In 1929, Elmer Rice won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Street Scene. Putting the play on must’ve been a difficult task. Street Scene employs nearly 40 characters as well as another dozen-or-so passers by to tell the stories of people living in a tenement in New York. Maybe the massive cast is why the play has been rarely revived. 

National Pastime Theater wasn’t afraid of a good challenge and is mounting a fresh take on Street Scene combining the realism of Rice’s dialogue with other modern theatrical touches and techniques. Eight Forty-Eight’s Dueling Critics Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman tell us if the production succeeds.

On Stage:
Street Scene
Through April 25
National Pastime Theater

Jonathan’s Pick:
Hello Again
Boho Theatre
Through May 1

Music Button: Algernon, “Timekiller”, from the CD Ghost Surveillance, (Cuneiform)