Awake and Sing! | |
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Written by | Clifford Odets |
Date premiered | February 19, 1935 |
Place premiered | Belasco Theatre New York City, New York, United States |
Original language | English |
Subject | A family struggles for survival amongst harsh conditions |
Genre | Drama |
Setting | The Bronx, 1933 |
Awake and Sing! is a drama written by American playwright Clifford Odets. The play was initially produced by The Group Theatre in 1935.
Summary and characters[edit]
The play is set in The Bronxborough of New York City, New York, in 1933. It concerns the impoverished Berger family, who all live under one roof, 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 audience is introduced to a unique family. The matriarch of the family, Bessie, had high hopes and dreams for her family; however, despite her hopefulness, her largest fear is that her family will lose their home and all their possessions. This fear stems from a woman down the street who had this exact thing happen to her.
The household consists of extended family such as Bessie's father, Jacob, her husband Myron, and their son Ralph, 21, and spinster daughter Hennie, 26. To top it all off, in order to ease the financial burden on the family, the Bergers have taken in an immigrant boarder, named Sam.
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about 30 miles (48 km) north of New York City on the east bank of the Hudson River. 'Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)' is a 1936 song, with music and lyrics by Louis Prima, who first recorded it with the New Orleans Gang. Brunswick Records released it on February 28, 1936 on the 78 rpm record format, with 'It's Been So Long' as the B-side. TICKETS TO THE FIRST LEG OF ‘PENTATONIX: THE WORLD TOUR' ON SALE NOW5/11/2019 - Oracle Arena - Oakland, CA5/14/2019 - Save Ma. Mike is a male mouse who is one of the main characters of the movie Sing. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane. TICKETS TO THE FIRST LEG OF ‘PENTATONIX: THE WORLD TOUR' ON SALE NOW5/11/2019 - Oracle Arena - Oakland, CA5/14/2019 - Save Ma.
Besides the desire for financial stability, there are other problems that the Bergers face, such as Hennie's unwanted pregnancy. To avoid this burden on the family, Bessie insists on the marriage between Hennie and the new immigrant boarder in order to save her family's reputation and her daughter's life. Hennie has no love for Sam. The family has very different views on the arranged marriage between Hennie and Sam. For example, Ralph, a more philosophical character of the play, is not in agreement with his mother's decision. Ralph very much resembles his grandfather who is an idealist. The Berger house is therefore divided into idealists and realists, much like society as a whole.
In a turn of events, Jacob commits suicide after making Ralph the beneficiary of his life insurance policy, in hopes that this will give Ralph the freedom for which he yearns.
Themes
Odets brings to the table the issues of the importance of appearances in relation to respectability in society - how we appear to society is how we improve and gain status - as well as the contrasting worlds of idealism and realism. Odets also presents the contrasting of materialistic ideals and the importance of money in society. Through his writing, he zooms in on the economic burden that is placed on society and how it affects the lives of humans and the way they live their lives. He also shows how values can become blurred and perceptions can change with experience.
Characters[edit]
- Myron Berger – the father of the family
- Bessie Berger – his wife
- Hennie Berger – their daughter, age 26
- Ralph Berger – their son, age 21
- Uncle Morty – Bessie's brother, a successful businessman
- Jacob – father of Bessie and Morty; a Marxist; he lives with the Bergers
- Moe Axelrod – a friend of the family who eventually boards with the Bergers
- Sam Feinschreiber – an immigrant who courts Hennie
- Schlosser – the janitor in the Bergers' apartment building
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Productions[edit]
Federal Theater Project WPA Yiddish language production
The play premiered on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre on February 19, 1935, running for 184 performances before closing on July 27, 1935; it returned two months later on September 9 for an additional 24 performances through September 28, 1935. Directed by Harold Clurman, the cast starred Luther Adler (Moe Axelrod), Stella Adler (Bessie Berger), Morris Carnovsky (Jacob), John Garfield (Ralph Berger) and Sanford Meisner (Sam Feinschreiber).
It was revived in 1961 at the Teatro Oficina, São Paulo, Brazil.
