Summary
"We got the blues-the 1935 blues," Sid, a struggling taxi driver, tells his girlfriend by way of an explanation for why they should break up. The scene takes place in a revival of Clifford Oders' rabble-rousing classic, Waiting for Lefty, at the Indoor Forest Theatre, which couldn't possibly be more timely. The production launched Odets' career when it was first put on by the Group Theater during the Great Depression, and still plays as though it were ripped from today's headlines.
Offstage, the voices of impatient militants cry out, "Where's Lefty?"- Lefty Costello, the firebrand union leader who they believe better represents their interests. But for the rest of the play, Lefty, like Godot, remains offstage. He's a reminder of what could have beenand what might be- in sharp contrast to the racketeers who run the union or the cab company that is keeping their wages artificially low. [Harry Fatt] disparagingly lets one of the other union members, Joe, speak instead, but dismisses his arguments as those of a "Red." (Ironically, Odets was later denounced for "naming names" of fellow Communists to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee; his defense was that he also denounced the Committee's authority and only gave the names they already knew, but he remained an unforgiven, tortured figure.)One angry cabbie avows, "If we're Reds because we wanna strike, then we take over their salute, too!" As they give the Communist salute, the drivers face the authence and take up Odets' famous shout: "Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!"See the full content of this document
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Labor Pains
Labor Pains
A very timely Waiting for Lefty revival shines in Carmel."We got the blues-the 1935 blues," Sid, a struggling taxi driver, tells his girlfriend by way of an explanation for why they should break up. The scene takes place in a revival of Clif...See the full content of this document
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