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The Cradle Will Rock - Definition and Overview |
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The 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project. It was directed by Orson Welles, and produced by John Houseman.
Originally set to open at the Maxine Elliott Theatre the production was shut down due to budget cuts within the Federal Theatre Project—though it was widely thought that this was instead due to censorship on the part of the government. On the spur of the moment, Welles, Housman, and Blitzstein rented the Venice Theatre, a piano, and planned for Blitzstein to sing/play/read the entire musical to the sold out house. Just after beginning the first number, Blitzstein realized that he was being joined by the actor playing Moll—who joined in from the audience, since she was forbidden by the Actor's Union to perform the piece onstage. During the rest of the performance various actors joined in with Blitzstein and performed the entire musical from the house. Many who attended the performance, including poet laureate Archibald MacLeish, thought it to be one of the most moving theatrical experiences of their life.
The success of the production led Welles and Houseman to form the Mercury Theatre.
See also
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