By snoadmin
The California Repertory Company opens its first play of the season with “Waiting for Lefty: Seeing Red,” on the Queen Mary.
“Waiting for Lefty,” by Clifford Odets, centers around several interconnected stories based on the 1934 New York taxi driver strike at the height of the Great Depression.
Guest directing for the show is Kim Rubinstein, theater professor from UC San Diego.
“We are living in depressed, desperate times.” Rubinstein said in a press release. “Not since the Depression has the country rocked on such unstable ground. We walk on the American landscape, juggling greedy desire while attempting to live in safety and decency.”
To set the mood for the show, the costuming department for Cal State Long Beach took special care in the preparation of costumes.
“We’ve maintained the 1930s feel but added a few contemporary elements,” Megan Prima, a costuming graduate student, said. “We started with Lefty, then expanded with other plays. This means more characters and a lot of costume changes.”
The version of “Waiting for Lefty” will include excerpts of several other works by Odets — all revolving around the Depression.
Scenic design graduate, Yuri Okahana, designed the set using minimalist design and few colors.
“I tried to keep the set simple,” Okahana said. “In my opinion simple things have the most powerful message.”
The set utilizes only red, black and white colors with model houses and cars suspended above the stage that add surreal aspect to the design.
“I read the script and talked with the director about what kind of direction or concept she had,” Okahana said. “The hanging [of the models] was a challenge and required adjustments.”
Lighting design graduate, Heather Crocker, attests to the challenge of having suspended models above a stage.
“The lights have to hit certain areas on the stage,” Crocker said. “We needed to make sure the models didn’t get in the way and we had balance.”
When the show begins, the homes and vehicles will light up to accentuate the different storylines.
Even with innovations in costuming and design, the heart of a show will always be the actors.
“[Waiting for Lefty] is still supporting issues in the country even now,” said Anna Steers, who will be performing in the play. “There are issues of a country in economic crisis at the peak of the depression. It’s about action versus non-action.”
Jerry Prell, who will perform several roles in the play, looks at the play in its historical context.
“A lot of what was happening in the labor movement was going on in Russia with communism,” Prell said. “[Waiting for Lefty] looks at people who have found work then have to take cuts in pay. It looks at what it takes to make a living.”
Prell mentions a section of the play called “Rocket to the Moon.” The scene revolves around a dentist who can’t support his practice.
“This dentist isn’t able to make payments and says, ‘I survived the war but can’t survive in the USA,'” Prell said. “There’s a big union scene where it’s big business versus labor, a lot of questions are asked.”
“You get both sides,” Steers said. “Both points of view get fleshed out and real, not just the labor union.”
Rubinstein, recently Long Wharf Theatre’s associate artistic director, has directed for Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, and Chicago Shakespeare.
“Waiting for Lefty” will be performed at the Queen Mary Tuesday through Saturday, Sept. 24 to Oct. 16 at 8 p.m., with the exception of Oct. 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16 when performances will take place at 6 p.m. There will be one matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25.
Parking at the Queen Mary is $8 for patrons of Cal Rep performances, $6 for CSULB students and patrons who have dinner aboard the ship. For tickets and information, visit calrep.org.
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