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Awake and Sing! is a drama written by American playwright Clifford Odets. The play was initially produced by The Group Theatre in 1935.

Summary and characters[edit]

The play is set in The Bronxborough of New York City, New York, in 1933. It concerns the impoverished Berger family, who all live under one roof, and their conflicts as the parents scheme to manipulate their children's relationships to their own ends, while their children strive for their own dreams.

The audience is introduced to a unique family. The matriarch of the family, Bessie, had high hopes and dreams for her family; however, despite her hopefulness, her largest fear is that her family will lose their home and all their possessions. This fear stems from a woman down the street who had this exact thing happen to her.

The household consists of extended family such as Bessie's father, Jacob, her husband Myron, and their son Ralph, 21, and spinster daughter Hennie, 26. To top it all off, in order to ease the financial burden on the family, the Bergers have taken in an immigrant boarder, named Sam.

Besides the desire for financial stability, there are other problems that the Bergers face, such as Hennie's unwanted pregnancy. To avoid this burden on the family, Bessie insists on the marriage between Hennie and the new immigrant boarder in order to save her family's reputation and her daughter's life. Hennie has no love for Sam. The family has very different views on the arranged marriage between Hennie and Sam. For example, Ralph, a more philosophical character of the play, is not in agreement with his mother's decision. Ralph very much resembles his grandfather who is an idealist. The Berger house is therefore divided into idealists and realists, much like society as a whole.

In a turn of events, Jacob commits suicide after making Ralph the beneficiary of his life insurance policy, in hopes that this will give Ralph the freedom for which he yearns.

Themes

Odets brings to the table the issues of the importance of appearances in relation to respectability in society - how we appear to society is how we improve and gain status - as well as the contrasting worlds of idealism and realism. Odets also presents the contrasting of materialistic ideals and the importance of money in society. Through his writing, he zooms in on the economic burden that is placed on society and how it affects the lives of humans and the way they live their lives. He also shows how values can become blurred and perceptions can change with experience.

Characters[edit]

• Myron Berger – the father of the family
• Bessie Berger – his wife
• Hennie Berger – their daughter, age 26
• Ralph Berger – their son, age 21
• Uncle Morty – Bessie's brother, a successful businessman
• Jacob – father of Bessie and Morty; a Marxist; he lives with the Bergers
• Moe Axelrod – a friend of the family who eventually boards with the Bergers
• Sam Feinschreiber – an immigrant who courts Hennie
• Schlosser – the janitor in the Bergers' apartment building

Productions[edit]

The play premiered on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre on February 19, 1935, running for 184 performances before closing on July 27, 1935; it returned two months later on September 9 for an additional 24 performances through September 28, 1935. Directed by Harold Clurman, the cast starred Luther Adler (Moe Axelrod), Stella Adler (Bessie Berger), Morris Carnovsky (Jacob), John Garfield (Ralph Berger) and Sanford Meisner (Sam Feinschreiber).

It was revived in 1961 at the Teatro Oficina, São Paulo, Brazil.

It was revived off-Broadway in 1970, 1979, 1993 and 1995.^[1] It was revived on Broadway in 1938, 1939, 1984 and 2006.

A Lincoln Center Theater production on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre, opening on April 17, 2006, and closing on June 25, 2006 after 80 performances and 27 previews, won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Directed by Bartlett Sher, the cast featured Ben Gazzara (Jacob), Zoë Wanamaker (Bessie), Mark Ruffalo (Moe), Pablo Schreiber (Ralph), and Lauren Ambrose (Hennie).^[2][3] Gazzara and Ruffalo repeated their roles (with Sher directing) in a 2010 L.A. Theatre Works recording of the play that also starred Jane Kaczmarek.^[4]

Directed by Robert Hopkins and Norman Lloyd, Awake and Sing, premiered on PBS March 6, 1972.^[5] This film production of the play featured Walter Matthau^[6] (Moe), Ruth Storey (Bessie), Felicia Farr (Hennie), Robert Lipton (Ralph), Leo Fuchs (Jacob), Milton Selzer (Myron), Martin Ritt (Uncle Morty), Ron Rifkin (Sam), and John Myhers (Schlosser).^[5]

It was produced at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, in 1996.

