Get on the good side of the town mogul or risk his wrath by supporting his workers?
That is the question characters face in “The Cradle Will Rock,” a collaboration of Ohio State’s music and theatre departments.
“The Cradle Will Rock” is a musical about the price of people’s principles. It takes place during the Great Depression in a figurative place called Steeltown, USA, focusing on the steel workers. The Steeltown workers are in a union and the owner of the town wants to break it up by offering each person something to convince them to leave the union.
Lisa Goodale, a junior in music who plays Reverend Salvation, said, “I find it fascinating that each character has something they would close out for.”
The serious plot of the play does not correlate with the tone as Karen Coe Miller, the director of the play, said it’s very funny and is actually a satire.
The characters add to the humor, and names such as, “Mr. Mister,” “Steeltown, USA” and “Reverend Salvation” help enhance the satire.
“The roles, for the most part, are caricatures of a certain type of person, which is clearly represented in the names,” Goodale said.
“The Cradle Will Rock” features 21 students from the music and theatre departments and one from the biology department. Together, they have been practicing since the beginning of the quarter; six days a week for three to four hours a day.
“It has been a great experience, being a music student working with the theatre students. We all bring different approaches,” Goodale said.
Marc Blitzstein composed the music and wrote the play in 1937.
He felt exploring social issues lifted the play beyond the realm of mere entertainment, Miller said. “He described the play as ‘larger than life, larger than theatre.’ “
The controversial topic of unions gave this play its fame when it opened in the ’30s; the play was also stopped because of its controversy. In response, the composer walked to another theatre in the town and started playing the music without the actors because they were banned to perform on stage. Each actor stood in his seat and performed from their seats, said Miller.
“The play shows unionizing and abuse to the workers, with the victory of the good guys,” Miller said.
“The Cradle Will Rock” has brought music and theatre majors together to bring an inspiring story to the stage.
The play runs May 10 through May 20 in the Roy Bowen Theatre at Drake Union.
