"The Cradle Will Rock," the second main stage production from Tisch New Theatre, is an impassioned take on Marc Blitzstein's 1937 musical that showcases a truly talented ensemble of singers, dancers and actors. The decision to frame the original script and score with an economically bleak 2012 — in which NYU students have been forced to drop out due to high tuition costs — is a bold move that never quite works, but the show never stops being thought-provoking and wildly entertaining.
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The haunting prologue features testimonials from students forced out of school, as the ensemble performs carefully choreographed dance interpretations of their emotional struggles.
The play is a simple story of Marxist uprising: A man named Larry Foreman (Rob Brinkmann) tries to inspire the people to rise up against Mr. Mister, the bureaucrat who literally has his finger on the pulse of "Steeltown, USA." Of course, it's a challenge: Mr. Mister's Liberty Committee is made up of artists, a reverend, a doctor and even the president of the local university.
The themes of survival and sacrifice are clearer than ever, and the NYU references — the bourgeoisie wear all purple, the riots take place in Union Square and Washington Square Park — provide a sardonic twist. But the students in the beginning are only a tease; their stories are never expanded upon, and the conceit winds up feeling out of place.
But although the narrative framing device falls short, the actual framing device — a gorgeous set composed of tattered sheets, plywood arches and piles of boxes in which the "performers" carry their props for each scene — is incredibly effective at creating an atmosphere of desperation.
During this operatic performance, with scenes spanning from night court to university to the drug store, one is inevitably compelled to consider how Blitzstein's archetypes remain universal today. The professors are typical overachievers: Mrs. Mister (Sarah Naughton) is the giggly, manipulative airhead in any student's recitation. The journalist, then and now, is negotiating the boundaries of free speech within an academic community.
At the same time, the present contains corrupt churches, artists compromising for corporate patronage and people who have been robbed of their rights. Director Zi Alikhan really makes you see the continuities.
In such a large cast, it's difficult to single out actors, but the main players give nuanced performances that toe the line between entertaining and devastating. Naughton is delightful and audacious as Mrs. Mister, flitting between the various social groups. Even though the audience meets him only in the second act, Brinkmann is infectiously charming as rabble-rouser Foreman. Ben Yahr, Su Hendrickson and Amanda Savan shine in their cameos as, respectively, two smarmy artists willing to sink to new lows to stay employed and the soulful sister of a man whose death was covered up by Mr. Mister.
"The Cradle Will Rock" — both the show and its show-within-a-show — are a testament to what young people can achieve, and the enduring creativity that comes out of the shadow of economic turmoil.
"The Cradle Will Rock" plays through Sunday, May 2, at NYU's Atlas Theatre (111 Second Ave.). Tickets are sold out, but you can get on the waitlist by visiting tischnewtheatre.com. There will also be a free performance on May 7 in Washington Square Park at 6 p.m.