In 2006, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. produced the show with the director (and Arena's founding artistic director) Zelda Fichandler in a production featuring Robert Prosky as Jacob, and featuring the adoption of Yiddish in the script that conforms to Odets's earlier version of the play, titled 'I Got the Blues.'^[7]

Following its American success in revivals, the play was staged in London at the Off West End Almeida Theatre, from August 31, 2007, through October 20, 2007. Directed by Michael Attenborough, the cast featured Stockard Channing as Bessie.^[8]

The play opened in Toronto, Ontario, on June 6, 2009, for a two-month run at the Soulpepper Theatre Company.

The National Asian American Theatre Company in New York produced the play from August to September 2013 at the SoHo Walker Space. It won an Obie Award for Mia Katigbak as Bessie Berger. It is currently playing at the New York Public Theatre as part of National Asian American Theatre Company's 25th Anniversary.^[9]

In 2014, a production at the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts in Olney, Maryland was directed by Serge Seiden and featured Rick Foucheux as Jacob and Naomi Jacobsen as Bessie Berger.^[10] Also in 2014, a production at Boston's Huntington Theater Company, was directed by Melia Bensussen.^[11][12]

In 2015, the Public Theater with National Asian-American Theatre Company presented a production with a cast completely of Asian descent under the direction of Stephen Brown-Fried. It was led by Mia Katigbak and received a Drama League nomination for Outstanding Revival.^[13]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Tony Awards (2006)[edit]

• Best Revival of a Play (win)
• Best Costume Design of a Play (win)
• Best Lighting Design of a Play (nomination)
• Best Scenic Design of a Play (nomination)
• Best Direction of a Play (nomination)
• Featured Actress – Zoe Wanamaker (nomination)
• Featured Actor – Mark Ruffalo (nomination) and Pablo Schreiber (nomination)

Drama Desk Awards (2006)[edit]

• Outstanding Revival of a Play (win)
• Outstanding Set Design of a Play (win)
• Outstanding Ensemble Performance (win)
• Outstanding Lighting Design (nomination)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Internet Off-Broadway database listing, Awake and SingArchived April 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine lortel.org. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
2. ^article on 2006 revivalArchived December 24, 2005, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, 2006
3. ^Defying Poverty's Everyday Despair in Odets's 'Awake and Sing!'The New York Times review of 2006 revival, April 18, 2006
4. ^Awake and Sing, With Ruffalo and Gazzara, Begins L.A. Run Jan. 13Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ ^abTV Guide, North Carolina Edition, March 4–10, 1972, pg A-45
6. ^Internet Movie Database listingInternet Movie Database. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
7. ^Awake and Sing! - Zelda Fichandler returns to Arena to direct Clifford Odetts' (sic) drama, All About Jewish Theatre, article undatedArchived October 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine jewish-theatre.com. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
8. ^Almeida Theatre's 2007 London productionArchived September 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine almeida.co.uk
9. ^http://naatco.org/productions/2013_awake_and_sing/
10. ^Theater Review, Awake and Sing! at Olney Theatre Center Theater Review, 'Awake and Sing!' at Olney Theatre Center, Maryland Theatre Guide, Sept. 29, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
11. ^Review, Awake and Sing! at Huntington Theater WBUR, 'Awake and Sing!' at Huntington Theater, Nov. 14, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
12. ^Review, Awake and Sing! at Huntington Theater Boston Globe, 'Awake and Sing!' at Huntington Theater, Nov. 14, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
13. ^https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/SHE-LOVES-ME-HAMILTON-THE-CRUCIBLE-More-Earn-2016-Drama-League-Nominations-Check-Out-the-Full-List-20160420

• Hernandez, Ernio (April 17, 2006). 'Playbill Archives: Awake and Sing! — 1935'. Playbill. Archived from the original on November 17, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.

Further reading[edit]

• Odets, Clifford (1900s). Shtey uf un zing (in Yiddish). United States: O.fg. OCLC83856392.
• Odets, Clifford (1935). Awake and Sing, A Play in Three Acts. New York City: Random House. OCLC2128928.

