Awake and Sing!

"Awake and Sing!" is a 1935 play by Clifford Odets which was originally produced at the Belasco Theatre. It was revived in 1938, 1984, 2006, and 2007. A television adaptation was made in 1972 starring Walter Matthau.

The original production starred Luther and Stella Adler. The play tells the story of the impoverished Berger family and their conflicts as the parents scheme to manipulate their children's relationships to their own ends, while their children strive for their own dreams.

The play is set in The Bronx in 1933. The characters are:
*Hennie Berger, the daughter
*Uncle Morty, wealthy brother of Bessie Berger
*Jacob Berger, the grandfather
*Myron Berger, the father
*Schlosser, the building janitor
*Moe Axelrod, who boards with the Bergers
*Ralph Berger, the youngest son
*Sam Feinschreiber, who courts Hennie
*Bessie Berger, the mother

It was revived by Lincoln Center Theater on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre, opening on 17 April 2006, and garnered Tony Awards for Play Revival and Costume Design, as well as nominations for Lighting Design, Scenic Design, Direction, Featured Actress, and two for Featured Actor. It won the 2006 Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Play, Scenic Design, and Outstanding Ensemble Performance. Following its American success, the play was staged in London's West End at the Almeida Theatre, directed by Michael Attenborough with Stockard Channing as the mother.

It is described as 'a family's struggle for survival amongst petty conditions.'

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=1758 "Awake and Sing!" at Internet Broadway Database]
* [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/96980.html Playbill article on 2006 revival]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E7DB1139F932A35752C1A967948260 Review of 1981 revival]
* [http://www.almeida.co.uk/production_details/production_details.aspx?code=26 Almeida Theatre's 2007 London production]