The One True Dave

Waiting for Lefty

This play made me cry.  I found the scenes very affective not only because of the strong unapologetic socialist message (which is sorely lacking in contemporary American writing) but also because of my own position working hard to support my family, etc.  This play is didactic and why not!  It reminds me a great deal of Brecht’s Lehrstucke (learning plays) he wrote in the 30s used to teach Marxism.  I have to say, though, that Odet’s plays never forget the theatre also entertains.

Genre – Epic theatre.  This play could (should?) be played realistically (even employing method-acting) but also has some highly theatrical elements (that could be staged stylistically or as distancing tools) to keep the audience at a critical distance.

Year: 1935 – during the great depression.

Location: Somewhere in the Northeast United States (probably New York).

Cast: Fatt, Joe, Edna, Miller, Fayette, Irv, Florrie, Sid, Clayton, Agate Keller, Henchman, Reilly, Dr. Barnes, Dr. Benjamin, A Man.

This play is a collection of short scenes framed by a meeting hall where workers (specifically Taxi drivers) have gathered to discuss (loudly) whether or not to strike.  Present is Harry Fatt who is visibly different from the mob by how well-fed and confident he is.  He represents the company.  He has a Henchman/bodyguard.  The first scene is between Joe and Edna where Edna threatens to leave (and may have been seeing another more successful man) Joe unless he changes (any change, even quitting or striking would be better than slowly starving) their financial situation.  Joe vows to go start the strike.  It is left open whether Edna stays.  The second scene is between a lab assistant and an industrialist.  The industrialist (Fayette) offers Miller, the lab assistant, a huge amount of money to start work on creating poison gas for military purposes.  Fayette tries to leverage Miller to do this highly distasteful work by using Miller’s family’s well-being the payoff.  Miller refuses and actually punches Fayette at the end of the scene.  The third scene is between Florence and her brother, Irving, while she waits for her boyfriend Sid.  Sid doesn’t have work.  Irving worries that Florence marry Sid.  Sid arrives and Florence and he have an intense and highly depressing scene about how they are stuck with no way out (and have been for three years).  The fourth scene is back at the meeting hall.  Still waiting for Lefty (the leader for the potential strikers), Fatt calls up a “witness” for not striking.  Clayton steps up.  There is a great commotion as it is revealed Clayton is a stooge working for Fatt confirmed by the fact Clayton’s real name is Clancy and the brother of one of the gathered workers.  Clayton/Clancy is run out.  The fifth scene deals with anti-Semitism in a discussion between two doctors.  The premise is that another charity ward of the hospital is being closed to save money.  In addition some doctors are being let go.  Specifically, Dr. Benjamin is let go because he is Jewish.  What is more, Dr. Benjamin was pulled off an operation to give it to a lesser (non-Jewish) doctor and that patient dies.  A brutal scene.  It ends with Benjamin with his fist held high saying “Fight! Maybe get killed, but goddamn! We’ll go ahead!” The final scene is in the meeting hall during which it is revealed Lefty has been shot in an alley.  Agate takes the stage and leads the assembly with a powerful speech to action ending with everyone shouting, “STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE!”

So good.  Why is this great American playwright not produced more in the US?  Hmm, I wonder.