External links[edit]

• Awake and Sing! at the Internet Broadway Database

Player is an American rock band that made their mark during the late 1970s. The group scored several US Hot 100 hits, three of which went into the Top 40; two of those single releases went Top 10, including the No. 1 hit 'Baby Come Back', written by group members Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley.

Career[edit]

Player first came together in Los Angeles, California. The original members included Peter Beckett (vocals, guitar), John Charles 'J.C.' Crowley (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ronn Moss (vocals, bass), and John Friesen (drums).

Beckett, a transplanted Englishman, had been in a group called Skyband with Australian Steve Kipner (who had also played with the Australian band Tin Tin). After Skyband broke up in 1975, Beckett was in Los Angeles and met Crowley at a party. He and Crowley teamed up in a new band called Riff Raff, which soon changed its name to Bandana and released a single, 'Jukebox Saturday Night', on Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter's Haven label. Steve Kipner and former Grass Roots guitarist Reed Kailing were also members of Riff Raff/Bandana, but Kipner was gone before the single's recording and Kailing was aced out after its release, though some of the Bandana tracks with Kailing's playing and co-writing later appeared on Player's debut.

When the Haven label folded soon afterward, Lambert and Potter brought the others over to RSO Records in 1976, and Beckett and Crowley started anew with Moss and Friesen (a former percussionist and musical director for the Ice Follies) as Player. Wayne Cook, a keyboardist/session player and former member of Steppenwolf, was an additional bandmember for its live performances; he is the curly-haired keyboardist in the band's videos from the 1970s.

Player gained popularity as a live act during the heyday of the 1970s stadium rock era. They first went on the road in the fall of 1977 opening for Gino Vannelli, then Boz Scaggs. They began to develop a distinctive, edgy and melodic rock style. Their biggest hit, 'Baby Come Back', released in late 1977, rose to No. 1 on the BillboardHot 100 in January 1978 and was a chart success in other countries. Their follow up single, 'This Time I'm in It for Love', also peaked at No. 10 the same year. Among several notable accolades, Player was named Billboard's Best New Singles Artist of 1978. Eric Clapton invited them to open for him during his 1978 North American “Slow Hand” tour.

Later in 1978, keyboardist Cook left and was replaced by Bob Carpenter (who would go on to join Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). Eventually the band began to headline some of their own events, as well as continuing to open shows for artists like Heart and Kenny Loggins in the fall of 1978. But after playing a show with the latter at Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida, on October 29, 1978, tension among the various group members resulted in a huge blow up. When the smoke finally cleared, and after the group played a few more shows with Heart in late 1978, Beckett left the group and Player was without a record contract.

The remaining three, Crowley, Moss and Friesen, attempted to find a new deal and carry on but were unsuccessful. Crowley then decided to return to his native Texas, where he later pursued a career in country music. In the meantime, Beckett regrouped with Moss and Friesen to continue on as Player.

Player released four albums during their active touring years: Player (RSO Records in 1977), Danger Zone (RSO Records in 1978), Room With A View (Casablanca Records in 1980), the latter without Crowley, and Spies Of Life (RCA Records in 1981). After a long absence, Beckett brought Moss back into the fold in 1995 and Player released their fifth album, Lost In Reality, on River North Records in 1996. Two Many Reasons followed on Frontiers Records in 2013 and, like Reality, was written and produced by Beckett.

Lineup changes and dissolution[edit]

Miles Joseph (vocals, guitar) and Gabriel Katona (keyboards, ex-Rare Earth) joined Beckett, Moss and Friesen in the studio for the group's third album, Room With a View (April 1980), produced by Beckett with Tony Peluso.

By the end of 1980 Player wasn't active, recording or touring, so Moss decided to pursue an acting career. He originated the role of Ridge Forrester on the new CBS-TV soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 1987 until August 2012, after which he made the decision to not continue in the series after he was injured in an auto accident.

As Moss was occupied with acting, Beckett kept going as Player with Friesen, Joseph, Katona and Rusty Buchanan (vocals, bass, ex-Sugarloaf) and with producer Dennis Lambert back on board, released their fourth album, Spies of Life, on RCA in late 1981. The band continued until 1982 and played on the music series Solid Gold that year. But after this, the band once again found themselves without a record deal and elected to go their separate ways. Guitarist Miles Joseph later passed away of heart failure on December 25, 2012.

