The name Clifford Odets probably means little to the modern theatregoer, but there was a time he was considered a titan of American theatre, fitting somewhere in between Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller. His “working class dramas” of the 1930s (like Waiting for Lefty) were extremely popular with audiences and influential with up and coming playwrights.

Odets’ Awake and Sing! debuted on Broadway in 1935 and is considered a classic of American drama. Odets’ time-jumping plot, stylized dialogue, “leftist” themes, and a focus on the plight of Jewish-American family made it somewhat of an odd duck amongst the usual Broadway fare of the day. Santa Rosa’s Roustabout Theater’s Professional Ensemble has a production running at the Luther Burbank Center through Mar. 30.

It’s the tale of the trials and tribulations of a lower-middle class American family during the Depression. The Berger family consists of Bessie (Tamar Cohn), the intimidating matriarch of the family; her self-confessed failure of a husband Myron (Jeff Coté); their unmarried daughter Hennie (Ella Park); and their chomping-to-get-out-of-the-house son Ralph (Logan Witthaus). Bessie’s father Jacob (Jeff Savage), an avowed socialist, also lives with them.

Not losing the roof over their heads is the main force driving Bessie to interfere with Ralph’s relationship with a girl with no means and pressure Hennie into a loveless marriage with an immigrant (Jared N. Wright) with “good business sense”. Despite financial assistance provide by her factory-owning brother Morty (Bill Davis), Bessie takes in a boarder, Moe Axelrod (Bohn Connor), who’s a WWI vet that pines over Hennie. 

The pressure builds in the cramped apartment as Ralph and Hennie seek to escape their circumstances. Grandpa Jacob may advertently (or inadvertently) provide the means to do so. 

Strong performances are the hallmark of Roustabout productions. Overall, the cast of North Bay regulars delivers, though there were some projection and dialect issues. Particularly powerful was the work done by Tamar Cohn and Logan Witthaus. Both embodied the battle between realism and idealism well. 

What was once considered revolutionary theatre may seem a bit stale and hackneyed today, but it’s important for the building blocks of American theatre to continue to be performed. One can sense the influence of Odets on such classics as Long Day’s Journey into Night and Death of a Salesman. 

Awake and Sing!, though showing every one of its 90 years of age, reminds us that our current societal/political/economic battles are not new. Just unresolved.

‘Awake and Sing!’ runs through March 30 in the Carsten Cabaret at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. Fri–Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $28–$34 plus fees. 707.546.3600. roustabout-theater.org

Photos by Tamara DeMello, Bella Photography

This review originally appeared in an edited version in the North Bay Bohemian.