
“I’ve been working on a lot of memorization and the body language for each character,” he said. “I try to make each character different in the way they sound, move, speak and react.”
Yeager said the play was a great teaching experience.
“One of the attractive things about it is that it was originally done with just the author, Marc Blitzstein, onstage playing the piano,” he said. “That’s the way it’s most often performed, with a singular accompanist, as an homage to Marc Blitzstein.”
“The Cradle Will Rock” was a visual, aural and storytelling treat. A labor of love.