Peter Beckett went on to be a member of Little River Band from 1989 to 1997 and played 'Baby Come Back' at its performances.

J.C. Crowley (who still occasionally wrote with Beckett) became a Nashville performer and songwriter, recording his only solo album, Beneath the Texas Moon, in 1988. In 1989 he had country hits with 'Paint the Town and Hang the Moon Tonight' (No. 13) and 'I Know What I've Got' (No. 21), and was named 'Best New Male Country Performer'. He wrote a number of songs recorded by Nashville artists, including Johnny Cash and The Oak Ridge Boys. He also won a battle with cancer in the late 1990s and now lives in Topanga Canyon, California.

Return[edit]

Although the original lineup of Player had disbanded, Beckett and Moss rejoined forces to record and tour together once again as Player in 1995. The duo recorded an additional studio album as Player, released in Japan in August 1995 as Electric Shadow and renamed Lost in Reality when put out on River North Records in the U.S. in May 1996.

On December 16, 1997, Player played live for the first time in years at the L.A. Music Awards at the Hollywood Palladium with a lineup consisting of Beckett, Moss, Elliot Easton (of The Cars) on guitar, Burleigh Drummond of Ambrosia on drums and Tony Sciuto of Little River Band on keyboards. A compilation album, Best of Player, was released in 1998.

The response to the group's reunion show was so enthusiastic that they had several offers for more concert dates. River North Records dropped the band and Player tried to buy back the rights to the Lost in Reality CD but were unsuccessful.

Player toured in the spring of 1998 with a lineup of Beckett, Moss, Sciuto, Drummond, guitarist Steve Farris (formerly of Mr. Mister) and percussionist Ron Green, with guitarist Dave Amato (from REO Speedwagon) and drummer Ron Wikso (formerly of Foreigner and The Storm) filling in for Drummond as needed depending on the schedules of the others.

A 2000 lineup of Player included drummer Craig Pilo, guitarist Michael Hakes, Green, Sciuto, Moss and Beckett playing more shows across the United States. But Michael Hakes died on November 19, 2003, from complications from leukemia. After Hakes' death, the band stopped touring and concentrated on other projects.

In 2007 Player reunited once again with a lineup of: Beckett, Moss, Pilo, Green, Ricky Zacharaides (guitar) and Ed Roth (keyboards). Percussionist Ron Green last appeared with Player in 2008.

By 2009 Rob Math (guitar) and keyboardist Johnny English (later called J.C. Love and now known as Jawn Starr) had come in to replace Zacharaides and Roth.

On November 14, 2009 J.C. Crowley temporarily reunited with Beckett and Moss at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, California for a tribute concert to Dennis Lambert in a charity benefiting the Desert Arc Foundation.

In February 2013 Player (Beckett and Moss) released their new album, Too Many Reasons, on Frontiers Records. They toured throughout the United States and Canada over the summer as part of the Sail Rock 2013 with Christopher Cross, Gary Wright, Al Stewart, Orleans, Firefall, Robbie Dupree and John Ford Coley.

Quiet Riot's drummer, Frankie Banali, guested with Player on June 3, 2013, for a charity concert in Agoura, CA.

Roger Williams' drummer, Jimmy Carnelli, took over as their new drummer in 2014 and Player did an extensive tour of Australia in November 2014 promoted as 'An Intimate Evening with Ronn Moss & Player', playing up Ronn's huge popularity Down Under.

Beckett and Moss split off from the last incarnation of the band to tour with the Yacht Rock Revue both on cruise ships and other venues around the U.S in 2014. In 2015 Beckett and Moss appeared on tour with Rock The Yacht 2015 with Little River Band as well as various dates with Orleans and Ambrosia.

The two continued to tour in 2017 together, then separately, Peter Beckett as 'The Voice of Player' and Moss as 'Ronn Moss & Friends'.^[4] Moss, though still listed an official member of the band, wasn't appearing with them in the latter part of 2017, where Mark Winley (ex-Johnny Winter) was standing in for him, alongside Beckett, Math, drummer Burleigh Drummond and new Singer/keyboardist Buster Akrey, known for writing the Power Rangers music.''The Bold And The Beautiful' News: Ronn Moss - Where Is He Now? - Soap Opera Spy'. Soap Opera Spy. June 13, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.</ref> [1]^[5]

In the summer of 2018, Beckett appeared with Rock The Yacht 2018 alongside Ambrosia, John Ford Coley, Robbie Dupree and Stephen Bishop.

