Customer Reviews

The Cradle Will Rock: Original 1985 Cast Recording

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This excellent recording is a document of the 1985 Acting Company production that was directed by John Houseman, who provides a 12-minute spoken introduction to the recording on a separate CD. Houseman's introduction has much less interest on the second and later listening, and it seems to be a waste to leave that CD with only that short amount of recorded time. The second CD contains all the music of the play, some 79 minutes.

Patti Lupone is an intriguing casting choice for Moll, for Lupone has all the range and stamina and charisma necessary to carry a leading role. However, the role of Moll is a key minor character that Lupone reveals in this recording a full dimensionality that is not available in the other recordings of Cradle Will Rock: not just the tough cookie paradigm of the prostitute, but also the naïf in the midst of wolves, down on her luck.

And such a lot of wolves there are, fully revealed in this recording: Reverend Salvation's costume covers another form of prostitution; Cops stand everywhere with a palm ready for greasing; Editor Daily acts not only as a publisher but also as a pimp and procurer. The performances make the characters full of life and their personalities more rounded than one would expect from their generic names, Dr. Specialist; Jr. Mister; and the rogue above all, Mr. Mister. It is easy to assume the entire script is included in the recording, as smooth editing has obliterated any breaks. One indication that cutting may have occurred is the late appearance of Larry Foreman, in Scene Seven, à la Waiting For Godot.

Miking of the cast is very satisfactory, especially in comparison to the recording of the original Broadway Cast. All vocal lines are distinct. As in the other recordings, a simple piano accompaniment is retained from the original performance, even though a careful listening reveals clearly that the original was scored for a small orchestra.

The performances are a good blend of musicality and character. The accompaniment shows Blitzstein's familiarity with classical music, Sprechstimme, the musical theatre of Weill/Brecht, and, of course, popular song. This recording strengthens the artistic concept that Blitzstein had developed, and it provides reason for our sense of loss with Blitzstein's relative absence from the concert stage and theatre revivals. Perhaps we will be always lucky to have other composers like Stephen Sondheim, who must have been familiar enough with "Art For Art's Sake" (Scene Six) to use it as an inspiration for "Putting It Together" of Sunday In the Park With George. Too bad that Andrew Lloyd Weber hasn't the same awareness of good precursors.

Thanks to Tim Robbins' movie, this gutsy left-wing anthem is being re-discovered, and in my case discovered for the first time. I can't compare this production to others, but the performances here contained the same passion and energy as those in the film. Patty Lupone, as usual, is first-rate. More important, this production makes us appreciate the vitality and eclecticism of Blitzstein's remarkable score, and makes us understand why he is credited with influencing Bernstein and Sondheim. The timelessness of the music allows us to overlook the somewhat dated nature of the material. As a bonus, this recording also gives us John Houseman's introduction, which provides some interesting tidbits about the world premiere that were not covered in the movie.

"The Cradle Will Rock" has actually, as noted below, been rediscovered many, many times. Anti-union tactics may have become more sophisticated than just blowing someone up, but the theme is if anything more jermaine today than it was in the late 30s (or as much so). If Blitzstein wrote it today, he would reference out-sourcing and computer vote theft. This was the real precusor of "Rent" and "Urinetown". I've heard the full orchestra score, which is very good given Blitzstein was a fully trained classical composer (unusual for a Broadway composer, Sondheim for instance doesn't orchestrate his own scores) but the piano score used here is perhaps slightly preferable given the story, a plainess suits it (the full orchestra score should be recorded, of course). Even with Brecht's invaluable advice inspiring the creation of the show, the book is lumpy - librettos were Blitzstein's Achilles heel, over and over. But Lupone is a wonderful Moll, the rest of the cast are very effective actors singing and it's very simply and tautly directed. It's fun to hear the original Welles recordings with Blitzstein but for the best recording this is it. That first CD with Houseman's memories is nice, but they might have added Blitzstein's recording of his version of the opening night, given the available space.

In opposition to the reviewer suggesting this should be left out of any Broadway collection, it is a seminal work that is less dated than "Oklahoma" if deliberately less melodic. It belongs in every collection, and if it were it wouldn't have to be rediscovered every five to ten years.

