The second show at the Providence College Blackfriars Theatre is Clifford
Odets' 1935 drama "Waiting For Lefty". The show takes place during the Great
Depression where members of the New York City Taxi Drivers Union debate
whether or not they should go on strike, while waiting for their leader,
Lefty Costello, to arrive at the union hall. Consisting of a series of
related vignettes, the entire play is framed by the meeting of cab drivers
who are planning a labor strike. The framing situation effectively utilizes
the audience as part of the meeting. A sharply political play, it deals with
the cynical exploitation of the working classes. It was first presented by
the Group Theatre, becoming both a symbol of its times and a beacon for many
soon-to-be famous playwrights who came under its influence. The show is
excellently directed by John Garrity with his multitalented 19 member cast.
The one act show is given added power by including a concert prologue
utilizing songs from the Depression era including "Nobody Knows You",
"Solidarity Forever", "Joe Hill", "Hard Times", "Big Rock Candy Mountain",
"Dump the Bosses", "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?", "Somewhere Along the
Road" with a bluesy voiced Suzanne Keyes moving the audience to tears with
its rendition with Katy Marks and Kelly Smith singing back-up harmony and
the powerful "Talking Union" sung by Devin Driscoll and Katie Guzik which
leads into the dramatic part of the show. It moves from scene to scene
seamlessly with the talent of the performers pouring forth. David Rabinow, a
talented local musician who has appeared at the Gamm Theatre is the musical
director who not only taught all the songs to the cast but plays guitar,
leading six other talented musicians, too.
John is aided in his task by scenic designer for the show is Katryne
Hecht who constructed a huge square platform in the center of the playing
area with two tiers of bleachers surrounding it as well as two stairways.
The authentic 1930's costumes complete with stockings with seams in them are
by David Costa-Cabral and the lighting designer is Tim Cryan. The acting of
the mostly college student cast is excellent. I will describe the various
scenes and the performers playing them. The bullying thug, Harry Fatt who
runs the meeting is wonderfully played by college junior, Justin Pimental.
He is their union leader who tells the workers that a strike isn't a good
idea. His two sidekicks who threaten the crowd are also well played by Teddy
Kalin and Patrick Knight. Fatt calls the person who demanded a strike as
a "red". The vignettes are flashback sequences which tell why the characters
have reached their decisions and are labeled by Odets as episodes. The first
one is called Joe and Edna. Joe maintains he is not a "red boy,'' citing
that he is a war veteran and tells how his wife has influenced his decision
to strike when she tell him that the furniture, unpaid for, was repossessed.
They argue; Joe claims that strikes do not work and causing people to lose
money while doing so. Ted Boyce-Smith and Suzanne Keyes bring these two
characters to life with their strong acting talents. Especially poignant is
when she explains that their little daughter didn't even know what
grapefruits are, having never had one since they are living below the
poverty level. The second episode is called Lab Assistant. Fayette, an
industrialist talks in his office to Miller, a lab assistant. Fayette tells
her, she is receiving a raise due to her loyalty, and that she'll be
switched to a new laboratory tomorrow, where she will work under an
important chemist, Dr. Brenner where they'll be creating a poison gas for
chemical warfare. Miller is outraged, having lost several relatives in World
War 1 including her brother. She exclaims she would "Rather dig ditches
first!", quits her job, slapping him in the mouth at the close of the scene.
Craig Schutz and Sarah Bedard, a lovely blonde both seniors play these
characters very well. He as an overbearing business man only interested in
making money and she as a compassionate woman believing in her convictions
and love of family and fellow human beings. The third episode is "The Young
Hack and his girl". Florence tells her brother Irv that she needs "something
out of life," and that Sid, who is going to take her to a dance provides
that. Irv warns her that both he and their mother disapprove of Sid since he
makes little money as a taxi driver. Florence buckles under and says she
will talk to Sid that night. Sid come in upset that his brother, a college
boy has swallowed the "money men's" propaganda and joined the navy to fight
foreigners who are, ultimately, like himself. They dance together but stop
when the music ends with him trying to get her to laugh but she buries her
face in her hands, and he buries his face in her lap. A very touching scene
well played by sophomore students Teddy Kalin as Irv (who is tough with his
sister) Elizabeth McNamara as Florence (another pretty blonde) and freshman
student Collin Kennedy play the young couple in love but torn apart by their
dire circumstances in life.
The fourth episode is Labor Spy with action returning to Harry Fatt who
denounces the strike and saying they haven't investigated the strike issue
as he has; bringing up Annie Clayton, who was in an unsuccessful strike in
Philadelphia. Annie states that Fatt is right while a voice cries out that
Clayton is a "rat", a "company spy", claiming Clayton has been breaking up
unions for years. When Fatt sends his men to take care of this mouthy woman,
she says she knows it is true because Clayton is her sister, Annie Clancy.
Another strong scene with fine acting by Michaela McDonald, a sophomore as
the spy and Julia Tully as the sister who lets the crowd know who she really
is. The fifth episode called The Actor is an entertaining scene with
Catherine McDonnell with a fantastic Brooklyn accent as the hard hearted
stage manager who wants to give the poor actor a buck to help him out with
his pregnant wife. She knows the producer is more worried about his dog's
operation than with real life actors out of work. Catherine brings humor to
the scene by telling the actor to read a copy of the Communist manifesto she
has and that he will be better served by that then by the predatory
producer. The naive young actor is beautifully played by sophomore, Alex
Fielder who also has a wonderful tenor voice while Patrick Knight who also
plays one of the henchman, switches gears to portray the haughty, rich
producer. The sixth episode is called The Intern and starts with elderly Dr.
Barnes angrily talking into a phone, upset that he has to deliver bad news
to Dr. Benjamin on an issue she opposed. Benjamin has been replaced on a
surgery on a poor woman in critical condition in the charity ward by an
incompetent doctor named Leeds, the nephew of a senator. The woman dies,
Barnes tells her that the charity ward will close and that she will lose her
position. Benjamin claims it is because she is Jewish and she decides to
stay in America and try to change things, vowing to fight even though it
might mean death. This intense scene is handled by Devin Driscoll who
graduated last May and for five months worked on finding housing for the
Obama family in Washington D.C., freeing him to return to PC and play this
role. The crackling argument between Devin and Sarah Ratcliffe, a junior, as
Benjamin stands out. The agitated worker with the glass eye called Agate
Keller is played with high energy by Brett Epstein who insults the taxi
drivers by insulting their lack of strength, then insults Fatt and his
henchmen. He proclaims that if "we're reds because we wanna strike, then we
take on their salute, too!" Agate tells them to "unite and fight" and tells
them not to wait for Lefty who may never arrive. A man runs in to tell them
Lefty has been shot dead and Agate urges them to make a new world and
strike. This thought provoking show ends with a rousing chorus of "This Land
Is Your Land". The country needed change in the 1930's and "Waiting For
Lefty" also resonates for today's current day audience who ushered in a new
leader to hopefully bring peace and prosperity back to the United States. So
for a fantastic show be sure to catch "Waiting For Lefty" at Providence
College before time runs out.
WAITING FOR LEFTY ( 6 to 15 February, 2009)
Providence College, Angells Blackfriar Theatre,
549 River Avenue, Providence,RI