Ronn Moss did his fourth solo tour of Australia in March 2019 and was slated to tour Italy for the first time in the summer of 2019 as well as releasing a new album My Baby's Back.^[6]

Lawsuit and settlement[edit]

Song Player

In May 2018 Ronn Moss filed a lawsuit against former Player bandmate Peter Beckett over rights to the band's trademark. In November 2018 Moss and Beckett reached a settlement resulting in a stipulated court order, which stated that both Moss and Beckett owned common rights to the Player name and that the “mark is valid, subsisting, and enforceable.'^[7]

The court further ordered the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to update the registration for the Player trademark to “Peter Beckett and Ronn Moss, DBA', an unincorporated partnership. In the joint press release announcing their settlement, Moss and Beckett stated that in order to avoid any potential fan confusion Moss and Becket have agreed to add their own name in front of the Player mark whenever they use it – i.e. Peter Beckett's Player or Ronn Moss’ Player.^[8] According to the court order, the use of the name by either Beckett or Moss for individual use 'without the consent of the other and in a manner which does not constitute fair use, is likely to cause consumer confusion as the source or sponsorship of such goods or services.”^[9][10]

Side projects[edit]

Moss (with Beckett) has recorded two solo albums: I'm Your Man (2000) and Uncovered (2005). Both Moss and Beckett continue to play limited concert schedules as solo artists and teamed up to play in Australia in 2006 in support of Uncovered.

On May 12, 2014, Player appeared on ABC's daytime drama/soap opera 'General Hospital' as a surprise guest for the annual 'Nurses Ball' segment. That lineup was Beckett (vocals, guitar), Moss (vocals, bass), Rob Math (vocals, guitar), Jawn Star (vocals, keyboard), and Bryan Hitt (drummer for REO Speedwagon).^[11]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Sting Player Piano

• Player (1977)
• Danger Zone (1978)
• Room with a View (1980)
• Spies of Life (1981)
• Electric Shadow (Japan) / Lost in Reality (US) (1995/1996)
• Too Many Reasons (2013)

Compilation albums[edit]

Among Us Sing Player

• Baby Come Back (1978)
• Best of Player (1990)
• The Best of Player – Baby Come Back (1998)

Singles[edit]

Song Player Retro Drawing

References[edit]

1. ^Ankeny, Jason. 'Player – Artist Biography'. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
2. ^'Current Band Members as of September 2017'. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018.
3. ^'Player 40th anniversary 1977-2017'. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018.
4. ^Morsch, Mike. 'Player is bringing classic 'Yacht Rock' to Harrah's'. CentralJersey.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
5. ^'Bold Outlook: Ronn Moss Talks About Life After Bold & Beautiful'. Soap Opera Digest. November 9, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
6. ^'Actor and singer Ronn Moss talks life, music'. Gold Coast Sun. March 8, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
7. ^'Hollywood Docket: Nicki Minaj Track 'Sorry' Sparks Tracy Chapman Lawsuit'. The Hollywood Reporter.
8. ^'Longtime Soap Star Settles MAJOR Lawsuit!'. Soap Hub. December 23, 2018.
9. ^'MOSS v BECKETT'(PDF). Retrieved January 18, 2019.
10. ^'Ed Sheeran Asks Court to Reconsider Decision in 'Thinking Out Loud' Copyright Case'. www.hollywoodreporter.com.
11. ^'Ronn Moss – Player The Band'. player-theband.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
12. ^Ankeny, Jason. 'Player'. AllMusic. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
13. ^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 234. ISBN0-646-11917-6.
14. ^'Canadian peaks'. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
15. ^Dutch peak
16. ^New Zealand peak
17. ^Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN1-904994-10-5.
18. ^Music Canada: CertificationsArchived February 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
19. ^'Gold and Platinum search results: Culture Beat'. RIAA. Retrieved August 14, 2010.

External links[edit]