My parents had a recording of this on 8" reel tape when I was a kid. We listened to it a lot, along with the Fantastiks and a few other stage pieces. At eight I loved "the nickle under my foot." Now at forty-nine I am remembering so many parts that flew over my young head in earlier days! And love listening to of all people Patti Lupone as Moll... I once heard her in London doing Evita, and the range between those two parts...holy schnikes but she's good. As are the rest of this cast!

There have been many successful revivals of this work than many think. Bernstein did it with piano in the late forties, then conducted the first production with Blitzstein's full pit later. Another recorded production (1964: MGM Records) most may have forgotten because it is out of print was one directed by Howard DaSilva (the original Larry Foreman) done with piano with none other than Jerry Orbach as Larry: who better to play Larry Foreman than Lenny Brisco. The great Micki Grant, Joe Bova, and Laurie Peters are also in it. Alas, hard to find but this is NOT a newly re-discovered work by any stretch.

I purchased this CD recently through Amazon. The music and cast are excellent, bringing to life a theater legend that is very relevant to the times we live in today (2010).

Unfortunately, this version is now one disc, not two, and John Houseman's 12 minute intro is not part of it anymore. I am disappointed as I was looking forward to hearing the story as recounted by somewhere who was a central character in the drama of the play's first performance.

I absolutely recommend this beautifully recorded, and championed piece of music. This said I heartily sway anyone who is contemplating Blitzstein to also consider Bertholt Brecht, composer, songwriter, and storyteller behind THE THREE PENNY OPERA. It is important to state that Brecht's piece is easily considered one of the first pieces of Populous inspired music, and this rise of a proletariat form of entertainment inspired Blitzstein.

This said, if you are into catch numbers, cutsie stories, and any rubbish that is considered "popular" musical theatre, then I strongly recommend you run away quickly, and take "dramadude's" advise and watch the painfully sexist and racially motivate THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, or say, any of a dozen Hollywood film recently converted into Broadway. I believe I even saw a billboard in Boston recently that advertised FOOTLOOSE ON ICE at the Schubert, so that might be of interest.

However, if you like RENT, URINETOWN, LES MISERABLES, Sondheim or any number of names dropped in RENT's own anthem LA VIE BOHEME, then you will enjoy THE CRADLE WILL ROCK.

So here's the liner note: Imagine, say, if every news pundit, or media junky who supported the president were all thrown into the slammer, and forced to see the people the assail, or in our case ignore, face to face. In the case of THE CRADLE WILL ROCK that is the situation. A handful of corporate lackeys (ie. artists, ministers, journalists, doctors, strikejumpers) are force into jail. They trust their boss, Mister Mister, will release them. He never comes.

They judge the other inmates. One is a whore, so they treat her and her cellmates as whores. By the end, however, you will discover, as do the characters, that because of their association with Mister Mister they are the whores.

In the end at a time of post Wilson WWI surveilance, the birth of the FBI, and the early attempts by Conservatives to overturn the changes of the Progressive era, Blitzstein, sounding an awful lot like HENRY DAVID THOREAU, teaches that if our leaders are wrong then we have a right to CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. This musical, the first of its kind in American History, in its day was cause to take to the streets. It makes one question... what do motivations do we have to do the same?

So buy this, and while your at it... buy Brecht, then ask as you listen to them these questions: 1) why were they both banned at one point. 2) Why is CRADLE still impossible to buy a script for under $200.00 3) Why are American versions of both subsequently abridged.

(On a sidenote, Sondheim refers to CRADLE WILL ROCK as his impetus.)

I had wanted the 196? revival of this show starring Jerry Orbach which is not available on CD so I was glad to have one I did not have to worry about scratching it. However, it was my fault in that I really wanted the Orbach. This revival is somewhat lacking in the energy and the appreciation of the sarcasm of the earlier one. Perhaps someone who had not seen the earlier revival or the film about the infamous opening [and cloing] night of the original production would not know what was missing in this one but I did.