It was revived off-Broadway in 1970, 1979, 1993 and 1995.[1] It was revived on Broadway in 1938, 1939, 1984 and 2006.
A Lincoln Center Theater production on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre, opening on April 17, 2006, and closing on June 25, 2006 after 80 performances and 27 previews, won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Directed by Bartlett Sher, the cast featured Ben Gazzara (Jacob), Zoë Wanamaker (Bessie), Mark Ruffalo (Moe), Pablo Schreiber (Ralph), and Lauren Ambrose (Hennie).[2][3] Gazzara and Ruffalo repeated their roles (with Sher directing) in a 2010 L.A. Theatre Works recording of the play that also starred Jane Kaczmarek.[4]
Directed by Robert Hopkins and Norman Lloyd, Awake and Sing, premiered on PBS March 6, 1972.[5] This film production of the play featured Walter Matthau[6] (Moe), Ruth Storey (Bessie), Felicia Farr (Hennie), Robert Lipton (Ralph), Leo Fuchs (Jacob), Milton Selzer (Myron), Martin Ritt (Uncle Morty), Ron Rifkin (Sam), and John Myhers (Schlosser).[5]
It was produced at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, in 1996.
In 2006, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. produced the show with the director (and Arena's founding artistic director) Zelda Fichandler in a production featuring Robert Prosky as Jacob, and featuring the adoption of Yiddish in the script that conforms to Odets's earlier version of the play, titled 'I Got the Blues.'[7]
Following its American success in revivals, the play was staged in London at the Off West End Almeida Theatre, from August 31, 2007, through October 20, 2007. Directed by Michael Attenborough, the cast featured Stockard Channing as Bessie.[8]
The play opened in Toronto, Ontario, on June 6, 2009, for a two-month run at the Soulpepper Theatre Company.
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The National Asian American Theatre Company in New York produced the play from August to September 2013 at the SoHo Walker Space. It won an Obie Award for Mia Katigbak as Bessie Berger. It is currently playing at the New York Public Theatre as part of National Asian American Theatre Company's 25th Anniversary.[9]
In 2014, a production at the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts in Olney, Maryland was directed by Serge Seiden and featured Rick Foucheux as Jacob and Naomi Jacobsen as Bessie Berger.[10] Also in 2014, a production at Boston's Huntington Theater Company, was directed by Melia Bensussen.[11][12]
In 2015, the Public Theater with National Asian-American Theatre Company presented a production with a cast completely of Asian descent under the direction of Stephen Brown-Fried. It was led by Mia Katigbak and received a Drama League nomination for Outstanding Revival.[13]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Tony Awards (2006)[edit]
- Best Revival of a Play (win)
- Best Costume Design of a Play (win)
- Best Lighting Design of a Play (nomination)
- Best Scenic Design of a Play (nomination)
- Best Direction of a Play (nomination)
- Featured Actress – Zoe Wanamaker (nomination)
- Featured Actor – Mark Ruffalo (nomination) and Pablo Schreiber (nomination)
Drama Desk Awards (2006)[edit]
- Outstanding Revival of a Play (win)
- Outstanding Set Design of a Play (win)
- Outstanding Ensemble Performance (win)
- Outstanding Lighting Design (nomination)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Internet Off-Broadway database listing, Awake and SingArchived April 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine lortel.org. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
- ^article on 2006 revivalArchived December 24, 2005, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, 2006
- ^Defying Poverty's Everyday Despair in Odets's 'Awake and Sing!'The New York Times review of 2006 revival, April 18, 2006
- ^Awake and Sing, With Ruffalo and Gazzara, Begins L.A. Run Jan. 13Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ abTV Guide, North Carolina Edition, March 4–10, 1972, pg A-45
- ^Internet Movie Database listingInternet Movie Database. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
- ^Awake and Sing! - Zelda Fichandler returns to Arena to direct Clifford Odetts' (sic) drama, All About Jewish Theatre, article undatedArchived October 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine jewish-theatre.com. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^Almeida Theatre's 2007 London productionArchived September 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine almeida.co.uk
- ^http://naatco.org/productions/2013_awake_and_sing/
- ^Theater Review, Awake and Sing! at Olney Theatre Center Theater Review, 'Awake and Sing!' at Olney Theatre Center, Maryland Theatre Guide, Sept. 29, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^Review, Awake and Sing! at Huntington Theater WBUR, 'Awake and Sing!' at Huntington Theater, Nov. 14, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ^Review, Awake and Sing! at Huntington Theater Boston Globe, 'Awake and Sing!' at Huntington Theater, Nov. 14, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ^https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/SHE-LOVES-ME-HAMILTON-THE-CRUCIBLE-More-Earn-2016-Drama-League-Nominations-Check-Out-the-Full-List-20160420
- Hernandez, Ernio (April 17, 2006). 'Playbill Archives: Awake and Sing! — 1935'. Playbill. Archived from the original on November 17, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
Further reading[edit]
- Odets, Clifford (1900s). Shtey uf un zing (in Yiddish). United States: O.fg. OCLC83856392.
