AN EVENING OF THOUGHT PROVOKING MUSICAL THEATER AT WEBER STATE

MARC BLITZSTEIN’S THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, Eccles Theater, Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts, Weber State University, March 23; through March 31, tickets at 800-978-8457 or www.weberstatetickets.com.

A leftist musical in Utah? That’s about as likely as the Democrats winning control of the state legislature. Or is it?

The Democrats will no doubt have to keep on dreaming. But the students in the performing arts department at Weber State University went against the prevailing political wind and decided to put on a liberal, politically charged show. The work in question is Marc Blitzstein’s 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock, a scathing social commentary on the injustices and hardships wrought by the Great Depression. The work owes a lot to the social satires of Bertolt Brecht, and you can immediately see that The Cradle Will Rock is obviously indebted to the Brecht/Kurt Weill collaboration, The Threepenney Opera.

Set in the anonymous “Steeltown, U.S.A.,” the story pits factory worker and union activist Larry Foreman against Mr. Mister who owns practically everything in the town and tries by force and underhanded means to stop Larry from succeeding. It’s a classic story of the haves versus the have nots, or, to put it into contemporary terminology, the one percent against the 99 percent.

The themes of the show are still as relevant today, as the country keeps reeling from the excesses that caused the Great Recession, as they were when Blitzstein wrote it. And there is a delicious irony in staging The Cradle Will Rock in a state that has endowed divine status on Mitt Romney, the presidential wannabe who is the embodiment of the one percent.

The play opened Friday to a full house in the Eccles Theater in the Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts. The student singers/actors, most of whom play several roles, did a fabulous job. They captured the impact and power of the story with their convincing, sincere and honest portrayals.

From left: Becca Lichfield, Addison Welch, Trevor Dean

While everyone in the large cast was marvelous, a few performances stood out.

Becca Lichfield as Moll gave a strong account of the prostitute unwillingly caught up in the struggle between Larry’s and Mr. Mister’s followers. She is a strong actor with fine vocal talents.

Addison Welch as Larry Foreman brought a much needed larger than life persona to his character. He was wonderfully convincing as the union organizer facing nearly impossible odds, and his performance was memorable.

Trevor Dean was remarkably sinister as the unscrupulous Mr. Mister. His sneering attitude and arrogant behavior really dominated the scenes he was in. Dean is an exceptional talent and perfectly cast for this role.

Mention must also be made of a few others in the cast. Shelby Anderson as Sister Mister and Professor Scoot was stunning, especially as Sister. Besides being a fine actor she also possesses a wonderful singing voice. Marc Nelson as Junior Mister and the Druggist also gave a strong performance characterized by his finely nuanced acting.

Director Trent Cox’s pacing allowed the story to flow and unfold in each scene and also allowed the scene changes to be seamless.  The minimalist staging was well done and effective, and the costumes give a good feel for the period.

Music director Rick Rea had a busy evening. Not only did he accompany the singers at the piano but also entertained the audience as it was streaming in before the show and during the short intermission, and also took requests from the audience.

This was a fantastic evening of thought provoking theater. Brecht would have been proud.

This entry was posted in Concert Reviews, Live Theater Coverage by Edward Reichel. Bookmark the permalink.

About Edward Reichel

Edward Reichel, author, writer and composer, has been covering the classical music scene in Utah since 1997. For many years he served as the primary music critic for the Deseret News. He has also written for a number of publications, including Chamber Music Magazine, OPERA Magazine, 15 Bytes, Park City Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He can be reached at ed.reichel@gmail.com. Reichel Recommends is also on Twitter @ReichelArts.

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