- Odets, Clifford (1935). Awake and Sing, A Play in Three Acts. New York City: Random House. OCLC2128928.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Awake and Sing!. |
- Awake and Sing! at the Internet Broadway Database
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Awake_and_Sing!&oldid=966115406'
(Redirected from Sing, Sing, Sing)
'Sing, Sing, Sing' | |
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Song by Louis Prima | |
Released | February 28, 1936 |
Genre | Jazz, swing, big band |
Label | Brunswick 7628 |
Songwriter(s) | Louis Prima |
'Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)' is a 1936 song, with music and lyrics by Louis Prima, who first recorded it with the New Orleans Gang. Brunswick Records released it on February 28, 1936[1] on the 78rpm record format, with 'It's Been So Long' as the B-side. The song is strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. Several have performed the piece as an instrumental, including Fletcher Henderson and, most famously, Benny Goodman.
Benny Goodman recording[edit]
On July 6, 1937, 'Sing, Sing, Sing' was recorded in Hollywood with Benny Goodman on clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, and Chris Griffin on trumpets; Red Ballard and Murray McEachern on trombones; Hymie Schertzer and George Koenig on alto saxophones; Art Rollini and Vido Musso on tenor saxophone; Jess Stacy on piano; Allan Reuss on guitar; Harry Goodman on bass; and Gene Krupa on drums. The song was arranged by Jimmy Mundy. Unlike most big band arrangements of that era, limited in length to three minutes so that they could be recorded on one side of a standard 10-inch 78-rpm record, the version which Goodman’s band recorded was an extended work. The 1937 recording lasted 8 min 43 seconds, and it took up both sides of a 12-inch 78. The recording of Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall live performance (with impromptu solos) took 12 minutes and 30 seconds. Mundy's arrangement incorporated 'Christopher Columbus', a piece written by Chu Berry for the Fletcher Henderson band, as well as Prima's work. Fletcher Henderson recorded a vocal version in August, 1936.[2] The 1937 Benny Goodman recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982.[3]
Ross Firestone says that the 1937 recording 'bore only the slightest resemblance to the original score.' Helen Ward said that the changes started spontaneously: 'One night Gene just refused to stop drumming when he got to the end of the third chorus, where the tune was supposed to end, so Benny blithely picked up the clarinet and noodled along with him. Then someone else stood up and took it, and it went on from there.' Firestone says the elements from 'Christopher Columbus' were added this way. [4] The title of the number as given on the Goodman recordings acknowledges the additional tune - 'Sing, Sing, Sing (introducing Christopher Columbus)”.
In their 1966 book Hear Me Talkin’ To Ya: The Story Of Jazz As Told By The Men Who Made It, music critics Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff quote Goodman as saying, 'Sing, Sing, Sing' (which we started doing back at the Palomar on our second trip there in 1936) was a big thing, and no one-nighter was complete without it.'[5] Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall jazz concert performance with Christopher Columbus interpolation was different from the commercial release and from subsequent performances with the Goodman band. The personnel of the Goodman band for the Carnegie Hall concert were the same as in the 1937 recording session, except that Vernon Brown replaced Murray McEachern on trombone, and Babe Russin replaced Vido Musso on tenor sax.
Stacy was quoted as saying he was glad he did not know Goodman was going to let him solo, because then he would have gotten nervous and 'screwed it up.'[6] For the 1955 recording recreating the Carnegie Hall performance for the movie The Benny Goodman Story, Stacy declined to participate and there was no piano solo, because he was offered only minimum wage for his efforts.
In popular culture[edit]
The composition has appeared in numerous films and television programmes, including:
Films[edit]
- After the Thin Man (1937) (playing during Nick & Nora's homecoming party scene, with vocal lyrics sung by Eadie Adams)
- Hollywood Hotel (1937) (performed by Benny Goodman's Orchestra)
- Canine Caddy (1941 short film), when Mickey Mouse is intensely preparing a golf stroke
- The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
- American Pop (1981)
- Power (1986)
- Big Business (1988), during the opening scene
- New York Stories (1989)
- Swing Kids (1993), performed by Arvid's band during a large gathering
- Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)
- Casino (1995)
- Tower of Terror (1997)
- Pollock (2000), when the characters are gathered around a radio
- Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), during a wedding reception
- The Majestic (2001), during a homecoming reception
- Below (2002), on the submarine's phonograph during several scenes. The script called for the song 'I'll Be Seeing You,' but the filmmakers were unable to secure the rights.
- Bright Young Things (2003)
- Swing Girls (2004)
- Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) (in which Hugh Grant's character dances to it)
- Swing Kids Korean (2018)
- Tove (2020)
Theater[edit]
- Dancin' (1978)
- Fosse (1999)
- Burn the Floor (1999) and spin-offs
Song Player Retro Drawing
Television[edit]
- The Golden Girls episode 'One for the Money' (1987) (The tune plays in one scene when Rose Nylund dances solo against Blanche Devereaux and Dorothy Zbornak at a dance marathon.)
- Chips Ahoy advert (1993)
- Daddy Dearest (1993) theme tune
- The Simpsons episodes 'Lady Bouvier's Lover' (1994) (The tune plays as Mr. Burns cuts in to a dance between Grampa Simpson and Mrs. Bouvier.) and 'Make Room for Lisa' (1999) (The tune playing on the radio when Homer mistakenly thinks from a radio broadcast that he traveled back in time)
- Baseball (1994) The song is heard in the Sixth Inning when recounting Joe DiMaggio and his 56-game hitting streak.
- Gilmore Girls (2002) (Season 3, episode 7: 'They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?')
- Guinness advert 'Moth' (2004)
- The Sopranos Season 6, episode 15: 'Remember When' (2007) (Plays during the closing scene.)
- The Man in the High Castle Season 3, episode 3: 'Sensô Kôi' (2018)
- Dead to Me Season 1 episode 9 (2019) (The song plays over the opening scenes.)
- NCIS Season 17, episode 8 'Musical Chairs' (2019) (Once at beginning and again at end of episode)
- Hollywood Season 1, episode 2 'Hooray for Hollywood: Part 2' (2020) (Once, third of the way into episode, transition from screening room to studio cafeteria)
- Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Season 1, episode 9 'Sing, Sing, Sing'
Video games[edit]
- Donkey Konga (2004)
- Mafia II (2010) (plays on the fictional Empire Central Radio during the 1940s segment of the game)
- LA Noire (2011) (plays on KTI Radio)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Louis Prima in Chronology 1935-1936' album; Complete jazz Series Collection; Classics (viewed on Google Play Music)
- ^https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200023550/BS-100883-Sing_sing_sing_With_a_swing
- ^'GRAMMY Hall Of Fame'. The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ^Firestone, Ross Sing, Sing, Sing The Life & Times of Benny Goodman, W. W. Norton & Company, New York, London, 1993, p. 161.
- ^Shapiro, Nat, and Hentoff, Nat. Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz As Told by the Men Who Made It. New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1966. (Access Page 320 from Google Books.)
- ^Whitney Balliett (2006), 'Back from Valhalla', American Musicians II, ISBN9781578068340
External links[edit]
Single Player Rpg
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Song Players Only Play When You Play
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